Active Citizen Exam

The Active Citizenship Exam is an exam comprising 15 questions about Danish society and everyday life - such as organisations, rights and duties, the Danish labour market - and Danish history and culture.

All 15 questions are multiple choice questions where the correct answer must be indicated among several alternatives. The exam is held in Danish.

In order to pass the exam you must answer at least 10 out of 15 questions correctly.

The exam takes 30 minutes.

A publication has been developed - Fakta om Danmark - which you should read before taking the exam. The publication is available in Danish language only. You will be able to answer all questions in the exam based on the information in this publication. However, you cannot bring the publication or other aids with you to the exam.

When is the exam held?

The exam will normally be held twice a year - in June and December. There are no extra exams for persons who are ill on the normal exam day.

The forthcoming Active Citizen Exams in 2012 will be held:

• 1 June 2012, 11 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.
• 3 December 2012, 11 a.m. to 11.30 a.m.

Where is the exam held?

The Active Citizen Exam is held at a number of language centres across the country.

See the list of language centres offering the Active Citizen Exam.

Where do you sign up, and how much does it cost?

You can sign up by contacting the language centre where you wish to take the exam.

See the list of language centres offering the Active Citizen Exam.

When signing up, you will need to pay a fee to the language centre. The fee is DKK 673.

You should make sure to check opening hours and payment options of the language centre well in advance.

The Active Citizen Exams are held on the same day as the Danish Citizenship Test (to obtain Danish citizenship). Make sure that you sign up for the correct exam.

Deadline to sign up

The deadline to sign up for the exam on 1 June 2012 is 27 April 2012.

The deadline to sign up for the exam on 3 December 2012 is 29 October 2012.

ID

In order to take the Active Citizen Exam you must bring photo ID.

ID must be one of the following types:

• Residence card, alien's passport, convention passport, or driver's license issued by a Danish public authority
• Passport, identity card or driver's license issued by a public authority in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland
• Passport issued by a public authority in a country other than the ones mentioned above, to which a residence sticker is affixed

It is your own responsibility to bring valid ID on the day of the exam.

If you are under the age of 19 and do not possess any of the above mentioned types of ID, you may use your Danish national health insurance card ('sundhedskort') as ID.

If you are above the age of 19 and do not possess any of the above mentioned types of ID, you must apply to the Ministry of Children and Education for permission to use alternative ID at the exam. The Ministry must receive your application no later than 4 weeks before the exam.

If the Ministry grants you permission to use alternative ID, you must bring the letter of permission to the exam.

Preparing for the exam

A publication has been developed - Fakta om Danmark - which you should read before taking the exam. You can find the publication on this website, and you can also listen to a recorded version of the publication. The publication is available in Danish language only and the Active Citizen Exam is held in Danish.

See the learning materials for the Active Citizen Exam.

Listen to a recorded version of learning materials for the Active Citizen Exam.

You cannot buy the learning materials in the form of a printed publication, but you can download it for free from this website.

You can also find examples of questions which could be asked at the Active Citizen Exam. See some examples of questions for the Active Citizen Exam.

What happens after you have taken the test?

It may take three to four weeks before the results arrive. If you have passed the exam, the language centre will issue a proof of passed exam for you.

You must submit the proof of passed exam together with your application for a permanent residence permit.

If you have submitted your application for a permanent residence permit before turning 19, in the period between 26 March 2010 and until the Active Citizen Exam is held on 6 June 2011, and if you meet all other requirements for a permanent residence permit but have been turned down because you had not obtained the 15 points for active citizenship, your case can be reopened if you pass the Active Citizen Exam in June 2011 or September 2011.

If your case is reopened, this means that your application will be processed in accordance with the more lenient rules which apply to applicants under the age of 19.

Read more about special groups.