Repatriation

The repatriation benefits apply to refugees, aliens with residence based on humanitarian grounds and immigrants. Danish citizens, citizens from the EU, Scandinavia or the European Economic Area (EEA) are not eligible for repatriation benefits.

You are only entitled to receive repatriation benefits if you have no means of your own to cover the expenses related to returning to your home country.

You can only receive repatriation benefits once.

If you wish to apply for repatriation benefits, you must contact your local municipal authority, who decides in matters regarding repatriation benefits.

Repatriation benefits

The repatriation benefits include (2011 amounts):

• Travel expenses to the home country
• Freight costs for personal belongings (maximum of 2 square meters per person)
• Financial aid of 119.815 DKK per adult and 36.541 DKK per minor child (under the age of 18) to get established. The financial aid is payable in two parts. The first part of 17.915/5.971 DKK will be paid on the return to the home country, and the last part of 101.900/30.570 DKK will be paid a year after the return to the home country or when the right to revoke your residence permit in Denmark has expired
• Transportation of professional equipment already owned by the returnee up to a price of 13.872 DKK
• Cost of a health insurance for one year if no public health insurance is available in the home country or a cash amount of 5.971 DKK
• Payment of prescribed medicine brought from Denmark to cover one year’s consumption plus necessary medical equipment at a price of up to 5.854 DKK plus necessary vaccinations

Reintegration allowance

Moreover, you may be entitled to a reintegration allowance which is a monthly payment granted for a period of five years or a reduced life-long payment of 80 percent of the five-year reintegration allowance.

You are only entitled to receive reintegration allowance if you do not have a pension or other means of your own to cover the basic living expenses in your home country.

You are eligible to reintegration allowance if you:

• have had residence permit in Denmark for at least 5 years, and
• are 55 years of age or older, or if you are 50 years of age or older and due to your health or similar grounds are considered to be unable to provide for yourself or if you – regardless of your age – are entitled to a disability pension

The monthly reintegration allowance is (2010 amount):

Extra reintegration allowance

If you have obtained residence permit in Denmark before 1 July 2002 and are entitled to receive reintegration allowance you can be granted an extra reintegration allowance of 1.000 DKK a month for 5 years or 800 DKK a month as a life-long payment.

You must travel together

If your residence permit in Denmark is a result of family reunification, you can as a main rule only receive repatriation benefits if you return to your home country together with the person (reference) with whom you were originally reunified.

This, however, does not apply

• if you and the reference are divorced,
• if the reference is deceased,
• if you have been reunified with your parents as a child and wish to repatriate as an adult, or
• if you have been reunified with your son or daughter and
  - are 55 years of age or older,
  - are 50 years of age or older and due to your health or similar grounds are considered to be unable to provide for yourself or
  - are entitled to a disability pension regardless of your age

Right of revocation of your residence permit

If you are a refugee and have returned to you home country you can – within 12 months of leaving Denmark – regret your decision and use your right of revocation to return to Denmark.

The right of revocation may only be used once.

Further information and guidance

You can seek advice and guidance about the possibilities to return to your home country or former country of residence from the Danish Refugee Council.

You can receive information about repatriation in different languages:

Danish and English: Monday till Friday between 10-15 on phone no. 33 73 50 00

Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian: Monday-Friday between10-15 on phone no. 33 73 52 33

Arabic and Farsi: Tuesdays between 13-15 on phone no. 33 73 51 21

Finally, we can refer you to the Danish Refugee Council's website (text in Danish)