Belgian nationality - Spelling difference in Birth Place

gbsc0609 Active member

Member since 22 August 2019

gbsc0609Active member02 May 2025 07:20:23

Hi everyone, I have a small doubt.

On my passport and Belgian national ID my birthplace is written as "TIWASA", but on my birth certificate, it's "TIWSA". Both refer to the same place, but the spelling is different.

it's miner spelling variation because my birth place has a lots of spellings (eg. Tiwasa, Tivsa, Teosa, Tiwsa)

I can't change the birth certificate because the system doesn’t allow manual input.

Will this cause any issue for Belgian nationality application? and what's the solution?

Mia0210 Contributor

Member since 10 December 2022

Mia0210Contributor02 May 2025 09:05:29

114

@gajananchitare

Hi!

In theory, this small spelling difference should not be a problem. The law only requires that your full name and date of birth match in all documents — not the place of birth.

However, for Belgian nationality, the place of birth from your birth certificate will be used — not the one from your passport. So, your Belgian ID and passport will likely show the spelling "TIWSA", as written in your birth certificate.

If you want to be extra careful and make all your documents match, you can already now, before your nationality application go to your local municipality and ask to register your birth certificate in the DABS system (this is now possible for foreigners too since January 1st, 2025 — earlier it was only for Belgians).

After that, if needed, you can update your current residence card to reflect the correct place of birth.

Just a reminder: your birth certificate must be legalized or apostilled, depending on your country, and translated into Dutch, French, or German if it's in another language.

Good luck!