Belgium: Procedures and requirements to replace a lost or stolen Belgian passport when the applicant is outside of Belgium

In 5 July 2010 correspondence with the Research Directorate, an official at the Consulate General of Belgium in Montréal explained that in the event of a lost or stolen passport outside Belgium, the loss or theft must first be declared to local police (Belgium 5 July 2010). According to the website of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "[s]ince late 2008, Belgian citizens have been able to declare a lost or stolen passport themselves without going through the police by contacting docstop on + 32 (0) 2 518 2123." (Belgium n.d.b). docstop (also written DOC STOP) is a service offered by the Belgian government to report lost or stolen documents and protect Belgians from identity theft (Belgium n.d.c).

According to the Official, the passport holder may choose to apply for either a standard model European Union (EU) Emergency Travel Document (ETD), valid for 15 days, to enable the passport holder to return to Belgium or apply for a temporary passport, valid for 6 months, at the nearest Embassy or Consulate (Belgium 5 July 2010). The Official added that an application consists of a filled-out application form, two colour photographs and any proof of identity still held by the requestor, such as an identity card or a driver's license (ibid.).

The Official explained that both ETDs and temporary passports are prepared directly within the diplomatic mission and can be issued as soon as the requestor's identity is confirmed (ibid). The Official added that the requestor's identity may be verified by checking the national register of Belgium, contacting the municipal administration of residence of the requestor in Belgium, as well as making an information request to the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or with another diplomatic mission if the requestor resides in a third country (ibid.).

The website of the Belgian Consulate in Toronto notes that:

a temporary passport will not allow [an individual] to travel to a number of countries (such as the US), and that an emergency travel document can only be used to return to Belgium without transiting by the US. (Belgium n.d.a)

The Official added that if a requestor stays for a longer period outside Belgium, the requestor can also apply for a regular passport, valid for five years, which is produced in Brussels and is issued within 2 to 3 weeks (Belgium 5 July 2010). The website of the Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs gives more details on procedures when a person is applying for a new passport and cannot provide his or her previous passport due to loss or theft:

If an applicant is unable to provide the previous passport because it was lost or stolen, he or she must provide a certificate evidencing the loss or a police report documenting the theft. These documents must be drawn up by the police services of the location where the loss or theft occurred or of the applicant's place of residence. (ibid. n.d.b.)

A passport which is reported stolen or lost through docstop is cancelled immediately (ibid. n.d.c).

In subsequent correspondence, the Official stated that the above procedures would remain generally the same regardless of the time elapsed since the passport was lost or stolen (ibid. 9 July 2010). However, the Official noted that if an individual came forth after a long period of time, the individual would be asked to prove that he or she had not acquired Canadian citizenship in the interim, since Belgium began recognizing dual citizenship for Belgian-born citizens on 9 June 2007 (ibid. 9 July 2010; ibid. 14 July 2010). Before 2007, Belgians who acquired other citizenship would lose their Belgian citizenship (ibid.). The Official added that, prior to that date, immigrants to Belgium could keep their original citizenship (ibid. 14 July 2010). The Official also stated that if an individual had spent a long period of time in a third country, he or she might be [translation] "checked out more deeply" (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Belgium. 14 July 2010. Correspondence with an official at the Belgian Consulate in Montréal.

_____. 9 July 2010. Correspondence with an official at the Belgian Consulate in Montréal.

_____. 5 July 2010. Correspondence with an official at the Belgian Consulate in Montréal.

_____. N.d.a. Consulate of Belgium in Toronto. "How to Apply for a Belgian Passport." <<http://www.diplomatie.be/toronto/default.asp?id=31&ACT=5&content=7&mnu=31> [Accessed 7 July 2010]

_____. N.d.b. Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs. "Documents." [Accessed 28 June 2010]

_____.N.d.c. "Checkdoc." [Accessed 7 July 2010]

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sources including: Embassy of Belgium in Ottawa, Public Register of Authentic Identity and Travel Documents Online (PRADO), Summaries of European Union (EU) Legislation.