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1. What is legalization?
Legalization is the verification of the truthfulness of the signature and the capacity in which the signatory has acted and, where applicable, the identity of the seal or stamp on the document. A document will only be legalized by the Belgian embassy if the document is intended for use in Belgium.
However, legalization does not guarantee the authenticity of the legalized document. The decision to accept a legalized document falls within the competence of the Belgian organization or authority that requested the document in the context of the procedure in Belgium.
A legalization may be accompanied by statements that help the civil registrar in Belgium to take his decision. These mentions indicate the discrepancies or material errors noted by the analyst of the file.
Please note that the Belgian Embassy does not legalize any Belgian document. For the legalization of Belgian documents, please contact the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
2. Legalization of Ivorian documents
The Belgian Embassy in Abidjan is competent for the legalization of Ivorian documents.
Respect of the cascade of signatures
Before they can be legalized by the Belgian Embassy, Ivorian documents must first be legalized by various entities.
The steps of legalization in Côte d'Ivoire (PDF, 103.43 KB)
Procedure
From October 1st, 2021 onwards, legalization will be made at VFS Global, ONLY BY APPOINTMENT.
The procedure is as follows:
| Step 1: |
|
You make an appointment online, on the VFS Global website. Select "Make an appointment" and then choose "Legalizations" from the list of services offered. Please note that appointments are individual, depending on the name on the document(s) to be legalized. It is not permitted to make a single appointment for the legalization of documents of several persons. Only documents bearing the name of the person mentioned in the appointment will be accepted. |
| Step 2: |
| You fill out the legalization request form (PDF, 87.92 KB). Please note: one form must be filled out per person. If you cannot come in person to VFS Global and you give proxy to another person, please attach a copy of your ID. |
| Step 3: |
| You come to your appointment at VFS Global with your ID, your documents previously legalized by the competent authorities (see signature cascade above) and the completed legalization request form. The legalization fee is 13,200 FCFA per document. In addition, a service fee of 3300 FCFA per document is applicable, as well as the cost for the return of the document. Payment can be made in cash or by card. |
| Step 4: |
| VFS Global forwards your documents to the Embassy for processing. Please note that the processing of a legalization takes between 15 and 20 working days. However, in some cases, verifications are required and the delays are longer, depending on the response time of the verifying authority. |
| Step 5: |
| Once your documents have been legalized, they are sent back to VFS Global who will notify you and return the documents to you, at your expenses (post in Abidjan, DHL for the rest). |
Special cases
- You are not able to come to VFS Global in Abidjan for the deposit of your documents: you still make an appointment online, specifying that the documents will be sent to VFS Global by DHL. The payment of the legalization fees can be done online by credit card or mobile payment. The payment link will be sent to you by VFS Global after receiving the documents at the center.
- Your legalization is for a student guarantee form (Annex 32) or another document that needs to be signed by you: as these documents must be signed in front of a consular officier, the legalization of these documents must be done at the Embassy. You make an appointment on our online appointment platform
3. Legalization of Ghanaian documents
The Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Accra is competent for the legalization of Ghanaian documents.
As from 01/09/2022, the Belgian Honorary Consulate in Accra is competent to legalise Ghanaian documents. Before being legalised by the Belgian Honorary Consulate, Ghanaian documents must first be legalised by a Notary Public, then by the Judicial Service and finally by the Legal and Consular Bureau of the Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. After these three steps, you must present the documents to our Consulate in person (or through a representative). Full copies of civil status documents must be accompanied by a legible photocopy of the original document. The cost of legalisation is €20. The Honorary Consulate is open to the public on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9:00 to 11:30.
4. Legalization of Sierra Leonean documents
The Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Freetown is competent for the legalization of Sierra Leonean documents.
Before they can be legalized by the Honorary Consulate of Belgium, Sierra Leonean documents must first be legalized by the Sierra Leonean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You must then present the documents to our Consulate in person (or by a representative). Each document to be legalized must be accompanied by a legible photocopy and can in no case be sent to the Consulate by e-mail, fax or mail. The cost of legalization is 20 euros/196000SLL. Legalizations take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 11am.
5. Legalization of Liberian documents
The Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Monrovia is competent for the legalization of Liberian documents.
Before Liberian documents can be legalized by the Honorary Consulate of Belgium, they must first be legalized by a notary public, and then by the Legal Department of the Liberian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The cost of legalization is 20 euros/12 USD.
6. Legalization of Beninese documents
The Belgian Embassy in Cotonou is competent for the legalization of Beninese documents.
7. Legalization of Togolese documents
The Honorary Consulate of Belgium in Lomé is competent for the legalization of Togolese documents.
Before being legalized by the Belgian Honorary Consulate, Togolese documents must first be legalized by the Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You must then (in person or through a representative) present the documents to our Consulate. Full copies of civil status documents must be accompanied by a good quality photocopy of the original document. The cost of legalization is 13,200 FCFA (20 euros). The Honorary Consulate is open to the public on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and the legalization is generally ready within 48 to 72 hours.
