Eligibility quiz
Were you born in Belgium?
Benefits
Benefits for your childBenefits for your child
Belgian passport and ID
Belgian citizens can get a Belgian passport and identity card.
Live in Belgium for life
Belgian citizens can enter, live in and return to Belgium without renewing their citizenship.
They can use ordinary public services on the same basis as other Belgian citizens.
Study in Belgium
Belgian citizens can study in Belgium on the same basis as other Belgian citizens.
Work in Belgium
Belgian citizens can work or run a business in Belgium on the same basis as other Belgian citizens.
Get help abroad
Belgian citizens can seek consular help abroad.
Those registered at a Belgian consulate can get documents and more effective emergency help; help for an unregistered visitor is narrower.
Vote in elections
Belgian citizens can vote in federal, regional and European elections if they meet the age and other rules.
Those abroad can vote in federal elections from 18 and European elections from 16, if they register at a consulate and enrol, and meet the other conditions.
Use public healthcare
Belgian citizens who are insured or otherwise meet the rules can get healthcare costs reimbursed; citizenship alone does not make healthcare free.
Get social support
Belgian citizens may qualify for social support, including unemployment benefits, pensions, family benefits and a living wage, if they meet the relevant work, residence, contribution or financial conditions.
How to apply
Applying at the town hallApplying at the town hall
Find your town hall
Find the town hall where you have your main home.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which town hall in your city handles Belgian nationality attribution declarations?”
Get the declaration form
Ask your town hall for its nationality attribution declaration form and its document list.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I get a Belgian nationality attribution declaration form for a child from the town hall in your city?”
Fill in the declaration
Fill in and sign the declaration as your town hall asks. Normally, both parents or both adoptive parents make the declaration together.
Find declaration instructionsSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do parents complete a Belgian nationality attribution declaration for a child?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for the town hall.
See required documentsHand in the declaration
Submit the completed declaration and required documents to your town hall before your child turns 12; ask the town hall how to submit them. The declaration is free, but you may need to pay for documents or translations.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I submit a Belgian nationality attribution declaration for a child at the town hall in your city?”
Wait for the decision
Wait while the town hall checks your child's declaration and it goes through the nationality process. If the public prosecutor opposes it, you can challenge the opposition in family court.
See what happens nextSearches DuckDuckGo for “What happens after parents submit a Belgian nationality attribution declaration for a child?”
Get the nationality record
Once the declaration is accepted and registered, obtain your child's Belgian civil-status or nationality record from the town hall.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I obtain a child's Belgian nationality record after a nationality attribution declaration in your city?”
Request identity documents
Ask the town hall for Belgian identity documents for your child. Your child can then use them to show their Belgian identity.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I request Belgian identity documents for a child after nationality attribution in your city?”
Documents needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Birth certificates
Get your Belgian birth certificate showing your parents from a Belgian municipality or through Just-on-web. If it does not establish your parentage, ask your municipality what record it accepts. If you were adopted, add the adoption decision or act and proof of when the adoption took effect.
Parent's citizenship records *
Provide a record showing your parent's Belgian citizenship, such as a Belgian citizenship certificate or a record of when they became Belgian. Ask your municipality which record it accepts.
* Only if your parent was Belgian when you were born or became Belgian while you were a minor.
Parents' residence records *
Provide records showing that each of your parents or adoptive parents had their main home in Belgium for the ten years immediately before the declaration. Ask your municipality which records it accepts.
* Only if your parents make a declaration based on their residence in Belgium.
Parent's residence permission *
Provide proof that at least one of your parents or adoptive parents has permission to live in Belgium indefinitely when the declaration is made. Ask your municipality which proof it accepts.
* Only if your parents make a declaration based on their residence in Belgium.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Citizenship can be lost
At 28, some born abroad after 1 January 1967 lose citizenship: another citizenship, mainly abroad at 18–28, no qualifying Belgian work, retention declaration or voluntary grant after 18.
Adults can give it up or lose it by taking another citizenship.
Courts can remove it for fraud, serious breaches, certain crimes or sham marriage; minors can lose it with a parent or by adoption, with safeguards against statelessness.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Life in Belgium
English Facebook group for people living in Belgium interested in Belgian local life
Join on Facebookr/AnchorLessEurope
English Reddit group for people living in Europe interested in visas
Join on Redditr/europe
English Reddit group for people interested in local life in Europe
Join on RedditConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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