Hey everyone,

I just read an article in The Brussels Times about some pretty significant changes coming to the Belgian citizenship application process. According to the piece, here are the key updates:

  1. Applicants will now need B1 level language proficiency

  2. The application fee is being raised to €1000

  3. 5 years of uninterrupted work in Belgium is no longer considered enough to prove integration — language skills will be a mandatory requirement

I had a few questions I was hoping someone here might know more about:

  1. Has this officially been approved yet?

  2. If so, when would these changes come into effect? Is it immediate or will there be a grace period?

  3. Will these rules apply across the entire country, or could the requirements vary by region (Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia)?

Would love to hear if anyone has more insight into this. Thanks in advance!

Source: https://www.brusselstimes.com/belgium/1538209/belgium-raises-cost-of-obtaining-citizenship-to-e1000

by CC_163

8 comments

  1. Nothing is official until it’s on the Belgian government website is usually my take. Unfortunately there are a million different government sites and some contradict each other. But I feel like that’s getting better.

  3. >Has this officially been approved yet?

    As far as I know this is only in the government formation agreement, but I assume a vote still needs to be held about it to pass. Otherwise there’d be more news about it.

    >If so, when would these changes come into effect?

    Hard to say at this point. Between a few months and 4 years.

    >Is it immediate or will there be a grace period?

    Once it is announced then there will be an official date as of when it will be in force. Likely it be be something like “people who applied after ___ will fall under this new system”.

    >Will these rules apply across the entire country, or could the requirements vary by region (Flanders, Brussels, Wallonia)?

    Federal government, federal matter. Regions have no say on this matter.

    >Applicants will now need B2 level language proficiency

    Btw, the agreement says B1 not B2.

  7. Not learning the languages because the Belgian state decided that I can suck a cock if I don’t retrieve my Soviet birth certificate from Ukraine.

  8. The language requirement is tempting my family to buy in Brussels instead of Flanders despite the mobility bonus. 

    I’m B1 Dutch certified starting B2 in the fall and my spouse is B2 French certified.  We would like to stay in Flanders but spouse will only be able to get to A2 Dutch when we’re eligible to apply in two years. B1 is two years if you also work full time!

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