If you are a child from a mixed marriage (= parents of different citizenships), you may, on birth, have one or more citizenships. In such cases, one talks of dual citizenship or multiple citizenship.
1. If you are a child from a mixed marriage in which at least one of the parents is Belgian
Belgian citizenship is automatically attributed to you on birth if:
- you are born in Belgium
- you were not born in Belgium but your parent was born in Belgium
In addition to Belgian citizenship, you also have the citizenship of your non-Belgian parent unless the laws in their country of origin state otherwise.
The authorities in the country of origin of your non-Belgian parent can confirm to you whether or not you have citizenship in that country.
If you have two or more citizenships, including Belgian citizenship, you will be considered to be Belgian in Belgium and therefore registered as such in the population registers for your residence in Belgium.
2. If you are a child from a mixed marriage and neither of your parents has Belgian citizenship
In principle, you have the same citizenship as your parents unless the laws in their country of origin state otherwise.
The authorities in the country of origin of your parents can confirm to you whether or not you have citizenship in that country.
If one of your parents acquires Belgian citizenship before you reach adult age, in principle, you become Belgian at the same time as them as long as you meet the stipulated conditions.
It is the law on citizenship in your country of origin which determines whether or not you retain your original citizenship.
Published on December 12th 2020