Application for naturalisation
How can I submit an application for naturalisation?
You can submit an application for naturalisation to the Belgian embassy or consular mission in your main place of residence abroad. If you live in Belgium, you should contact the registrar in your municipality.
The application is then forwarded to the Chamber of Representatives which takes the final decision on whether or not to grant Belgian nationality. You obtain Belgian nationality on the date upon which the acte de naturalisation/akte van naturalisatie (naturalisation document) is published in the Moniteur Belge/Belgisch Staatsblad (Belgian Official Gazette). Further information is available from the Chamber of Representatives .
What criteria to I have to meet?
- You must be at least 18 years of age.
AND
- Your legal main place of residence must have been Belgium for at least three years prior to your application. This period is reduced to two years for political refugees and stateless persons. Residence abroad can be equated with residence in Belgium if you can prove that you had genuine ties with Belgium during the periods stipulated above. The Chamber of Representatives will issue a decision on the matter.
Do my children become Belgian citizens if I obtain Belgian nationality?
If you obtain Belgian nationality, your children who are under the age of eighteen years and are not emancipated and over whom you exercise parental authority as a parent or adoptive parent, will automatically obtain Belgian nationality on the same date.
