How to Apply for Belgian Citizenship?
How to Apply for Belgian Citizenship?
Applications for Belgian citizenship are made to the Federal Civil Service for Foreign Affairs (formerly the Ministry of Justice). The Belgian Federal Civil Service is the official institution that evaluates and finalizes applications for citizenship in accordance with the Belgian Nationality Law. In exceptional cases, such as applications for citizenship for artists and athletes, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives has the authority to decide.
In order to apply for Belgian citizenship, certain conditions must be met, such as applying with a Belgian residence permit , being married to a Belgian citizen, being born in Belgium, and the sub-conditions specified for each method must be met.
What are the Belgian Citizenship Requirements?
The requirements for becoming a citizen of Belgium are listed below.
- It is necessary to know at least one of the three official languages of Belgium (Dutch, German and French).
- It is necessary to provide proof of social integration through a Belgian university degree, a vocational school diploma, at least 5 years of professional experience or participation in a social integration programme officially recognised by the competent authorities.
- If you have lived in Belgium for less than 10 years, you must have at least 468 days of economic participation through work or at least 18 months of social security contributions.
- If a person has lived in Belgium for more than 10 years, proof of participation in social life is required.
- In order for children to become citizens of Belgium, they must be born in Belgium, be born and adopted in Belgium, have their ancestry officially recognized by a Belgian citizen, or have one of their parents hold Belgian citizenship.
What are the requirements for applying for Belgian citizenship through marriage?
In order to apply for Belgian citizenship through marriage, certain conditions set by the Federal Public Service for Justice must be met.
The requirements for applying for Belgian citizenship through marriage are listed below.
- It is necessary to have resided in Belgium for at least 5 years.
- It is necessary to have been married for at least 3 years.
- Knowledge of at least one of the three official languages of Belgium (Dutch, German and French) is required.
When can people with Belgian citizens be granted Belgian citizenship at the earliest?
Those whose spouse is a Belgian citizen can apply for Belgian citizenship at the earliest after 5 years. Those whose spouse is a Belgian citizen must have been married for at least 3 years out of the minimum 5 years they will have lived in Belgium in order to apply for citizenship.
Spouses of Belgian citizens must come to Belgium with a Belgian Marriage Visa and live in Belgium for at least 5 years and learn one of the official languages of Belgium. After learning one of the official languages of Belgium at least to A2 level, Belgian citizenship application can be made.
What are the requirements for obtaining Belgian citizenship through a residence permit?
In order to obtain Belgian citizenship through a Belgian residence permit; it is necessary to be registered in Belgium, to have resided legally in Belgium for at least 5 years (1825 days) continuously, to know at least one of the 3 official languages (German, Dutch and French), to have worked for at least 468 days if lived in Belgium for less than 10 years or to have paid social security contributions for at least 18 months, and to provide proof of participation in social life if lived in Belgium for more than 10 years.
In order to apply for Belgian citizenship through a Belgian residence permit, it is necessary to have an official Belgian Residence Permit that is valid for at least 1 year as of the application date.
What are the requirements for applying for Belgian citizenship for children?
The full legal age of responsibility in Belgium is 18. In Belgium, anyone under the age of 18 is considered a child. The Belgian citizenship application requirements for people under the age of 18 vary.
In Belgium, children can become Belgian citizens through birth, adoption, official recognition of their lineage by a Belgian citizen, or if their parents acquire Belgian citizenship.
Children are considered Belgian citizens if they are born in Belgium or if they are born in Belgium and do not acquire citizenship from anywhere else outside Belgium until they turn 18. This rule does not apply to children born in Belgium after 26.12.2006 if they can acquire citizenship from the country of one or both of their parents.
If the child has dual citizenship and loses the citizenship of the other country before reaching the age of 18, the child is considered a Belgian citizen. If the parent who was born in Belgium but is a citizen of another country lives in Belgium for at least 5 years during the 10 years before the child’s birth, the child is considered a Belgian citizen.
If a child is born in Belgium and adopted by a parent who is a citizen of another country, the adopted child is considered a Belgian citizen. The parent must have lived in Belgium for at least 5 years during the 10 years prior to the child’s adoption.
If the child is adopted or given birth by a person who was not born in Belgium but has a permanent residence in Belgium, the child can obtain citizenship by applying before his/her 12th birthday, provided that the child has been living in Belgium since birth.
What are the requirements for applying for citizenship by buying a house in Belgium?
It is not possible to apply for citizenship by buying a house in Belgium.
You can apply for a Belgian investor visa by establishing a company in Belgium. After obtaining the Belgian Investor Visa , you can go to Belgium and apply for a residence permit.
By expanding a company established in Belgium, investing 300-500 thousand EUR in the Belgian economy, living in Belgium for 5 years without interruption, and demonstrating at least A2 level proficiency in one of the Belgian official languages, investors can apply for Belgian citizenship.
What are the requirements for Belgian citizenship application for people of Belgian origin?
People who were born in Belgium but whose parents did not declare their citizenship before they were 12 years old can become Belgian citizens if they were not granted citizenship of another country before they were 18 years old.
What are the requirements for citizenship by birth in Belgium?
