My best friend is considering moving to Belgium, how long would she have to stay there to get Belgian nationality? Is there any special criteria she needs to have before she considers moving? for example, does she need to walk into a job over there, or does she need a decent work record over here? She can already speak broken french so picking up the langauge shouldnt take her that long, also is there anyway she wont be allowed to stay over there? Or because they are in the EU she can walk into the country and stay there? Any one...
I'd think that she would need a work visa or something along those lines in order to get a job of any meaningful benifit there. That holds true with many countries as well. Or at least a work permit.
Pretty sure it's 3 years, but that might be for non-EU nationals only. I'm pretty sure as a member of the EU you don't need a job to stay there, although to get one will most likely require a work permit. Well the EU is about freedom of movement, so presuming she has a British passport and is a citizen I think she can stay there without too many issues. I've only done basic research on this issue a while back though and not for Belgium specifically. I'd suggest doing some online research or visiting the British Embassy for advice. Two things to consider: 1. Depending on which region you visit they mostly speak French or German, or Dutch(Flemish). 2. Does she have any kids? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
It really depends on where she is from. If she is from a EU nation my understanding is she can live and work in the EU pretty much at whim without having to get permits or local citizenship. Or at least that was the original theory. If she is a British common wealth citizen she can get to England and local associate countries and then springboard that because they are EU. She might have to look up the exact details. If Belgium still has colonies and she is a colonial then she can probably get in pretty easy. Otherwise she's a foreign national and may have trouble with work visas and permanent alien status. Generally her best bet is just marry some one and then get citizenship that way. She can then divorce and go on her merry way. As a foreign national some EU countries are easier to get citizenship in than others but almost all of them have been clamping down of late. She might want to shop around. On this sort of thing a bit of research can go a long way.
She would have to have a job and then apply for an identity card. French is useful but she should also attempt to learn flemish. If she's from another EU country then she doesn't need anything but a job. I'm assuming she's american, she should check with the Belgian cosulate or embassy for details. The Belgians are pretty strict about all their little rules and regulations so she should make sure she has everything in order before going. She can always teach English that's what I did but I'm an EU citizen so I didn't have to worry about anything just applied for my identity card and register with the police who will make a little visit to the residence to make sure she is living where she says etc etc. Why is this posted in ethics?
