Belgium’s child-rights institutions issued an urgent joint recommendation on 2 December after discovering that scores of children born in Belgium to Palestinian parents have had – or risk having – their Belgian nationality withdrawn.
The problem dates back to a 2023 circular that the Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken – DVZ) sent to local registries and prosecutors. The circular instructed clerks to revisit the nationality of children whose parents are listed as coming from the “Palestinian Territories” without a recognised state. Municipalities can now decide that the automatic acquisition of Belgian nationality at birth (Article 12 of the Nationality Code) was “in error” and retroactively cancel it.
![Belgian authorities urged to halt loss of nationality for children of Palestinian parents]()
Myria (the federal migration watchdog), the Kinderrechtencommissariaat (Flemish Children’s Rights Commissioner) and their French-speaking counterpart DGDE warn that the practice breaches Belgium’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Losing nationality leaves children without a passport, child benefits or the right to family reunification, and may render them stateless. Court challenges have produced contradictory rulings, creating what the agencies call “legal lottery”.
The institutions demand:
• a moratorium on withdrawals until a uniform procedure is adopted;
• explicit incorporation of the child’s best interests test and a proportionality assessment into nationality legislation;
• proof that a child actually holds another nationality before any revocation; and
• clear appeal rights and written reasoning in every case.
For global-mobility managers and multinational HR teams, the episode is a cautionary tale: dependants who assumed they were Belgian citizens may suddenly require residence permits and re-enter family-reunification queues. Corporations with Palestinian staff in Belgium should audit employees’ civil-status files and be ready to fund legal assistance. It also shows how administrative guidance – not just legislation – can up-end immigration planning overnight.
The problem dates back to a 2023 circular that the Immigration Office (Dienst Vreemdelingenzaken – DVZ) sent to local registries and prosecutors. The circular instructed clerks to revisit the nationality of children whose parents are listed as coming from the “Palestinian Territories” without a recognised state. Municipalities can now decide that the automatic acquisition of Belgian nationality at birth (Article 12 of the Nationality Code) was “in error” and retroactively cancel it.
Myria (the federal migration watchdog), the Kinderrechtencommissariaat (Flemish Children’s Rights Commissioner) and their French-speaking counterpart DGDE warn that the practice breaches Belgium’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness. Losing nationality leaves children without a passport, child benefits or the right to family reunification, and may render them stateless. Court challenges have produced contradictory rulings, creating what the agencies call “legal lottery”.
The institutions demand:
• a moratorium on withdrawals until a uniform procedure is adopted;
• explicit incorporation of the child’s best interests test and a proportionality assessment into nationality legislation;
• proof that a child actually holds another nationality before any revocation; and
• clear appeal rights and written reasoning in every case.
For global-mobility managers and multinational HR teams, the episode is a cautionary tale: dependants who assumed they were Belgian citizens may suddenly require residence permits and re-enter family-reunification queues. Corporations with Palestinian staff in Belgium should audit employees’ civil-status files and be ready to fund legal assistance. It also shows how administrative guidance – not just legislation – can up-end immigration planning overnight.
