Belgium: Information for stateless people and those at risk of statelessness fleeing Ukraine 3. STATELESSNESS DETERMINATION AND PROTECTION STATUS For stateless people, it is important to determine both a claim for international protection and their statelessness. Each application should be assessed and both types of status should be explicitly recognised so that even if international protection ceases, the person remains entitled to protection as a stateless person. Statelessness determination should be conducted either in parallel with or following the refugee status determination, with due regard to the primacy of the asylum claim and the principle of confidentiality for refugees in statelessness determination procedures. For more information, see: ENS briefing on statelessness determination & protection in Europe. In Belgium, family courts can determine statelessness, but recognition as stateless does not result in a right to reside, so it cannot be considered a formal statelessness determination procedure. If recognised as stateless by the courts, an application must be made to the Immigration Office to acquire a residence permit on humanitarian grounds. The length of the residence permit is at the discretion of the Immigration Office, but is usually one year (renewable). Applicants for statelessness status are considered undocumented migrants, may be at risk of removal and/or detention, and have only limited rights. Applicants may only access urgent healthcare and are not permitted to work, access housing, or social security. Decisions can take up to 12-18 months. Stateless people recognised by the courts and who obtained a residence permit for an unlimited time can acquire a travel document (‘grey passport’) from the Federal Public Service of Foreign Affairs, under the same conditions as beneficiaries of international protection. Stateless people and those at risk of statelessness are strongly recommended to seek specialist advice in Belgium (e.g., from NANSEN). For more information, see: ENS Statelessness Index Belgium and the Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons page on Statelessness. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR ONWARD TRAVEL TO THIRD COUNTRIES People granted temporary protection may travel within the EU for 90 days within a 180-day period. Refugees may travel abroad with an electronic card for foreign nationals and a ‘refugee travel document’ (‘blue passport’), but risk losing refugee status if they return to their country of origin. People recognised as stateless, who are authorised to stay in Belgium for an unlimited time, can also travel abroad with a ‘grey passport’. Beneficiaries of subsidiary protection may travel abroad with a travel document for foreigners’, which must be requested. 5. ORGANISATIONS ASSISTING STATELESS PEOPLE NANSEN https://nansen-refugee.be/ +32 487 84 65 40 / info@nansenrefugee.be Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons. https://www.cgrs.be/en/stateless-persons +32 2 205 53 07 / cgrefugees@ibz.fgov.be Caritas https://www.caritasinternational.be/en/asylummigration/ 0 800 2 41 41 (free if calling from Belgian number) UNHCR UNHCR Belgium and Luxemburg +32 (0) 472 18 92 65 Federal Agency for the Reception of the Asylum Seekers (FEDASIL) https://www.fedasil.be/fr +32 2 213 44 11 / info@fedasil.be Legal aid in Brussels (Bureau d’Aide Juridique, BAJ) https://bajbruxelles.be/index.php/fr/ (BAJ Brussels can also provide the contact of other legal aid offices in Belgium) London, United Kingdom Media: +44 7522 525673 info@statelessness.eu www.statelessness.eu The European Network on Statelessness is a registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation in England. Charity Number 1158414.