Spouses of Belgian diplomats are now entitled to Belgian nationality following an amendment to the Belgian Nationality Code.
The Chamber of Representatives adopted the amendment on Thursday following a proposal to "end discrimination" of non-Belgian spouses of diplomatic and consular staff, who until now were not entitled to apply for Belgian nationality.
Under the current administrative procedure to obtain Belgian nationality, an individual must prove that they have lived in Belgium for at least five years. However, because of their professional obligations Belgian diplomats generally only live in Belgium for three years between two assignments at diplomatic or consular posts, most of which are abroad.
The amendment allows the legal timeframe to continue despite transfers to third countries as part of service to the Belgian State.
Now, spouses of Belgian diplomats are on equal footing with the foreign spouse of a Belgian who resides in Belgium. "It is important to emphasise that the applicant must be residing on Belgian territory at the time when the application is submitted, and that all other conditions remain applicable," the Foreign Affairs Cabinet stated.
