468 days of work for nationality IMPORTANT QUESTION

@Isaa007

Hello,

To apply for Belgian citizenship, you need to have worked for at least 468 days within the 5 years preceding your application.

So, here’s how you can calculate: Let’s assume you are applying for citizenship on December 1, 2024. You need to go back to December 1, 2019, and count the number of working days during that period (from December 1, 2019, to December 1, 2024). If the total is 468 days or more, then you are good to go.

In your case, the interruption between jobs does not impact this calculation. The requirement for continuous employment over 5 years is a separate process where you prove that you worked without interruptions for 5 years, which would exempt you from needing to demonstrate integration or language skills. That does not apply to your situation.

@Mia0210

thanks a lot for your answer, this really reassure me a lot. In this case I have the days. I have the French courses and the integration courses. Also I am assistant manager, it means category 2, Also a CDI and normally ive heard that it is important to have more than the basic salary for application.

My only problem is that, ive been married for 5 years, and 5 years living in Belgium. We got divorce now a month ago. And I only have and F card. Before my divorce I renovate my card and I have a new F card valid until 2029. 

When I went to the commune to apply for permanent residency they say that I have an interruption in my residency of a year, because during covid I went to visit my parents and then the borders were closed and I could come to Belgium for a year.

So now, for this interruption I couldn't get my permanent residency before my divorce.

I read that they dont start counting again, they just gonna make me wait another year to complete the five years of residency. And that normally I can just keep my F card because ive been married for more than 3 years and living in Belgium for more than 1 year.

Somebody know something about this?

For nationality the rule is :

1. You must demonstrate at least 5 years of uninterrupted legal residence and main residence in Belgium prior to your application.
2. The legal residence must be uninterrupted.
3. Counter starts after your register in municipality.

Good luck.

@Isaa007

In your initial post, you didn't mention the crucial detail about the interruption in your continuous residence.

It's still unclear whether you mean simply being absent from Belgium (e.g., traveling and returning) or an official interruption, where you were deregistered from your Belgian address, and for a time, you had no registered address in the Kingdom. To clarify, you should log into Mijn Dossier or Mijn Burgerprofiel and request an Attest van hoofdverblijfplaats met historiek (Certificate of principal residence with history). This document will show whether you truly had an interruption in your registration. An interruption =  any period longer than one day when you had no registered address in Belgium.

If this applies to you, the 5-year count required for permanent residency or nationality request resets from the date you were re-registered in the population register. Simply "recovering" the missing year isn't possible—your registered residence must be CONTINIOUS (ononderbroken) for 5 years.

Regarding your reference to COVID, it’s essential to clarify: if you traveled (even for a year) but retained your Belgian address and residency rights, this wouldn’t be considered an interruption. Interruptions occur only if you lose your address registration or your residency rights in Belgium. With COVID-19 this should not be the case!

Therefore, I recommend first checking whether an interruption occurred. Unfortunately, some gemeente employees can be unhelpful or misinformed, providing incorrect information just to avoid additional work or even due to personal biases.

If your investigation confirms that no interruption exists in the population register, you can submit your citizenship application as soon as you meet the five-year uninterrupted residence requirement.

@Mia0210

I never unregistered from the commun, I went to the commune to ask for the History of my residence and I have more than 5 years of legal residency. When I went to Argentina it was just to visit and come back, but for covid I couldn't get out, the borders were closed. So the intention was not to stay in Argentina so I have mu address and my home in Belgium.

My residency is not interrupted.

The lady in the commune told me also she doesn't understand the situation and why immigration said I was "living in Argentina"  for a year, but I guess nothing was normal during covid.

Immigration office can check and see ive been out for a year. and I guess because of that they rejected my application. But legally I am registered in the same address for 5 years and 10 months.

So it's a confusing situation, specially because all this is coming at the same time of my divorce.

I all just looking for some advice or maybe a similar situation so I can understand what to do.

The lady for the commune told lie My residency is ok. MY FIRST QUISTION IS, SHOULD I WAIT A FEW MORE MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE YEAR I NEED OR THEY GOINNA START COUNTING AGAIN. ????

@Isaa007

The Immigration Office rarely has the resources or time to investigate each applicant in depth, including checking if you were genuinely living in Argentina or merely visiting. Officially, they could request border-crossing data, but legally, the duration of your five-year stay in Belgium is assessed based on the National Register ONLY. According to your statement, your registration was never interrupted. Moreover, being stuck abroad due to COVID is a valid and justifiable reason as it was beyond your control, meaning you could challenge any rejection through an appeal.

However, my question is: Have you seen the actual  paper-based decision from the Immigration Office stating that you "lived in Argentina for a year"? Or are you relying solely on the commune employee's statement? It's possible that during your application, you inadvertently mentioned the year abroad, and the commune staff interpreted it that way. Additionally, your divorce and the issuance of an F card instead of an F+ card could logically align with this misunderstanding. Gemeente staff may manipulate your words, deliberately misinform, or unintentionally mislead you. Unfortunately, this is not uncommon. Therefore, it is essential to rely only on documented facts rather than verbal statements made during private conversations.

That said, since the National Register shows you’ve continuously resided in Belgium for more than 5 years, you’re eligible to apply for citizenship as of now (if you meet other requirements of course). Both the commune staff and the public prosecutor will evaluate your continuous residence based solely on the Register, not external data. In case of a rejection, you can appeal (at no cost) directly through the commune, as there is a specific procedure for appealing citizenship denials.

MY FIRST QUISTION IS, SHOULD I WAIT A FEW MORE MONTHS TO COMPLETE THE YEAR I NEED OR THEY GOINNA START COUNTING AGAIN. ????

No, you do not need to wait few months or any other additional time. You can submit your citizenship application as early as tomorrow if you meet all other requirements.

Good luck with your application!