Belgium’s long-running dispute over the U.S. Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) took a practical turn on 18 February 2026 when the Association of Accidental Americans (AAA) launched an online portal enabling dual Belgian-U.S. citizens to request deletion of their personal data from Belgian bank registers. The move comes ahead of a Court of Justice of the EU ruling on whether automatic data transfers to the United States breach the GDPR.
So-called accidental Americans—people who hold U.S. nationality by birth but have little or no connection to the country—face account closures or high compliance costs because Belgian banks must report their details to the IRS. Using the new portal, individuals generate a template letter invoking GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure) to send to their financial institution and Belgium’s tax administration.
![‘Accidental Americans’ in Belgium Get New Tool to Erase Tax Data Shared Under FATCA]()
Individuals who need assistance navigating Belgian or U.S. consular procedures—whether applying for a certificate of loss of nationality, renewing a passport, or securing the right visa for future assignments—can turn to VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/). The platform streamlines document preparation, offers step-by-step guidance and keeps applicants informed about shifting compliance rules, making it a useful one-stop resource amid the FATCA uncertainty.
The initiative matters for global mobility because many cross-border professionals unknowingly acquire dual citizenship—for example, by being born during an assignment in the U.S.—and later relocate to Belgium. Employers should alert transferees that even inadvertent U.S. citizenship can trigger FATCA obligations, potentially complicating payroll and equity plans.
If the CJEU finds FATCA incompatible with EU data-protection rules, Belgium may have to renegotiate its inter-governmental agreement with Washington, adopt additional safeguards or face fines. Until then, the AAA advises members to keep records of erasure requests in case of bank non-compliance and to consider formal renunciation—though that process carries a $2,350 fee and possible U.S. exit tax.
So-called accidental Americans—people who hold U.S. nationality by birth but have little or no connection to the country—face account closures or high compliance costs because Belgian banks must report their details to the IRS. Using the new portal, individuals generate a template letter invoking GDPR Article 17 (right to erasure) to send to their financial institution and Belgium’s tax administration.
Individuals who need assistance navigating Belgian or U.S. consular procedures—whether applying for a certificate of loss of nationality, renewing a passport, or securing the right visa for future assignments—can turn to VisaHQ’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/). The platform streamlines document preparation, offers step-by-step guidance and keeps applicants informed about shifting compliance rules, making it a useful one-stop resource amid the FATCA uncertainty.
The initiative matters for global mobility because many cross-border professionals unknowingly acquire dual citizenship—for example, by being born during an assignment in the U.S.—and later relocate to Belgium. Employers should alert transferees that even inadvertent U.S. citizenship can trigger FATCA obligations, potentially complicating payroll and equity plans.
If the CJEU finds FATCA incompatible with EU data-protection rules, Belgium may have to renegotiate its inter-governmental agreement with Washington, adopt additional safeguards or face fines. Until then, the AAA advises members to keep records of erasure requests in case of bank non-compliance and to consider formal renunciation—though that process carries a $2,350 fee and possible U.S. exit tax.
