jgombos

Suppose a non-resident expatriate enters Belgium for employment. Would it still be possible to acquire citizenship after 3 years?

What forms of proof can be used to demonstrate that someone has been a resident for 3 years?

Mitzyboy

Well I know our neighbour who is to all intents and purposes Spanish because he was born in Galicia, but in fact he is a Belgian citizen now because he "converted" some years ago. Apparantly it made it a lot easier for him to get divorced.

Dont they have residency certificates in Belgium like they do here on Spain?

Ray51

Well :
the usual would be to register with the Municipality ( commune ) where you reside , get a residence card ( valid for up to 1 year ) , then re-register , get another card ( valid for 5 years ) , inside which time one could apply for citizenship , I'm lead to believe ;
this also implies regular tax returns , certain fixed taxation , social/medical contributions, accountants and/or lawyers ( especially for non-EU-candidates ) ;
is that what you think you want ?
Why would Belgium grant a citizenship to a non-resident ( unless your name is Nelson Mandela , Gorbatchew , Raoul Castro , Robert Mugabe or any of the similar suspects ) ???

jgombos

From what I understand, it is in fact a legal requirement that anyone entering Belgium to work acquire a residence ID card right away. So I know I'll have that card. The question is whether this is adequate for naturalization.
Even though I will have a residence ID card, I will also have a work permit. Having a work permit is what defines my status as a non-resident expatriate for tax purposes. Having that tax status is an advantage, because it enables a tax-free allowance for living expenses. Yet simultaneously, I believe I'll have a residence ID card and will be living there with the non resident status
In the US, someone can be a "resident" in one context, and not another. It can get so complicated here, that I've heard of a European who was a resident for the purpose of filing a US state tax return, but was a non-resident for the purpose of filing a US federal tax return. So the definition of resident will even vary from one states revenue service to the next.

I'm not sure if the term takes a different meaning from one context to the next in the case within Belgium. Ideally, I would be a non-resident with respect to taxation, and a resident with respect to naturalization. Ultimately that is my question.

JAJ

http://www.diplomatie.be/en/services...p?TEXTID=42519

But you should check whether there is an additional policy that requires permanent resident status.