To become a naturalised citizen you must be at least 18 years of age and have lived in Belgium for at least three years. However, this period can be reduced for political refugees and stateless persons. In addition it is possible to take into account your residence abroad if you can prove genuine ties with Belgium for the three-year period.

Process

Applications for citizenship should be submitted to the registrar in the municipality where you are staying. Those who are living abroad should contact the relevant Belgian embassy or consulate.

Documents required:

• Birth certificate
• Proof from the population register of foreigners
• Evidence of refugee status or statelessness (if applicable)
• Certified copy of residence document
• Evidence of genuine ties with Belgium (if applicable)

The following hand written words must precede the signature of the applicant:

"I declare that I wish to become a Belgian national and to respect the Constitution, the laws of the Belgian people and the Treaty regarding the protection of the human rights and the fundamental liberties."

Naturalisation applications are forwarded to the Clerk of the House of Representatives, who seek the advice of local prosecutors in your municipality. The application is then reviewed by the Committee on Naturalisation of the House who submit a proposal to the plenary session of the House of Representatives. Proposals that are adopted obtain Royal Assent and are then published in the Belgian Official Gazette (Moniteur Belge). The date that the notice is published in the Moniteur Belge will the date of naturalisation (acte de naturalisation/akte van naturalisatie) Once the notice has been published the local authority will issue the person with an ID card.

Costs

The naturalisation procedure is free of charge, although translation and legalisation of documents may entail some costs.

Consequences

If the applicant obtains Belgian nationality, his/her children will automatically also obtain the Belgian nationality on the same date provided that they are younger than 18 and that the applicant retains parental authority.

Belgium allows people to apply for citizenship after three years of residency and is the only country in Europe to allow this. The country does not operate an upper limit on the number of citizenship applications approved per year. It also allows for dual citizenship so that an individual may hold passports of both Belgium and their existing country.

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Sources
•    www.belgium-immigration.com
•    www.dekamer.be
•    www.diplomatie.belgium.be

Expatica

Photo credit: By Noble (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons