There are several avenues for applying for Danish citizenship. Please select the option below that suits your situation.
Dual/multiple nationality, if obtained automatically at birth, has always been accepted by Denmark.
However, a new Danish law about dual/multiple nationality has come into force on 1st September 2015. This means that Danish nationals will now be able to apply for another nationality/further nationalities without losing their Danish citizenship. Those persons who have already lost their Danish nationality will be able to apply to regain it during a 5-year period from 1st September 2015 to 31st August 2020.
Please see the information about dual/multiple nationality.
Your child may also have acquired British nationality at birth British nationality
As a general rule, Danish nationals born abroad will have to apply for retention of Danish nationality before the age of 22.
Children born to a Danish mother and a foreign father in wedlock between 1st January 1961 and 1st January 1979 may apply for naturalisation according to the “Princess Rule".
If you have acquired Danish nationality by birth, by the time of your parents' marriage or by adoption, you can apply for a confirmation (certificate) of your Danish nationality. Please follow the link to UIM's website, where you can find the application form and payment details: Bevis for erhvervelse af dansk statsborgerskab
As a general rule, Danish nationals born abroad lose their Danish nationality when reaching the age of 22. However, proof (if you are older than 22) of Danish nationality may be granted provided certain conditions are fulfilled.
Proof of Danish Nationality
If you are older than 22 you can apply for proof of Danish nationality. According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), proof may be granted in the following cases:
When applying after the age of 22, the Citizenship Office at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration no longer processes applications based on an individual assessment. This means that if you do not meet at least one of the two conditions mentioned above, you cannot obtain proof of Danish citizenship.
Your application for proof of Danish citizenship must be received by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration no later than the day before you turn 22. If you apply after turning 22, you must apply for proof of Danish citizenship.
You can find further information, including links to the application form and payment of fees, on the Ministry of Immigration and Integration's website.
An application for proof of Danish citizenship can be submitted directly to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration via Digital Post, by letter or by email. Contact details can be found on the application form. The embassy recommends that applicants keep the receipt for their application until a decision has been made in the case.
For applicants without a MitID, it may be advantageous to appoint a representative in Denmark who can submit your application via their MitID and then communicate with the UIM on your behalf.
Questions
Questions and inquiries should be directed to the Citizenship Office.
Contact information and telephone hours can be found here (Danish time).
As a general rule, Danish nationals born abroad lose their Danish nationality when reaching the age of 22. However, retention (if you are between 20 and 22) of Danish nationality may be granted provided certain conditions are fulfilled.
Retention of Danish Nationality
If you are between the ages of 20 and 22 you can apply to retain your Danish nationality. According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), retention may be granted in the following cases:
In cases where at least one of the two above conditions is not met, it may still be possible to retain Danish citizenship. The Citizenship Office at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration processes all applications individually and, in cases where at least one of the two above conditions is not met, will also base its decision on other criteria listed in the application form.
Your application for retention of Danish citizenship must be received by the Ministry of Immigration and Integration no later than the day before you turn 22. If you apply after turning 22, you must apply for proof of Danish citizenship.
You can find further information, including links to the application form and payment of the fee, on the Ministry of Immigration and Integration's website.
An application for retention of Danish citizenship can be submitted directly to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration via Digital Post, by letter or by email. Contact details can be found in the application form. The embassy recommends that applicants keep the receipt for the application until a decision has been made in the case.
For applicants without MitID, it may be advantageous to appoint a representative in Denmark who can submit your application via their MitID and then communicate with UIM on your behalf.
Questions
Questions and inquiries should be directed to the Citizenship Office.
Contact information and telephone hours can be found here (Danish time).
Children born abroad outside of marriage to a Danish father and a foreign mother between October 11, 1993, and June 30, 2014, did not acquire Danish citizenship at birth. As an alternative, children born under these circumstances can instead apply for Danish citizenship by being included in a bill on the granting of citizenship without meeting the general conditions. It is a prerequisite that the father had Danish citizenship at the time of the child's birth. Read more about the rules here.
If the parents have since married (before the child turned 18 and unmarried), the child automatically obtains Danish citizenship from the date of marriage. However, children born abroad must apply to retain Danish citizenship before they turn 22.
If a child was born abroad out of wedlock to a Danish father and a foreign mother before October 11, 1993, and the parents remained unmarried, the child cannot obtain Danish citizenship without meeting the general conditions. Children born on July 1, 2014, or later automatically acquire Danish citizenship at birth if the father, mother, or co-mother is Danish, regardless of whether they were born in or out of wedlock.
When applying for Danish citizenship without meeting the general conditions, there is no requirement to be resident in Denmark at the time of application. Nor is there a requirement to pass the Danish citizenship test, including the language test.
You can find further information, including links to the application form and payment of fees, on the Ministry of Immigration and Integration's website.
The application process is described here.
Applications for automatic acquisition of Danish citizenship must be submitted directly to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration via Digital Post. Contact information can be found in the application form. The embassy recommends that applicants keep the receipt for their application until a decision has been made in the case.
For applicants without a MitID, it may be advantageous to appoint a representative in Denmark who can submit your application via their MitID and then communicate with the UIM on your behalf.
Questions
Questions and inquiries should be directed to the Citizenship Office.
Contact information and telephone hours can be found here (Danish time).
The law on Dual Nationality came into force on 1st September 2015.
The law means that Danish nationals who wish to acquire a foreign nationality may do so without losing their Danish citizenship.
Please see the information on the website of the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration.
Children born in marriage to a Danish mother and a foreign father during the period 1st January 1961 to 31st December 1978 did not obtain Danish nationality by birth.
As an alternative, between 1979 and 1981 Danish mothers were able to register their children under 18 as Danish nationals, cf. s. 2(2) of Act No. 117 of 19th March 1978.
Children born between 1961 and 1978, whose mothers did not register their children, can apply for Danish nationality by naturalisation according to the “Princess Rule”.
It is a condition that the general requirements for obtaining Danish nationality by naturalisation are fulfilled. This means that an applicant, who has been convicted of an offence, cannot be naturalised until after a certain period of time, and that the applicant must not owe money to the Danish authorities.
In addition, applicants must be able to take part in an ordinary conversation in Danish. It is not a condition, that applicants can read or write Danish, and they do not have to pass a Danish or nationality test.
It is furthermore a condition, that the applicant has been staying in Denmark (not necessarily residing (= registered in the CPR Register), but visiting) under circumstances indicating some association with the country. In general, one year's stay in total before the age of 22 is required. It is not a requirement that applicants have a CPR. number in order to apply.
Applications should be sent direct to the Danish Nationality Office in Copenhagen:
Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet
Indfødsretskontoret
Slotsholmsgade 10
DK-1216 Copenhagen K
Denmark
Email: [email protected]
Please contact Indfødsretskontoret for further guidance:
Tel. +45 70 80 24 50
Monday 09:00-11:30 and Thursday 14:30-17:00 (Danish time)
You can, however, also submit the application through the Embassy, but the following fees would apply (in addition to the application charge paid direct to the Ministry).
