Diploma equivalence in Belgium, timelines and fees 2026.

How long does a secondary diploma equivalence take?

The Equivalence Service announces a processing time of 4 to 12 weeks minimum from the effective handling of the file. This is an indicative time, not a guarantee: an incomplete file lengthens it, and the busy period before the start of the year creates a gap between receipt of the mail, data entry and processing. For files sent by post, the first results are only announced from 1 March of the start-of-year.

What is the filing deadline?

The filing window opens each year in mid-November and closes at a deadline set around 15 July for the following academic year. For the 2026-2027 academic year, the file must be lodged between 15 November 2025 and 15 July 2026, and payment of the fees must be made before that same date (the postmark serves as proof).

If your results are proclaimed after 10 July, the filing deadline is automatically extended to 14 September, on presentation of official proof of the proclamation date. This extension is distinct from the reasoned waiver request, reserved for exceptional circumstances.

How much does the equivalence cost? The official fees

The administrative fees are set by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and adjust automatically, at the time of online payment, according to your path and your country.

What documents and what legalisation?

The file rests on your secondary school leaving diploma and your transcripts, as originals or certified true copies. Two technical points cost time when poorly anticipated: translation and legalisation.

• Translation: documents written in French, German, Dutch, English, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish (Castilian) are exempt from translation. Any other language requires a translation into French by a sworn translator (the mention "ne varietur" and the translator's identification number).
• Legalisation: for countries party to the 1961 Hague Convention, documents bear an apostille. For countries outside the convention, legalisation by the national authority, then where applicable by the Belgian embassy or consulate, is required.

Secondary or higher: don't pick the wrong service

To access the first year of university or a haute école, it is the equivalence of the secondary school leaving diploma that counts: it is handled by the Equivalence Service for secondary education (equivalences.cfwb.be). The recognition of a foreign higher education diploma falls under a separate service (equisup.cfwb.be), which handles neither doctorates nor transitional bachelors and masters, which depend on the universities. Picking the wrong service means losing precious weeks.

How we avoid losing a year

The essentials are decided before filing: a complete, compliant file lodged in the right window avoids being sent back at the end of the session and the loss of a year. That is where we step in.

• Checking each document against the requirements of the Equivalence Service
• Steering the sworn translation and legalisation chain specific to your country
• Filing within the annual window and paying the fees on time
• Coordination with your admission application so that both procedures move together
• Active follow-up of the file until the decision