Certificate of Belgian nationality

The certificate states:

• the last name, first names, date and place of birth of the person to whom the certificate relates
• the legal foundation of the declaration on the basis of which the certificate was drawn up
• in the case nationality is granted on the basis of Articles 8, § 1, 2°, b), 9, 2°, b), and 11, § 2, of the Belgian Nationality Code: the last name, first names, date and place of birth of the declarant or declarants.

Under certain conditions, you can request a copy of or an extract from the certificate of Belgian nationality:

• A copy contains the original data of the certificate and the history of the status of the person to whom the certificate relates.

• An extract, on the contrary, only states the current details of the certificate, without stating the history of the status of the person to whom the certificate relates. Therefore, an extract only shows the current status of the data.

The right to receive a copy of or an extract from certificates of Belgian nationality is limited to:

• yourself
• your spouse, surviving spouse, or legal cohabitant
• your legal representative (e.g. a parent, guardian, conservator)
• blood relatives in the ascending or descending line (no relatives by affinity and side branches)
• your heirs
• special agents, such as notaries or lawyers.

If the certificate is more than 100 years old, anyone is entitled to request a copy or an extract.

You can request a copy of or an extract from the certificate of nationality from your municipality.

If you have an electronic identity card (eID), you can request a copy of or an extract from the certificate online

• via the e-desk of your municipality
• or via the certificates page of ‘My Citizen Profile’ (‘Mijn Burgerprofiel’).

Those electronic copies and extracts bear the electronic seal of the Ministry of the Interior. They have the same legal value as those issued by the municipality. As long as the information on the certificate is correct, you can use it validly in any format (on paper or in digital format).

Since 31 March 2019, certificates from the register office are registered in digital format only. If your certificate dates from before 31 March 2019, it may not yet be available digitally. Some municipalities digitise old archives when copies of or extracts from the certificates are requested or changes are made.

If you collect the document yourself:

• your own identity card.

If you are requesting the document for someone else:

• a power of attorney from that person and a copy of their identity card

• as well as your own identity card.