Obtaining citizenship in Belgium
Foreign individuals can
obtain citizenship in Belgium legally or voluntarily. Entrepreneurs, individuals who are already working in the country or
investors in Belgium can
acquire Belgian citizenship if they are considered eligible and if they follow certain steps.
Acquiring Belgian nationality
When an individual aged over 18 submits a voluntary application to obtain Belgian nationality it is considered that the respective individual wishes to acquire Belgian nationality.
This can be accomplished in one of two ways:
- by nationality declarations;
- through naturalization.
Individuals who have their main residence in Belgium are entitled to submit an application for obtaining Belgian nationality. These individuals must be registered with the population register.
Regardless of the manner in which a person submits the application for obtaining citizenship in Belgium, this step does not automatically guarantee that he or she will be granted citizenship. There are several factors which are taken into consideration and the individual must submit a complete set of required documents together with the application.
The procedure for obtaining citizenship in Belgium
The documents that need to be submitted together with the application for obtaining Belgian nationality depend on the current country in which the individual lives. If the main place of residence is also in Belgium, then the individual needs to contact the local registrar in the municipality where the residence is located. Those who live abroad and are applying for Belgian nationality must address the Belgian consular offices in the respective country.
In most cases the documents will need to be legalized. Documents in Dutch, French or German are accepted and those that are not originally in one of these languages must be translated. All documents must be presented in original form or in a certified copy.
Belgium is a very attractive country for investments because of its business friendly policies, multiculturalism and no restrictions on dual citizenship.