Belgian citizenship through a parent

Who qualifies

• Belgian automaticallyA Belgian parent who was born in BelgiumA parent born in the Belgian Congo before June 30, 1960, or in Rwanda or Burundi before July 1, 1962, counts too. Your birth still needs registering with the consulate.
• Only with a declarationA Belgian parent who was also born abroadThe Belgian parent had to make a declaration of attribution before your fifth birthday. You’re Belgian from the date it was made. Without it, you’re Belgian only if you had no other nationality before 18.
• Older rulesBorn before January 1, 1985Before 1967, nationality passed from a Belgian father married to your mother, or from the parent who first recognized a child born outside marriage. People born from 1967 to 1984 may have become Belgian on January 1, 1985 under the newer rules. Ask a consulate.
• Usually notYour parent became a citizen of another country before June 9, 2007, before you were bornAdults who took another nationality by choice before then usually lost Belgian nationality, so they couldn’t pass it on.
• Usually notOnly a Belgian grandparent or earlier ancestorBelgian nationality passes from parent to child. There’s no route through grandparents.

The age 28 rule

If you were born abroad after January 1, 1967 and have another nationality, you lose Belgian nationality on your 28th birthday if all of these apply: your main home was outside Belgium from 18 to 28, you didn’t work abroad for the Belgian government or a Belgian company or association, and you didn’t sign a declaration to keep it. It only affects people who were Belgian through a parent, not those who chose to become Belgian as adults.

To keep it, sign a retention declaration at the Belgian consulate where you’re registered, before you turn 28. If you were under 28 on July 12, 2018, getting a Belgian passport or ID card between 18 and 28 also keeps it. If you’re not sure whether the rule applies, FPS Foreign Affairs advises making the declaration anyway.

If you’ve lost it, you can only get it back by living in Belgium. Since 2013 you need 12 months’ main residence there on a legal residence permit, then you apply at the town hall.

How to apply

1. Check where your Belgian parent was bornThat decides whether you’re Belgian automatically, or only through a declaration made before you turned 5.
2. Register with the Belgian consulateIn the US, that’s the embassy in Washington or the consulates general in New York, Los Angeles or Atlanta. Since June 15, 2014 you can’t get a regular passport from a consulate unless you’re registered there. A child is registered through a parent who’s already registered.
3. For a child under 5 whose Belgian parent was born abroad: make the declarationOnly the Belgian parent signs it, at the consulate where they’re registered. The embassy in London, for example, asks for copies of the documents first, then sends an information letter. US consulates charge US$60 for a nationality declaration.
4. Apply for a passport in personEveryone from age 6 applies in person, and fingerprints are taken from 12. From October 1, 2026, an adult passport costs US$90 (€75) at US consulates and a child’s US$42 (€35). The ordinary procedure takes about 2 weeks. Flying consul visits to other US cities add US$60.
5. Born abroad? Act before 28Sign a declaration to keep your nationality, or get a Belgian passport or ID card, between 18 and 28.

Documents

• Your full (long-form) birth certificate, showing both parents, with an apostille
• A sworn translation into Dutch, French or German
• A copy of your Belgian parent’s passport or identity card
• Your Belgian parent’s birth certificate, showing where they were born
• Your parents’ marriage certificate, if they’re married
• Your current passport

Foreign documents must be originals or certified copies, and need legalizing or an apostille. Documents that aren’t in Dutch, French or German need a translation by a sworn translator, and a sworn translator’s signature from abroad must be legalized too. For a nationality declaration, supporting documents must be less than 6 months old.

For UK, Irish and US certificates, see where to order certificates.

Common questions

What a Belgian passport gives you

The right to live, work, study and retire across all 27 EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. See what an EU passport lets you do.