Published 09-10-2026 - Last updated: 28-10-2026

The Danish Immigration Service resumes processing of suspended cases following error in the Criminal Register

On 8 September 2026, the Danish Immigration Service suspended the processing of cases concerning permanent residence permit and certain family reunification cases as a result of an error in the Criminal Register. The National Police has now investigated the error and assesses that its consequences for the Criminal Register are very limited. The Danish Immigration Service is therefore resuming the processing of the cases.

The cases were suspended because the error could have affected the Danish Immigration Service's handling of cases in which information from the Criminal Register is used in the case processing.

The Danish Ministry of Justice has since informed the Ministry of Immigration and Integration that, on the basis of the investigation and the rectification of decisions in the Criminal Register that has been carried out, the National Police assesses that the error's consequences for the Criminal Register are very limited. The Danish Ministry of Justice has also stated that, as part of the further work, the National Police will, in cooperation with the authorities concerned, examine the extent to which the error may have affected case processing at other authorities and, if so, decide how this should be handled.

Therefore, the Danish Immigration Service is resuming processing of the cases that had been suspended.

Declaration on criminal conduct in application forms

On 18 September 2026, the Danish Immigration Service also added a sworn declaration on criminal conduct to the application forms for permanent residence permits. In this declaration, the applicant states that they have not committed any criminal offence that could constitute an obstacle to the granting of a permanent residence permit.

On 1 October 2026, a corresponding adjustment was made to the application forms for family reunification. In this declaration, the spouse or cohabiting partner residing in Denmark states that they have not committed any criminal offence that could constitute an obstacle to the granting of family reunification, if the residence permit is conditional on the transferred requirements for permanent residence being met.

For applications submitted before these dates, the Danish Immigration Service will send a corresponding sworn declaration on criminal conduct, which must be signed and returned before the application can be fully processed.

The processing time for permanent residence cases is still expected to be 12 months.

The processing time for family reunification cases is still expected to be 10 months.