You have already turned 22

According to the 22-year-rule, Danish nationals born abroad lose their Danish citizenship when they turn 22. Therefore retention of Danish citizenship should be applied for before turning 22. However, if you were unaware of this and have already turned 22, you may still apply for proof of Danish citizenship. Provided certain conditions were fulfilled before you turned 22, a certificate of Danish citizenship may still be issued. 

Basically, if before you turned 22 you fulfilled the conditions for retaining Danish citizenship, you may still be granted a certificate of Danish citizenship.

Passport

In order to have a Danish passport issued in this case, you have to present proof of Danish citizenship along with your passport application.

Proof of Danish citizenship

According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), proof of Danish citizenship may be issued in the following cases:

  1. If you have resided in Denmark before turning 22.
    The Danish authorities generally consider a continuous stay of minimum 3 months as sufficient to meet this requirement. It is a requirement that you were registered in the Danish Civil Register (CPR) with a residential address in Denmark during your stay.
    OR
  2. If you visited Denmark on holidays, stays etc. before turning 22.
    Your stays in Denmark counted from you were born till you turned 22 must when combined add up to a minimum of 12 months.

When you apply after you have turned 22, the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration does not make an individual assessment of your application as they do if you apply before turning 22. This means that if you do not fulfil one of the two conditions listed above, you will not be granted proof of Danish citizenship.

How to apply

Step 1: Complete Application Form and Payment of Processing Fee
A completed application form is a requirement for an admissible application.
The Ministry of Immigration and Integration's processing fee of DKK 1200 must be paid, using the registration number (registreringsnummer) and account number (kontonummer) listed here.

When paying the processing fee with a bank transfer, your bank may require the address of the bank in Denmark. It is:
Danske Bank, Statens betalinger
Girostrøget 1
0800 Høje Taastrup

Please note that your CPR-number or full name (including middle names or initials) must appear in the subject line of the payment.

Step 2: Collect Documents
A document checklist can be found on page 2 of the application form.
For quick and efficient processing, please ensure that all the required documents in the checklist are submitted with your application. Failure to submit all the required documents may result in delays or rejection of your application.

Step 3: Submit the Application
You can send the application and documents by mail directly to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration in Denmark at the following address:

Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet
Indfødsret
Slotsholmsgade 10
DK-1216 København K
Denmark

Alternatively, you can submit your application through one of the Danish diplomatic missions in Oceania. Please note that if you choose to submit your application through a Danish diplomatic mission, additional fees may apply according to The Executive Order on Payment for Services provided by the Danish Foreign Service. The fee schedule can be downloaded here (prod. no. 148).

The fee covers the Danish mission’s involvement in the following steps:

  • Reception of application form and supporting documents. Embassy or Consulate signature and date of reception on the application form (please note: the diplomatic mission is not responsible for checking contents)
  • Issuance of receipt
  • Shipment to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration
  • Reception of the decision from the Ministry of Immigration and Integration
  • Hand out of the decision to applicant or shipment to applicant by mail according to agreement

If you have any further questions

Please contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration in Copenhagen directly.
Tel.: +45 70 80 24 50
Email: [email protected]