As a British boy who became a Belgian, my personal relationship with Brussels has been altered. Here is how.
Why did I become a national of the Kingdom of Belgium?
Do you remember Brexit? Like many UK citizens in Brussels, I was devastated by the results of the referendum. I also faced a genuine fear that I would lose my home. Clinging on in Brussels until I could become a Belgian was the easiest solution, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made.
I’m not going to explain how to acquire Belgian nationality. There’s plenty of information online about that. I’ll just share five things I learnt since I got that new ID card.
- Different people get citizenship for different reasons. And that’s ok.
When I realised I would have to stay in Belgium for a few years to get my EU passport back, one of my major feelings was resentment. No one likes having things taken away, but this in fact shows how privileged I am.
Hundreds of people die every year just trying to reach Europe, but I was grumpy about having to live in just one of its countries for a few years. My own partner was a stateless Palestinian refugee when we met. We are both Belgians now and it has meant something very different to the two of us.
But that does not make my feelings or reasons invalid. Citizenship is a blunt answer to a lot of our biggest historical and social questions. A home? A job? Safety? Identity? A place to commit? A place to be yourself or be someone else? If citizenship makes sense to you, go for it!
- Becoming a citizen of another country is the perfect mix of running away and coming home.
In the years between deciding to stay and then getting Belgian nationality, I made a crazy discovery: you don't always need to move in order to have new experiences or find new aspects of yourself.
Staying still, understanding the layers of a city and a life, falling and staying in friendship and love with places and people... Those are also journeys, but they take you to a place which has already become a home.
I have been Belgian for a few years now. I’m still here, still growing, still learning. I didn’t leave when I got the passport after all, and nor did any of my British friends who did the same.
- Acquiring Belgian nationality can be very difficult and weirdly easily
On my first attempt, the commune lost half of my dossier and I got rejected. That was pretty painful. Gathering the documents was sometimes frustrating. For example, British birth certificates are as old as we are. Belgium asks for a recent birth certificate, which left me scratching my head for a while since I was already well over 30.
On the other hand, acquiring nationality here is much quicker than in France. It’s much cheaper than in the UK. Belgium does not make you give up your other passport. And when you submit your final application, you do not pledge allegiance to the King. You say you believe in human rights. Belgium doesn’t always live up to its own constitutional values, but you know what? I do believe in human rights. And I felt strangely proud to sign that form.
Also, the passport has a hidden picture of Tintin going to the moon which you can only see under ultraviolet lights. That is pretty cool.
- Brussels is in Belgium
When I started applying for nationality, I felt like I knew Brussels pretty well. But Belgium was still quite abstract for me. Like many migrants, my strongest identification is with the city or region where I live. Not with the country.
Did that mean nationality wasn’t for me? Maybe I was a Brusseler but not a Belgian? Well, no. First of all, for non-EU citizens the practical benefits of Belgian citizenship are too great to ignore. There is no such thing as Brussels citizenship. Brussels is a region in the country of Belgium. Belgian citizenship is the only one on offer. If you want full legal and political integration, that’s your option.
And if Brussels is in Belgium, it also goes the other way. Belgium is here in Brussels, which accounts for roughly 10% of its population. The way we live here in Brussels is one valid way of being Belgian. In this city of minorities, there is no monopoly on identity. You don’t need a great-grandma in Ganshoren or a second home in Oostende to be a “real Belgian”. You’re already fine as you are.
I love the “belgo-Belgians” who built so much of my new home, and I’ve actively explored a lot of their history and thought in the last 10 years. Getting my passport definitely led me to engage and understand more. Speaking French and learning Dutch have opened my heart to Brussels. I’d recommend everyone here does the same.
But do assimilation or expertise have to be your only threshold for feeling some Belgianness when you live in Brussels? There’s nothing inherently invalid in moving to the capital of Europe to speak English at work and go to parties where meeting a Belgian is exotic. That is one way of life Brussels. And Brussels is in Belgium.
- Voting isn’t the only reason to acquire nationality, but it really matters
As a new Belgian, I will be voting at the regional and federal levels this weekend. Getting citizenship encouraged me to learn what’s at stake, and learning made me want to vote. That’s a good job because voting is obligatory for Belgians! It’s now an obligation I’m looking forward to fulfilling.
What’s the future of our social security, healthcare and the budgets that fund them? Are we actually going to build this new metro in the end? And how should Belgium react when other countries recognise a Palestinian state?
These issues and more really matter for everyone who can say J’habite à Bruxelles. They impact our daily lives and how we are perceived across Europe and around the world. But for the time being only Belgians can vote for those parliaments.
Even if you think of yourself purely as a Brusseler, Belgium is undeniably the place where our future will be decided. The bilingual faultlines that cross our politics are woven into the DNA of Belgium. Brussels plays a unique role in that story and will be uniquely impacted by any future changes in the constitutional architecture.
Yes, I’m talking about the ever-present possibility that Flanders will decide to leave our Belgian family. But I’m also talking about fundamental reform to the competencies of the Brussels-Capital Region. And what about giving International Brusselers the right to vote in regional elections? These decisions will all be taken at federal level. We have a lot at stake in the Belgian story, and as a Belgian I can now have a say on the future of Brussels.
I’m not here to persuade you to become Belgian or not, although I’m certainly delighted that I did it. Especially for EU citizens, it can probably seem a bit arcane. However, I do invite you to learn and explore more about this region, this country, and their institutions.
The fallout from this weekend’s votes will offer ample opportunity to do that, so dive in! Then make sure you are registered to vote in October’s municipal elections. Becoming Belgian might be a big step for 2024, but at least use the vote you already have in the city we all call home.
Adapted from a speech given at an event held by Restless.Brussels on Tuesday 6 May 2024.
