Career break and its effects on Nationality application

https://www.agii.be/thema/vreemdelingen … ocedureYou can read this section, and if possible all the related pages on their website agii.beIn addition, requirements for economic and social participation must be met.Legal residence and principal residence must be continuousBoth the legal residence and the main residence must be uninterrupted.If you are temporarily absent for no more than 6 months, this will not affect the uninterrupted nature of your stay. An absence of more than 6 months interrupts legal residence. You must start counting again after the interruption to calculate the required period of legal residence.An additional condition is that the total duration of your absences, each of which may not exceed 6 months, may not exceed one fifth of the duration required to obtain nationality. For example, if a legal residence of five years must be demonstrated, the total duration of your absences may not exceed one fifth of five years, i.e. not more than one year.The following specific reasons for absences are accepted:private reasonsreasons of a professional or academic naturefollowing a coursestay in a nursing home or in a penal institutionIt only concerns the absences that have been reported to the municipality. Short stays abroad are usually not reported to the municipality.According to the circular, an official deletion should in any case be regarded as an interruption of your main residence.

@welcome2belgie Thank you for your reply.  I am unable to open the link you sent , it says the page does not exist.

If the stay outside Belgium  is less than  3 months , there is no need to obtain model 18 from the municipality or even inform the municipality , right ?

Does this kind of an absence ( less than 3 months without obtaining model 18 ) count as official absence  legal period of residence as well ?

Hi,

the legal residence mentioned in the nationality requirements is basically that you have a valid residence card. Doesn't really matter how much time you were outside or not.

But, be aware that there are other requirements, depending on which route you take to request the nationality, and most require that you work X amount of days in the last years. If you already have that covered then, as long as you keep your residence valid here there shouldn't be a problem.

In any case I would make an appointment with the office that will receive the application for your nationality and check with them.