Belgian Federal Government Information & Services : Naturalisation Procedure

Organization : Belgian Federal Government
Type of Facility : Naturalisation Procedure
Country: Belgium

Website : http://www.belgium.be/en/family/naturalisation_procedure/

Naturalisation Procedure :

One way of acquiring Belgian nationality is the naturalisation procedure. Naturalisation is a concessionary measure granted by the House of Representatives.

Related : Belgian Federal Government Information & Services Renting a Home : www.statusin.org/8411.html

In contrast to the declaration procedure or the normal choice of nationality, in this case foreigners have no right to Belgian nationality, but the House may nevertheless grant Belgian nationality as a concession.

You must have had your main place of residence in Belgium for three years in order to be naturalised. Stateless persons and recognized refugees need only to have had their main place of residence in Belgium for two years.

You can either apply for naturalisation directly to the House of Representatives, or through the Registrar in the municipality where you have your main place of residence. You will receive an explanatory leaflet and an application form.

If your main place of residence is abroad, you must submit your application to the Belgian Embassy or Consulate. These services will then forward the application to the House of Representatives.

A stay abroad may be equated with a stay in Belgium, but in that case you must provide evidence that you had ‘genuine links’ with Belgium during the required period.

You are recommended to enclose a separate statement with your declaration for the attention of the House, clarifying your genuine links with Belgium.

Once the dossier is complete, the Registrar will forward your application to the House of Representatives. The House will then take a decision over granting naturalisation. The public prosecutor’s office, the Aliens Office and the National Security Department will all be consulted and have a period of four months in which to submit their opinion. The Naturalisation Act takes the form of a law. You are Belgian on the day on which the law appears in the Belgisch Staatsblad/Moniteur belge.

You can find more information about the naturalisation procedure at www.diplomatie.be and at www.dekamer.be (in Dutch) or www.lachambre.be (in French).

Social services :
Everyone in Belgium is entitled to social services from the public social welfare centre, CPAS/OCMW.

They provide social services so that everyone can live with dignity. They investigate what help is most appropriate given the personal or family circumstances, and offer the appropriate means to meet people’s needs.

For asylum seekers and people without legal residence there are limits to these services. For asylum seekers the government also subsidises a special reception structure in place of the usual CPAS/OCMW service. For people without legal residence the service is usually restricted to urgent medical help.

Getting married :
A foreigner who marries a Belgian does not automatically receive Belgian nationality. To acquire Belgian nationality, you must be living with your Belgian spouse at the time of the application. Depending on your residence rights in the country, you must also have been living together for a certain time.