Naturalisation As A Belgian Citizen
A person may be naturalised as a Belgian citizen after three years residence in Belgium.
- This period is reduced to two years for political refugees and stateless persons.
- Residence abroad can be equated with residence in Belgium if one can prove that one had genuine ties with Belgium during the periods stipulated above.
Normally a person must be aged 18 or over in order to become a naturalised Belgian citizen. Unemancipated minors obtain Belgian citizenship automatically at the same time a responsible parent is naturalised.
Where a person is married to a Belgian citizen for over three years, and has held a permit allowing settlement in Belgium for that period, the residence period for naturalisation may be reduced to 6 months.
Read more about this topic: Belgian Nationality Law
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—Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev (1818–1883)