Nationality

Below you will find information on:

• the nationality of a Belgian child born abroad of a parent, who was also born abroad;
• the conservation of the Belgian nationality.

Child born abroad from a Belgian parent, who was also born abroad

A child born abroad from a Belgian parent, who was also born abroad, does not automatically have the Belgian nationality at birth if the child has another nationality. 

The Belgian parent can give him/her the Belgian nationality by signing a declaration at the Consulate before the child is 5 years old. The child becomes Belgian on the day of this declaration

Conditions:

• the parent who signs the declaration must be Belgian on the day the child was born
• the child must be legally considered as the child of the Belgian parent according to Belgian law

After the declaration is signed, the parents can register their child at the Consulate (see separate procedure/note “registration”). After registration you can apply for a passport.
 

1. Documents

The following documents must be produced:

Attention, except copies of travel and/or identity documents, all the requested documents must comply with the conditions described in point 2.

• true certified copy of the birth certificate of the child;
  • Please make sure that:
    • the name and first name of each parent appear on this document (for the mother, her maiden name must appear under “surname of mother’s father”);
    • Attention to the spelling of the names of the child on the birth certificate as it will be automatically copied in the Belgian documents for the child. It is therefore very important not to make a mistake in the spelling of the names (translation).
• birth certificate of the non-Belgian parent (the birth certificate does not need to be recent or translated)
• If the parents are not married, please contact the Consulate.
• registration form in name of the child, signed by both parents;
•  copy of the passports and identity card of the parents of the child;
•  copy of the Israeli identity card or residence permit in Israel of the parents, with updated address (sefah or tenancy agreement, recent water/electricity bill,..);
•  if possible, a copy of the passport and/or identity card of the child;

Additional documents may be required if questions regarding nationality, names, filiation, etc. arise.
 

2. Requirements which the requested documents must meet

Documents must be:

• original: no scan/ photocopy; the birth certificate must be issued by the administration that registered the birth (Misrad Hapnim);
• recent: the documents cannot be older than 6 months when provided to the Consulate;
• legalized and translated (see explanation below).

Legalization and translation of official Israeli documents

1. The legalization procedure of an Israeli document is done by obtaining an apostille stamp at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Jerusalem (9 Yitzhak Rabin Blvd; Kiryat Ben-Gurion; Jerusalem 9195022; tel: +972.2.5303176; email: Apostille@mfa.gov.il; website: mfa.gov.il
2. Documents need to be translated into one of our national languages (French, Dutch, German). 
3. Translations need to be legalized as well, NOT by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but by the Ministry of Justice (Bet Mishpat HaShalom- + 972.2.65.45.900).

Legalization and translation of official documents from other countries

Documents that were not issued in Israel, must be legalised in the country/region where they were issued. You can verify which procedure is required (depending on the country and the type of document) on the website of the Belgian Foreign Affairs
 

3. Consular tax

A consular tax must be paid for issuing the attestations by the Embassy and for the signature of the declaration of conservation of the nationality. These taxes, the amount of which may vary according to the exchange rate, must be paid in cash in shekels. A consular assistant will inform you of these costs at the relevant moment.

Conservation of the Belgian nationality

A Belgian citizen who:

• was born abroad;
• has never had his/her main residence in Belgium between his/her 18th and his/her 28^th birthday;
• has other nationalities.

Needs to start a procedure between his/her 18^th and 28^th birthday in order to maintain their Belgian citizenship.
 

Procedure 1 (fast and cheap)

Apply for a passport/ID and receive it between their 18^th and 28^th birthday

Procedure 2 (long and expensive)

Sign a declaration of conservation of the Belgian Nationality at the Consulate

If you do not do this you will lose your Belgian citizenship on the day of your 28^th birthday.

You can find the law (see article 22, §2) in French and Dutch