Starting soon, new applicants for Belgian citizenship will face a higher fee and must pass a nationality exam, including a language proficiency test at B1 level.

These changes will take effect once the law is published in the Moniteur belge and will apply to applications submitted after that date.

The fee increase, from 150 euros to 1,000 euros, is part of a broader effort by the Belgian government to tighten asylum and citizenship policies.

The new nationality exam will include a language test, where applicants are required to achieve at least a B1 level in one of Belgium's three official languages, depending on their region.