Registration of a new-born child

The documents that you must submit depend on the country where you and/or your child are born. 

• You are Belgian and were born in Belgium
• You are Belgian and you as well as your child were born outside of Belgium

ATTENTION: the Belgian parent(s) must be registered in the Consulate General's population register before the child can be registered. 

A. CHILD BORN IN CANADA

There are two possible scenarios. 

1. You are married to the father/mother on the day of your child’s birth 

Please send the following documents to the Consulate General by e-mail (documents in pdf not exceeding 15Mb in total): 

• The registration form, either in Dutch (PDF, 193.71 KB) or in French (PDF, 113.47 KB) signed by both parents
• A passport photo of the child
• Birth certificate: document mentioned on this list (PDF, 344.8 KB) (according to the province where the child was born) 
  • This document should be recent (not older than 6 months), established in French (or bilingual French/English) and apostilled. The apostille should be provided in French in so far as this possibility is offered in the Province.
  • If the birth certificate cannot be produced in one of Belgium's official languages (French, Dutch or German), a translation of it by a certified translator must be submitted. The translation must be accompanied by a letter/attestation duly signed by the translator, including the membership number of the association to which the translator is affiliated and the seal of that association. The translation must also be apostilled (as must the certificate itself). 
• Proof of legal status of both parents in Canada: copy front/back of the permanent resident card, work permit, study permit, certificate of citizenship, etc.); 
• Copies of both parents’ passports (only the page with identity data); 
• Should your child have another nationality: a copy of the child’s foreign passport. 

2. You are not married to the father/mother on the day of your child’s birth

Please send the following documents to the Consulate General by e-mail (documents in pdf not exceeding 15Mb in total): 

• The registration form, either in Dutch (PDF, 193.71 KB) or in French (PDF, 113.47 KB) signed by both parents
• A passport photo of the child
• Birth certificate(s)/act(s): Two documents mentioned on this list (PDF, 209.08 KB) (depending on the province where the child was born);  
  • This document should be recent (not older than 6 months), established in French (or bilingual French/English) and apostilled. The apostille should be provided in French in so far as this possibility is offered in the Province.
  • If the birth certificate cannot be produced in one of Belgium's official languages (French, Dutch or German), a translation of it by a certified translator must be submitted. The translation must be accompanied by a letter/attestation duly signed by the translator, including the membership number of the association to which the translator is affiliated and the seal of that association. The translation must also be apostilled (as must the certificate itself). 
• Should your child have another nationality: a copy of the child’s foreign passport  
• Documents to be submitted by both parents: 
  • Copies of the passports; 
  • Proof of the legal status in Canada (copy front/back of the permanent resident card, work permit, study permit, certificate of citizenship, etc.) 
• Documents to be submitted by the non-Belgian parent: confirmation of his/her civil status on the date of the child’s birth. 
  • The non-Belgian parent has the Canadian citizenship:
    • If he/she is born in the province of British Columbia, Ontario or Quebec: an attestation that he/she has not been married (PDF, 196.35 KB) within the 300 days preceding the child’s birth.
    • If he/she is born in another province: he/she has to present a statutory declaration (PDF, 107.81 KB) signed before a notary public (bilingual document in English and French). 
  • The non-Belgian parent has another nationality: the parent must contact their embassy/consulate in Canada, in order to obtain the confirmation of civil status on the date of the child’s birth. 
  • If the document confirming marital status cannot be produced in one of Belgium's official languages (French, Dutch or German), a translation by a certified translator must be submitted. The translation must be accompanied by a letter/attestation duly signed by the translator, including the membership number of the association to which the translator is affiliated and the seal of that association. The translation must also be apostilled (as must the certificate itself). See instructions at bottom of page.

B. CHILD NOT BORN IN CANADA

Please submit same documents as listed above (under point A, option 1 or 2). The birth certificate will possibly have to be legalized and/or translated by a sworn translator. 

Legalisation

Please consult the website of the FPS Foreign Affairs

Translation

 
Translations in Dutch, French or German are accepted.

You can use the services of 

• A Canada-based translator registered with the CTTIC or OTTIAQ
  • The translation must be accompanied by a letter/attestation duly signed by the translator, including the membership number of the association to which the translator is affiliated and the seal of that association. The translation must also be apostilled (as must the certificate itself).
• A sworn translator in the country of birth of your child. The translator’s signature has to legalized; 
  • For more information please contact the appropriate Belgian Embassy/Consulate general.
• A sworn translator in Belgium.
  • Please ask the translator to have his/her signature legalized by the local court in Belgium. 
     

Your child did not obtain the Belgian nationality at birth. If you so wish, you can give your child the Belgian nationality before his/her fifth (5th) birthday by means of a declaration of attribution of nationality. For more information, please consult the page Being granted Belgian nationality. 

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