How to apply
At this page you will learn about how to apply for family reunification under EU law as a Danish national, as well as how to apply for permanent residence according to the EU executive order.
To apply for a registration certificate/residence card on the basis of those rules, please use application form FA1 (application for family reunification of spouses) or application form FA2 (application for family reunification with children). Application forms are to be submitted to the Danish Immigration Service or, in other countries, to a Danish embassy or consulate general.
An application is to be submitted at the same time as the Danish national returns to Denmark or immediately after his/her return. If the family member of a Danish national applies for family reunification under EU law after the Danish national's return to Denmark, the Danish Immigration Service will assess specifically whether the family member's application was submitted in natural continuation of the Danish national's return to Denmark.
Such assessment will emphasise the reason why the application was submitted after the Danish national's return to Denmark, including whether the family member postponed the application for special reasons of work or education, as well as the length of the difference in time.
A registration certificate is issued as a letter from the Danish Immigration Service to family members who are Union citizens or EEA/Swiss nationals. A registration certificate has no date of expiry. A residence card is issued as a credit-card-sized plastic card by the Danish Immigration Service to family members who are third-country nationals. A residence card has a date of expiry.
To shorten the length of the processing period it is essential to enclose the right documents with the application. Further information about the necessary documents and the expected length of the processing period is available from the Danish Immigration Service.
The persons falling within the rules on family reunification with a Danish national who has exercised his/her right of free movement in another EU/EEA Member State are the Danish national's spouse/registered partner/permanent cohabitant and children under 21 years of age and the spouse's/registered partner's/permanent cohabitant's children under 21 years of age as well as children over 21 years of age if they are dependant on the Danish national. The parents and grandparents of the Danish national and his/her spouse/registered partner/permanent cohabitant also fall within those rules if they are dependent on the Danish national.
If a Danish national residing in Denmark and providing cross-border services in other EU/EEA Member States is eligible for family reunification under EU law, this right extends to the Danish national's spouse/registered partner/permanent cohabitant and children under 21 years of age and the spouse's/registered partner's/permanent cohabitant's children under 21 years of age.
Learn more about family reunification under EU law based on provision of services.
As a family member to a Danish national comprised by the EU rules on free movement, and with a right to residence according to the EU-executive order, you have a right to permanent residence in Denmark, if you have lawfully resided in Denmark for a continuous period of five years. Further details on the right to permanent residence in accordance with the Free movement directive has been described in the guidance note, which is only available in the Danish language version: "notat om tidsbegrænset ophold efter opholdsdirektivet".
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