Foreign Affairs welcomes legal amendment allowing foreign partners of diplomats to obtain the Belgian nationality

On Thursday 2 May, the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Belgian federal parliament, adopted the legislative proposal to amend the Belgian Nationality Code, to make it possible for foreign spouses of diplomatic and consular staff to obtain Belgian nationality.

This legislative amendment aims to put an end to a discrimination against the foreign partners of Belgian diplomats, who, in the current legal framework, cannot obtain Belgian nationality.

Under the current administrative procedure for obtaining Belgian nationality, it is necessary to prove that you have actually lived in Belgium for at least 5 years. However, because of their professional obligations, Belgian diplomats generally only live in Belgium for 3 years between two assignments at diplomatic or consular posts, most of which are abroad. The amendment allows for the legal timeframe to continue when there is a move towards a third country while still in the service of the Belgian State.

The new legal framework puts the foreign spouse of a Belgian diplomat now on an equal footing with the foreign spouse of a Belgian who resides in Belgium. It is important to emphasize that the applicant must be actually residing on Belgian territory at the time the application is submitted, and that all other conditions remain applicable.

This legislative amendment is a sign of recognition of the involvement of the partners of Belgian diplomats in promoting the image of our country abroad, and is part of the strengthening of the family policy of the FPS Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation.