One year ago, the cost of becoming Belgian increased nearly sevenfold after the application procedure fee was raised from €150 to a whopping €1,000. A year later, has this led to fewer people acquiring Belgian nationality?
The price rise was part of what the Federal Government called the country's "strictest asylum and migration policy ever" – making the process one of the costliest in the EU, only behind Austria, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Importantly, the €1,000 registration fee (which will be indexed annually from now on) is paid when the application is submitted, and is not refunded if the application is refused.
"The price increase applies to the acquisition of Belgian nationality via a 'declaration of nationality' procedure, and acquisition via naturalisation," Sharon Beavis, spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Justice, told The Brussels Times. "Certain procedures for minors and for regaining Belgian nationality are excluded from this price hike."
No sharp decline
The 'declaration of nationality' procedure is by far the most common one to become Belgian – with a total of 46,265 people having acquired the nationality this way in 2025. "In 2026, from 1 January to 17 July inclusive, the figure stands at 18,337," Beavis said.
This figure shows a provisional drop compared to last year, but the reality is more nuanced, according to the Ministry of Finance.
"These figures represent the number of people for who a certificate of nationality was issued and who have consequently become Belgian citizens. They do not reflect the number of applications submitted," Beavis said.
The same is true for the number of people who acquired the Belgian nationality through the procedure of naturalisation. This is reserved for a very specific group of people (such as stateless persons, or those who have rendered exceptional services to the country), and must be approved by the Federal Parliament's Chamber of Representatives.
Illustration picture shows people waving Belgian flags during a 'Protest march for the unity of Belgium and for efficient politics', in the centre of Brussels, Sunday 16 May 2010. Credit: Belga
"In 2025, 71 naturalisations approved by the Chamber were published in the Belgian Official Gazette. In 2026, the figure stands at 38 so far," the Chamber told The Brussels Times. This seemingly indicates a stable trend.
As a result, it is difficult to determine whether the increase in the registration fee since 29 July last year had an effect on the number of applications.
"The available figures do not yet indicate a sharp decline in the number of people who have become Belgian citizens," said Beavis.
She stressed that a full comparison "remains difficult either way", as some people who appear in the figures for both 2025 and 2026 submitted their applications before the increase came into force, and therefore paid the previous fee of €150.
Taxing citizenship
Belgium's decision to increase the cost of this procedure has been criticised by migration and integration experts, who believe that "taxing Belgian citizenship is a terrible idea for the economy and integration."
"While raising the cost of naturalisation sounds like something that is going to help the economy and integration, it actually does the exact opposite," Thomas Huddleston (University of Liège) told The Brussels Times when the rise took effect last summer.
"Setting such an artificially high cost tells most immigrants, including expats and high-income ones, that citizenship is not for them," he said.
Numerous economists have demonstrated that there is a 'citizenship premium' for new arrivals. "Immigrants who are encouraged to become citizens are more likely to put down roots in society, make big life decisions, and invest in their skills. When they then become citizens, more job and life opportunities open up to them."
Belgium's supporters wearing suits in the colours of the Belgian flag pictured on the street. Credit: Belga/Bruno Fahy
As a result, employers recognise their skills much better, are more likely to invest in their on-the-job training and hire or promote them. "So they get higher employment rates, but also higher wages, more secure jobs, more public sector jobs."
"So if the overall goal of the Federal Government is to raise employment rates in Belgium – which ostensibly is the reason that all these measures are being adopted – this is contradicted by the idea of taxing Belgian citizenship," Huddleston said.
"Citizenship is more than migration policy. This idea of a strict migration policy conflicts with their goal of promoting employment and labour market integration."
Want to know more about how to get Belgian citizenship? Click here.
