Stricter conditions to become a Belgian

Language skills will play a bigger role in a candidate's application. Candidates should have knowledge of French, Dutch or German. At the same time, those willing to get a Belgian passport should have obtained a degree or a certificate at a Belgian school or institute,  or they should have completed a vocational training course of 400 hours or have passed an integration course.

Other conditions have to do with economic integration: candidates should have worked at least 468 days over the past 5 years. This excludes those working half-time, and it is feared that mainly women will be affected.

Those who are not born in Belgium, but who want to acquire a Belgian passport, will be confronted with either a "slow" or "fast" procedure. The first will take 5 years and will apply to those who meet the language, social and economic demands. The second will take 10 years.

The so-called "naturalisation procedure" will become less common. In order to qualify for this, a person should have "exceptional" merits in the area of sciences, sports or culture, and he or she should have made a positive contribution to the image of Belgium abroad.