Children are automatically granted Danish citizenship at birth if the parents are married and one of them is Danish. The same applies if the parents are not married but the mother is Danish. If only the father is Danish, the child will only be granted Danish citizenship automatically if it is born in Denmark. Or if the parents marry before the child reaches the age of 18.
Applying for Danish citizenship
Once you are 18, you can apply for Danish citizenship. You must apply to the police in the municipal authority in which you live. The police can tell you how long it normally takes to process an application.
Parliament decides
It is the Danish Parliament that decides whether a person can obtain Danish citizenship. This is done using a special law, which Parliament passes twice a year. In order to obtain Danish citizenship, you must meet with certain conditions established by Parliament.
You must learn Danish and pass a special citizens test
You must have obtained a certificate from a language centre or an alternative educational institution proving that you have passed Danish Profi ciency Test 3 or an equivalent test. For example, this may be the final primary and lower secondary school exam, an upper secondary school education or a business education. You must learn enough about Danish culture, history and social conditions to pass a special test before obtaining Danish citizenship. This is called the citizen’s test. If you are stateless or a refugee, you must have resided in Denmark for eight years. If you are an immigrant, you must have a permanent residence permit and have resided in the country for nine years. You must be able to provide for yourself and prove that you have been able to do so in four out of the past fi ve years. You are allowed to have received smaller payments from the state which are not related to support. This might be special help towards transport costs, treatment of illness, medicine, dental treatment or relocation costs. Receiving a state education grant, early retirement pension, state pension or support from your spouse does not bar you from obtaining Danish citizenship.
- You must not have outstanding debt with the s tate.
- You must declare that you have not committed crimes against the security of the state.
- If you have committed a crime, you may have to wait before becoming a Danish citizen. This will depend on the nature of the crime.
- If you are guilty of committing a very serious off ence you can not become a Danish citizen.
You can read all the conditions by logging onto www.nyidanmark.dk
Citizen by declaration
You can become a Danish citiz en by declaration if you:
- Are a citizen of one of the Nordic countries.
- Have previously held Danish citizenship.
You can find out more and obtain an application form from the state administration in the municipality in which you live.
Danish passport
Once you have obtained Danish citizenship, you will be given a Danish passport and you will have the right to vote and stand in parliamentary elections.
Credits: The Danish Immigration Service
