Trade Registry Translation for Belgium

Matching the fields to their KBO / BCE counterparts

The Belgian side will look in your document for the fields it reads in the KBO / BCE record, where a company is identified by its ondernemingsnummer (enterprise number). Submitted together, the certificate of activity and the TTSG notice cover what a registry extract conveys: whether the company is active, where its maatschappelijke zetel is, who manages it, what its line of business is. Rendering these fields in the terms of Belgian commercial law reduces objections, and a short covering note explaining that they are the Türkiye equivalent also helps, because a reader expecting a single registry extract needs to see that two documents together perform that one function.

Which language region, which language

Belgium has three language regions: Dutch (NL) is required in the Flemish region, French (FR) in the Walloon region, and German in a small area in the east. A document translated into the wrong language will have the application rejected out of hand, so before translation begins you need to establish which region you will be applying in and which language it takes. Where the same document is going to two regions, a set in two separate languages may be needed. The table above gives the field equivalents in both Dutch and French; the translation uses one of those sets consistently, according to the target language region.

The line of business (doel / objet) field calls for particular care in translation. In the KBO / BCE record this field corresponds to information that draws the boundary of the company’s activity; for that reason the line of business given in the Turkish document must be carried across without being widened or narrowed. Sector terms are rendered with their established equivalents in the commercial language of the correct region, Dutch or French, but never at the cost of the meaning; if the document carries an activity code of the NACE type, that code is an identifier and is left exactly as it is. Interpreting an item of activity freely can make the company’s authorised field look other than it is; the line of business is therefore translated so as to mirror the scope of the source document precisely, neither broadened nor reduced.

The false-equivalent trap, capital and the beëdigd vertaler

A frequent mistake is to convert the abbreviation of the company type into a Belgian one. Writing “NV” for an A.Ş., or “BV” or “SRL” for a Limited Şirketi, equates it with a different legal form, and these types do not overlap point for point. The type abbreviation is left as it stands, with an explanatory note in brackets where that is needed. The capital figure and its currency (TL) remain exactly as they are; they are not converted into euros. The QR code on the certificate of activity is indicated with a [QR code] and [electronic verification] note; the MERSIS number and the trade registry number are transferred exactly. Belgium operates a sworn translator system; an official translation is produced by a sworn translator entered in the national register (beëdigd vertaler / traducteur juré), whereas in a translation produced in Türkiye a sworn translator signs it, a notary notarises it, and an apostille is attached.

Current position, past changes and the signature circular

The certificate of activity shows the company as it stands today, whereas the TTSG notices are a chronological record. When a Belgian buyer or authority asks for an up-to-date record, submitting the most recent registration notice together with a currently dated certificate of activity is more complete than sending one old copy. The signature circular, which evidences the signing authority of the person empowered to represent the company, is a separate document; it may be requested to confirm a contract or an authority, and it too must be translated into the language of the correct region (NL/FR). The translation preserves the date and issue number of every notice; translating the names and titles of individuals consistently across the two documents allows the reader to match the authority without effort. Before delivery:

• Establish the correct language region and target language (NL/FR) at the outset.
• Check that the type abbreviation has not been converted into an “NV/BV/SRL” equivalent.
• Confirm that the capital has been left in TL; obtain the apostille before the translation.

Belgium is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention; confirm the current position on the official HCCH list. You can see the level of certification other documents require on our document types page, review the cost on our pricing page, and upload your document to request a quote. Translations are handled from our single office (Ankara Kızılay). It is sensible to confirm the current requirements with the institution you are applying to.