Danish nationality

Am I automatically a Danish national if I was born in Denmark?

No. Only if either your mother or your father is a Danish national.

What is the difference between nationality and citizenship?

There is no difference. The words mean the same.

Can I keep my original nationality if I acquire Danish nationality?

No, normally not. One principle of Danish nationality law is to restrict dual nationality. So, to acquire Danish nationality you must be willing to renounce your current nationality. In practice, you may keep your original nationality if you have refugee status in Denmark.

Is it possible to have an expedited processing of my application?

No. Generally, applications are processed in the same order as received by the Ministry.

I have moved. Do I have to notify the Ministry of my new address?

No, the Nationality Division will receive this information automatically when you notify the Central National Register (CPR) of your new address.

When will I be informed of whether I will acquire Danish nationality?

When your application has been processed and you satisfy all conditions, you will receive a letter stating that you have been listed in a naturalisation bill. Then it is up to Parliament to decide whether you will acquire Danish nationality.When a bill has been adopted by Parliament, the Queen must sign and assent to that bill.The Ministry will then send an 'information form' to you. You must fill in this form and return it to the Ministry. This is necessary for the Ministry to decide whether any children of yours will become Danish nationals based on your Danish nationality. The Ministry will then issue a nationality certificate to you, which may also comprise your children.The Ministry will report those who have become Danish nationals to the Central National Register (CPR).

How often are naturalisation bills introduced to the Danish Parliament?

Bills granting Danish nationality to the persons who satisfy the conditions are introduced twice a year, in April and October.The naturalisation bills are expected to be adopted in late June and in late December.

How do I obtain a Danish passport?

To acquire a Danish passport, you have to present your nationality certificate to your local authority. The authority will then issue a Danish passport to you.

I have lost my original nationality certificate. Can I have a new certificate?

No. Normally no replacement certificate will be issued to you; but it is still possible for the local authority to issue a Danish passport to you because the authority can check through the Central National Register (CPR) whether you are a Danish national.

How long is the application processing period?Hvor lang er sagsbehandlingstiden?

You should expect that it will take up to 18 months before the Ministry starts processing your application.When the Ministry has processed your application for Danish nationality and you satisfy all the conditions, you will be listed in a bill that is subsequently to be considered by Parliament. Normally this takes an additional 3 months.

Can I apply for Danish nationality if I am under 18 years of age?

No. You must normally have attained 18 years of age to apply for Danish nationality yourself. If you are under 18 years of age, you normally have to apply for Danish nationality together with your mother or your father. If neither of your parents lives in Denmark or both of them are already Danish nationals, you may apply yourself regardless of your age.

I have a bank loan of DKK 400,000 and a car loan of DKK 150,000. Does that affect my application for Danish nationality?

No. Private loans from banks and other private lending institutions do not affect your application for Danish nationality. However, if you owe money to public authorities (your local authority or the Danish tax administration), you are not eligible for Danish nationality until all such debts have been repaid.

What does it mean that I have to be self-supporting?

It means that you may not receive any cash assistance or benefits under the Act on an Active Social Policy or under the Integration Act. If you have previously received such assistance, you may only have received it for an aggregate period of up to 1 year within the last 5 years.Persons receiving State education grants and loans, anticipatory pension or old-age pension or who are supported by their spouse will not be excluded from obtaining nationality.

Do I satisfy the condition of being self-supporting when I have a job?

Even though you have a job at present and receive no cash assistance, you will only satisfy the condition of being self-supporting if you have not received cash assistance or benefits under the Act on an Active Social Policy or the Integration Act for more than 1 year altogether within the last 5 years.

Where and when is the citizenship test held?

The citizenship test is organised by several language schools in Denmark: List of the language schools. Tests are held twice a year in June and December. For further details about the time of the next citizenship test and enrolment deadlines, see the website of the Ministry.

The candidates have 60 minutes to answer 40 questions about the Danish society and Danish culture and history. It is a multiple-choice test with a list of potential answers to each question.

To pass the test, the candidates must answer 28 of the 40 questions (70%) correctly.

Can I prepare for the citizenship test?

Yes. At the citizenship test, a total of 40 questions will be asked about the Danish society and Danish culture and history. Of these questions, 35 are selected from a question bank. Further 5 questions about current affairs that are not from the question bank will be asked at each test. You will also find study material to prepare for the test at the website of the Ministry.

Can I enrol for another citizenship test if I fail?

Yes. If you fail the test, you can enrol for another test in a subsequent examination period.

When I have passed the citizenship test, do I have to satisfy other conditions to be eligible for Danish nationality?

Yes. Even though you have passed the citizenship test, you have to satisfy the other conditions for being eligible for Danish nationality, including the condition to provide proof of your Danish skills and the condition of being self-supporting.

Can Danish nationals be deprived of their nationality?

Yes, Danish nationals can be deprived of their nationality if they provided incorrect information to acquire this nationality, cf. section 8A of the Nationality Act, or if they violate Part 12 or 13 of the Criminal Code relating to national security, cf. section 8B of the Nationality Act. These Acts were adopted in 2002 and 2004, respectively.

Do you risk becoming stateless?

Yes, if you provided incorrect information and accordingly acted in a fraudulent manner in connection with the acquisition of your Danish nationality, you risk becoming stateless if you do not have any other nationality. I

f you were born Danish, it is therefore impossible in practice to become stateless as you acquired your nationality at birth because of your parents' Danish nationality. If you gave incorrect information in connection with the acquisition of Danish nationality, you may be deprived of your Danish nationality by judgment where the incorrect information was crucial for the decision to make you a Danish national.

The judges must, however, make a so-called proportionality assessment. This means for example that, if you have lived in Denmark for many years and have family here, the judges must balance the gravity of the offence and the interference with your life following from deprivation of your Danish nationality.

In case you have any children under 18 years of age who acquired Danish nationality through you, they will not be deprived of their Danish nationality by virtue of this rule. It also follows from section 8B of the Nationality Act that persons sentenced for violation of one or more provisions of Parts 12 and 13 of the Criminal Code (offences against national security) may be deprived of their nationality by court order. This only applies if it will not make such persons stateless.

What are the Danish rules like compared with those of comparable countries?

The Danish rules on deprivation of nationality are very similar to those of most other countries and in accordance with the relevant international conventions.