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Belgium citizenship

Question

I am retired, a house owner, have worked here for over 20 years, receive a Belgium pension, speak French and have a British passport.

I will most likely live here for the rest of my life.

What are the pros and cons of having a Belgium passport in addition to my British one?

Many thanks in advance for your advice.

CM

There are no cons other than it will cost you a bit of money. But if you are retired, I don't think there are many pros either, apart from being able to vote in the general elections here.

However, the stupidity of the current UK government knows no bounds, so you never know what might turn up in the future for dual passport holders.

Oct 31, 2017 12:35
anon

As far as I can tell, there are no cons. The pros are that whatever the outcome of UK / EU negotiations, you'll have a right to reside here as a Belgian national.

Go down to your commune and ask. For you with your residence and links to Belgium it'll be a simple administrative task, and should go through straight away.

Oct 31, 2017 13:11
designbxl

I would definitely recommend getting your Belgian Nationality.....
first.....voting in the federal election (as those decisions will affect you)
second.....peace of mind, no matter what Brexit deal is reached
third..... no hassles if in future you decide you want to move to sunnier
parts of Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal etc ) during your retirement
just my thoughts......
Cheers

Oct 31, 2017 14:13
kasseistamper

I am retired, a house owner, receive a Belgium pension, speak Dutch and had a British passport.
I will live here for the rest of my life.
I originally took Belgian nationality when it became obvious that I was going to become a widower and my wife wanted to ensure that I would not lose out on pension benefits which would be available to me through her contributions.
When my British passport lapsed I did not bother to renew it as my Belgian ID allows me to travel wherever I am ever likely to go - throughout Europe and most nearby tourist destinations such as Turkey and the north African countries.
I cannot think of any cons unless you consider an obligation to vote in all elections a con. An obvious pro is that you won't have to carry a passport whenever you leave Belgium and your ID costs less than a quarter of the cost of a UK passport.

Oct 31, 2017 15:45
becasse

Indeed, as a pensioner, I reckon that becoming a Belgian citizen is a no brainer. It costs a little bit, documents, translations and the official fee, but most of that will be recouped the first time that you don't have to apply to have your UK passport renewed.

Oct 31, 2017 17:10
wezembeekwanderer

I have just put in my application, mainly in case I have to or want to live in another EU country one day. You speak French so you may want to go further south for warmth one day! Having had a 2 week gap in my employment I could not do the 5 year option, so had to do the 10 year residency one. Check with your commune.
I needed a French certificate (free testing and certificate at Le Forem in Nivelles). New birth certificate from UK, translated and legalised. Then I got 4 letters from Belgians (neighbour, boss, ex-colleague, doctor) saying that I was of good character and would be an asset in the community! Plus copy of their ID cards to prove they existed! €150 to be paid in Vilvoorde (commune won't take the payment) and application in to the commune. Finding out how to do it all was an effort, but once I found the language centre, the rest was easy.
Good luck

Nov 4, 2017 18:28
J

Cons of a Belgian passport:
You HAVE to vote
You can be called up to be an unpaid invigilator at elections
(I think) you can be called up for jury service.

That's it.

Nov 5, 2017 14:17