In order for people born in Belgium to become Belgian citizens, the parent who was born in Belgium but is a citizen of another country must have lived in Belgium for at least 5 years during the 10 years before the child was born.
In case of a child of a person with permanent residence in Belgium, the child must be born in Belgium, live in Belgium without interruption and an application for Belgian citizenship must be made by the parents before the child’s 12th birthday.
What are the requirements for applying for Belgian citizenship under refugee status?
In order to apply for Belgian citizenship with refugee status, the person must be excluded from the country of citizenship because of race, religion, language, political views, a registered social group, or must be fleeing war, torture, inhuman and degrading treatment.
In order to apply for Belgian citizenship as a refugee, you must go to Belgium by fulfilling the Belgian Asylum Conditions. It is not possible to apply for asylum before going to Belgium.
In order to apply for Belgian citizenship as a refugee, you must go to the municipality office in Belgium and make a citizenship declaration. If you cannot apply for Belgian citizenship with a citizenship declaration, you can become a Belgian citizen by applying for naturalization.
What are the Required Documents for Belgian Citizenship Application?
The documents required for applying for Belgian citizenship vary depending on the type of application.
The documents and paperwork required for the Belgian citizenship application are listed below.
- Birth certificate : In order to apply for Belgian citizenship, a translated and certified copy of the person’s birth certificate must be submitted.
- Proof of residence in Belgium : To apply for Belgian citizenship, proof of residence must be submitted showing that you have lived in Belgium for at least 5 years without interruption.
- Proof of social integration in Belgium : To apply for Belgian citizenship, proof of social integration must be provided, such as a diploma from a Belgian university, a diploma from a vocational school, at least 5 years of professional experience, or proof of participation in a social integration program officially recognized by the competent authorities.
- Proof of Belgian economic participation : To apply for Belgian citizenship, proof of at least 468 days of employment or payment of social security contributions for at least 18 months is required.
- Marriage certificate : In order to apply for Belgian citizenship as a married person, a marriage certificate must be submitted.
- Language proficiency certificate : In order to apply for Belgian citizenship, a language proficiency certificate must be submitted showing that you know one of the official languages of Belgium (French, Dutch or German) at at least A2 level.
- Application fee receipt : In order to apply for Belgian citizenship, proof of payment of the application fee must be submitted.
Where to Apply for Belgian Citizenship?
The documents prepared to apply for Belgian citizenship must be submitted to the Belgian Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
How Long Does It Take to Complete a Belgian Citizenship Application?
Applications for Belgian citizenship are evaluated within 6 months from the date of application. The result of the application for Belgian citizenship is sent to the person’s address as a letter.
How to Get Belgian Citizenship?
After meeting the necessary conditions and preparing all the necessary documents to apply for Belgian citizenship, you must send it to the Belgian Federal Public Service for Foreign Affairs by post or call to make an appointment.
When the Belgian citizenship application is decided positively or negatively, the result is notified by sending a letter to the registered address of the applicant. If the Belgian citizenship application is approved, the residence permit becomes invalid and the Belgian citizen must apply for a Belgian passport.
Candidates whose application result is negative due to missing documents can prepare their documents again and apply.
What to Do If Your Belgian Citizenship Application Is Rejected?
The Belgian Federal Public Service for Justice is the sole authority in the evaluation process of Belgian citizenship applications. If the Belgian citizenship application is rejected due to incomplete documentation, the missing documents can be completed and the application can be made again. In cases where the Belgian citizenship application is rejected, the application fee is not refunded.
How Much Are the Belgian Citizenship Application Fees?
The Belgian citizenship application fee is 200 EUR, to have the documents formalised it costs 20 EUR per document, to have the documents translated it costs 60 EUR per document and to receive official copies of the documents costs 1 EUR per document.
Which Countries Can I Visit Visa-Free with a Belgian Passport?
People who are Belgian citizens have many rights. People who have acquired Belgian citizenship have the right to live and work in Belgium. Since Belgium is part of the European Union, Belgian citizens are European Union citizens according to European Union law.
Belgian citizens have the right to live and work in any EU, EEA or Switzerland country, as stipulated in Article 21 of the EU Treaty. Belgian citizens have the right to vote in European Parliament elections and local elections in the European country in which they reside, and to stand as candidates for the Belgian Parliament.
People who have been granted Belgian citizenship can apply for a Belgian passport and have the right to enter and exit countries where Belgian citizens can go visa-free, provided that certain conditions are met.
The countries that can be visited without a visa with a Belgian passport are listed below.
- Vanuatu
- Albania
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belarus
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuanian
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Holland
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Swedish
- Switzerland
- Ukrainian
- United Kingdom
- Vatican State
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Dominican
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Jamaica
- Mexican
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- St. Lucia
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United States
- Uruguay
- Venezuelan
- Armenia
- Brunei
- Georgia
- Indonesia
- Israel
- Japan
- Kazakhstan
- South Korea
- Kyrgyzstan
- Malaysia
- Philippines
- Train
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Timor Leste
- Republic of Türkiye
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Botswana
- Cape Verde
- Eswatini
- Gambia
- Lesotho
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- South Africa
- Tunisian
- Fiji
- Kiribati
- Marshall Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Palau
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu