Who qualifies for Belgian citizenship by descent
If your Belgian parent was born in Belgium, you're Belgian from birth. If your Belgian parent was born abroad too, you're Belgian only if a declaration of attribution was made before you turned 5. Belgium has no grandparent route. It has allowed dual nationality since 28 April 2008, so Belgians born with another nationality keep both — provided they keep the link required by Article 22 between 18 and 28.
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Belgian by descent isn't automatic when both generations were born abroad
Article 8 of the Nationality Code gives Belgian nationality at birth to a child of a Belgian parent born in Belgium. When the Belgian parent was also born abroad, the child is Belgian only if the parent made a declaration of attribution before the child's fifth birthday (and, in practice, registered it with the embassy). Many second- and third-generation Belgians abroad assume they inherited nationality and find out at a consulate counter that no declaration was ever made.
If you're in that position and over 5, you can't make the declaration now. The remaining route is naturalisation or a declaration of nationality after living in Belgium.
The age-28 rule — and the four ways to keep Belgian nationality
Article 22 §1 5° takes Belgian nationality away on your 28th birthday if you were born abroad after 1 January 1967, hold another nationality, and between 18 and 28 did none of the following: lived in Belgium as your main residence; worked abroad for the Belgian government or a Belgian company or association; obtained a Belgian passport or ID card; or signed a declaration that you want to keep Belgian nationality.
For most people abroad, the simplest step is a Belgian passport issued between 18 and 28. Otherwise, sign the retention declaration at your embassy or consulate before your 28th birthday; a consular tax applies, set by each post.
Sources: Belgian consulate — retaining Belgian nationality (article 22)
Dual nationality since 2008
Before 28 April 2008, Belgian adults who voluntarily acquired another nationality lost Belgian nationality. Since then they keep it. That matters for family lines: a parent who naturalised elsewhere before 2008 may have stopped being Belgian before you were born, which would mean you didn't inherit it.
Sources: FPS Justice — acquiring another citizenship as a Belgian adult
Practical steps
1. Check where your Belgian parent was born; if abroad, find out whether a declaration of attribution was made before you turned 5. 2. Register with the Belgian consulate and apply for a passport. 3. If you're a dual national born abroad, make sure a passport is issued — or a retention declaration signed — between 18 and 28. For family research, the State Archives hold civil-status and population registers.
If you've lost Belgian nationality
Former Belgians — including those who lost nationality at 28 — can't simply reclaim it from abroad. Recovery is generally possible by declaration after living in Belgium, and naturalisation requires five years' legal residence plus integration conditions. If you're close to 28, a passport application or retention declaration now is far easier than recovery later.
Belgian requirements at a glance
- A Belgian parent at your birth — no grandparent route
- Belgian parent born abroad: a declaration of attribution before your 5th birthday
- Born abroad after 1 Jan 1967 with another nationality: between 18 and 28, hold a Belgian passport or ID, live in Belgium, work abroad for the Belgian state or a Belgian company, or declare that you want to keep Belgian nationality
- The retention declaration is signed at a Belgian embassy or consulate before your 28th birthday
Documents for a Belgian claim
- 1Your birth certificate naming your Belgian parent
- 2Your Belgian parent's Belgian ID card, passport or certificate of nationality
- 3Registration with the Belgian embassy or consulate (consular population register)
- 4For retention: the declaration form, signed at the consulate, and proof of identity
Belgian processing times
Registering with a consulate and getting a Belgian passport are administrative. The retention declaration is signed in person; book the appointment well before your 28th birthday.
Where Belgian claims go wrong
- Assuming you're Belgian because a parent is — not if both of you were born abroad and no declaration was made before you turned 5
- Losing nationality at 28: a dual national born abroad who did none of the qualifying acts between 18 and 28
- Assuming a Belgian grandparent creates a claim
- Not budgeting for the consular tax on the retention declaration, which varies by post
Official Belgian government sources
Belgian citizenship FAQ
Q1My father is Belgian but was born in Canada, like me. Am I Belgian?
Only if a declaration of attribution was made before you turned 5. If not, you didn't inherit Belgian nationality.
Q2I'm 26, Belgian and American, and live in the US. What do I need to do?
Before your 28th birthday, either get a Belgian passport or ID card or sign a declaration at a Belgian consulate that you want to keep Belgian nationality. Otherwise you lose it at 28.
Q3Can I get Belgian citizenship through my grandparents?
No. Belgian nationality passes only from a parent.
Q4Does Belgium allow dual citizenship?
Yes, since 28 April 2008.
Q5What does the retention declaration cost?
A consular tax set by each Belgian embassy or consulate, payable in local currency.
Q6Can I recover Belgian nationality after losing it at 28?
Generally only by declaration after living in Belgium; it can't be reclaimed from abroad.
Belgian nationality law
Belgian Nationality Code (Code de la nationalité belge / Wetboek van de Belgische nationaliteit), as amended — notably Article 8 (attribution by descent and the declaration before age 5), Article 22 §1 5° (loss at 28) and the reform of 4 December 2012. Dual nationality has been allowed since 28 April 2008.
Dual citizenship in Belgium
Since 28 April 2008, Belgians who voluntarily take another nationality no longer lose Belgian nationality, and Belgians by birth may hold other nationalities — subject to the Article 22 rule for those born abroad.
Belgian application costs
A consular tax is charged for the retention declaration and related attestations; the amount is set by each embassy in local currency. Passport fees are separate.