Guidance

Belgium: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 31 October 2024

About: Belgium

This document contains useful information about Belgium which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 7.0
• published for Home Office staff on 3 October 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes

Belgium: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Belgium.

Names consist of:

• at least one forename
• a surname

The authorities have lists of acceptable names and spellings.

Any children born to married parents or within 12 months of divorce receive the husband’s last name, whether or not he is the biological father.

Since 1 September 2015 the first two forenames are mentioned in full on a Belgium passport or identity card. If there is a third forename, the initial is mentioned. If there are more than three forenames these do not appear on the passport or Identity card. If the holder wants an official document showing all of their forenames in full, they can apply for a consular certificate showing they are the holder of the passport in question.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Belgium.

A married women will use her maiden name on official documents, unless she goes through the official change of name process.

A change of name in Belgium is accepted if the person has the nationality of the country or territory where a change of name is allowed. For example, a name change in the UK by a Belgian national if UK law was adhered to, Belgium accepts the name change.

A new Belgium passport with a change of name will not be issued until the British passport is issued in the new name.

A person may apply to the Ministry of Justice for a name change. This requires a:

• Royal Decree (French: Arrêté royal, Dutch: Koninklijk besluit) for surnames
• a Ministerial Decree for forenames

The new name must not cause confusion or cause damage to the holder or others. Changes of name for people under the age of 18 years must be requested by their parents or guardian.

Belgium allows a change of name when a person changes their gender.

Belgium: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Belgium.

Dual nationality is recognised in Belgium.

Belgium: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Belgium.

Legitimacy

Belgium does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means that all births are considered legitimate whether a child’s parents are married or not.  

A father can make a declaration of paternity to be acknowledged as the legal father.

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility is usually shared equally between both parents in Belgium.

If the parents separate, this does not affect the rules on parental responsibility.

Belgium: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Belgium.

Adoption is legal in Belgium.

Belgium: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Belgium.

Surrogacy is illegal in Belgium.

Belgium: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Belgium.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Belgium.

Belgium: civil partnerships and marriage

This section tells HM Passport Office operational staff about civil partnerships and marriage in Belgium.

Same sex civil partnerships and marriage are legal in Belgium since 30 January 2003. A Cohabitation légale, wettelijke samenwoning or gesetzliches zusammenwohnen is a civil partnership.

Belgium: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Belgium.

Many official documents will be multi-lingual (French, German, Dutch, and English).

The administration of births, identity cards and registered residence is carried out by the local authority or council, called the Gemeente or Stadsbestuur, in the Dutch speaking community.

Certificates of birth, marriage, death, adoption and declaration of nationality are held in a central register called the Database of Certificates of the Civil Registry – ‘Databank voor de Akten van Burgerlijke Stand’ (‘DABS’) or ‘Banque de données des Actes de l’État Civil’ (‘BAEC’).

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, HM Passport Office cannot accept Multilingual Standard Forms (MSFs) issued by member states. An MSF will:

• contain a reference to the convention signed at Vienna on September 8 1976, this may be on the reverse of the document
• be marked as a Formul A (birth certificate), normally in the top right corner on the front of the document in the language of the country where the document was issued
  • there will also be marriage certificates and death certificates that will have a different Formul version that is also not acceptable

These documents are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and not a full, original certificate.

Digital copies and extracts from the registers

The Belgium commune or Belgium consulate where the customer lives will only provide a digital copy or extract of a specific civil registry certificate.

Digital copies and extracts of certificates are valid for three months.

The electronic seal of the Database of Certificates of the Civil Registry is shown underneath the information on the copy or the extract of the certificate provided by the customer. There is also an electronic link shown in the digital document which when selected will show an original image of the copy or the extract. This is how details of printed copies can be verified.

Birth certificates

Child births must be registered within 15 days at the Town Hall (Maison communale/Stadhuis) of the place of birth.

If a mistake on a certificate is identified, a marginal note is made in the birth register.

Marriage certificates

Only a civil marriage ceremony is legal in Belgium with a marriage certificate being issued. Only full marriage certificates are acceptable for passport purposes (not the shorter version).

All marriages are registered and recognised by individual communes, there is no central registry.

Death certificates

The doctor who confirms the death will issue a death certificate. The death will then be reported to an officer of the state (Officier de l’État Civil/Ambtenaar van de Burgerlijke) at the municipal offices of the commune where the death occurred. There is no official time limit for a death to be registered.

Identity documents

Since 2014 Belgium has issued electronic passports (e-passports).

Local municipalities (commune/gemeente) are responsible for registering foreign residents and issuing identity cards. This is done at the local Town Hall (Maison Communale/Stadhuis).

Foreign nationals must be able to provide identification, either a passport, or an identity document issued by another EU member state, at all times. If they are Belgium residents, they must carry their electronic residence (identity) card.