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Apply for family reunification as the child of a refugee in Denmark

You want to apply for family reunification with a parent in Denmark. Your parent is a refugee in Denmark. This means that he/she has been granted a residence permit as an asylum seeker.

The expected maximum processing time is
10 months

Who can be granted family reunification?

What are the requirements if you are under 15 years old?

What are the requirements if you are between 15-18 years?

Which type of residence permit will you be granted?

What do you want to print?

Who can be granted family reunification?

If you are under the age of 15 and have a parent who lives in Denmark you may qualify for a residence permit under the rules for family reunification. In special situations, you may qualify if you are between 15 and 18 years old.

If your parent has been granted temporary protected status in Denmark in accordance with Aliens Act section 7 (3), he/she will normally need to have his/her residence permit extended beyond the initial three-year period. Read more about family reunification with individuals holding temporary protected status

You and your parent in Denmark need to meet certain requirements.
 

What do you want to print?

What are the requirements if you are under 15 years old?

In order to qualify for family reunification, you, the applicant and your your parent in Denmark both need to meet certain requirements.  

Requirements the applicant needs to meet

Normally, you may not be older than 15 years when you submit your application.

If you are older than 15 years, you will only qualify for a residence permit in special situations. Read more in the section ‘What are the requirements when you are between 15-18 years’

 If you are granted a residence permit, you will need to live at the same address as your parent in Denmark.

You can’t qualify for family reunification if you have started your own family. Starting your own family includes cohabiting with a partner or having a child.  

Granting you family reunification to live with your parent in Denmark needs to be in your best interests. That means the Immigration Service will consider whether the municipality where your parent in Denmark lives needs to provide us with a statement about your well-being, and how well your parent can take care of you.

The municipality can also be asked to assess whether it is in your best interests to move you away from where you live now to live with your parent in Denmark.

Granting you family reunification to live with your parent in Denmark would not be in your best interests if:

  • There is a risk you could have serious social problems in Denmark
  • There is significant risk that you would be removed from the home after you moved to Denmark
  • There is a risk you could be abused

Read more about acting in the best interests of child applicants 
 

If:

• you are older than 8 at the time of applying, and

• one of your parents still lives in your home country, or if you live with one of your parents in another country

then the Immigration Service will consider whether you can become attached enough to Denmark that you can successfully integrate.

Read more about the requirements for successful integration

Exceptions from the requirment

The Immigration Service can suspend this requirement in special situations, such as if your parent in Denmark cannot reside in your home country together with other minor children currently residing in Denmark, with whom your parent either has custody of or has visitation rights of – for example half-siblings. We can also suspend this requirement if your parent’s spouse in Denmark has visitation rights with a minor child from a previous relationship. Depending on the situation, serious illness can also play a role in the Immigration Service’s decision whether to enforce this requirement.

In special situations, we can suspend the requirement if the parent with whom you live in your home country is approved for family reunification with a spouse living in Denmark, and you previously have not had a family life with the parent who is to remain in your home country. This would also be the case if it is not possible for you to establish a family life with your parent remaining in your home country, or it would not be in your best interest to establish a family life with said parent.

The Immigration Service can also suspend the requirement if you apply for a residence permit in connection with the parent with whom you live most applying for, or being granted, a Danish residence permit. Exemptions are considered in this situation in order to ensure that you can continue living with your parent who has applied for, or been granted, a Danish residence permit, if you also lived together in your home country.

However, if you and your parent apply for family reunification in order to live in Denmark with your other parent, the Immigration Service can require you to meet the requirements for successful integration if the parent you are applying with is not granted a residence permit.

Requirements the parent needs to meet

You, the applicant’s parent living in Denmark, need to:

  • Have a residence permit as a refugee or protected status under the terms of Aliens Act section 7 (1) or (2) or section 8
  • Have been a legal resident under the terms of the Aliens Act section 7 (3) for three years or longer, or
  • Have a permanent residence permit because you were granted asylum

If you are applying for family reunification at the same time as your child, your spouse/partner in Denmark needs to have been granted a residence permit for one of the reasons above.
 

You, the applicant’s parent, need to have custody of the applicant. Joint custody is sufficient to meet this requirement.

You, the applicant’s parent in Denmark, may not have been found guilty by a Danish court of child abuse within the past 10 years. This also applies to your spouse/partner.

Abuse of a child includes, among other things:

  • Incest, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 210
  • Neglect, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 213
  • Rape, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 216
  • Sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 15, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 222
  • Recording of child pornography, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 230
  • Indecent exposure, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 232
  • Manslaughter, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 237
  • Assault and aggravated assault, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, sections 244-246
  • Confinement, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 261

This requirement applies regardless of whether the sentence was served or suspended.

Exceptions from the requirement

The Immigration Service can suspend this requirement in special situations, such as if you:

  • were suffering from a psychiatric illness when the crime was committed. You may no longer be affected by the illness, or
  • committed the crime in connection with drug or alcohol abuse. You may no longer be a substance abuser.

In special situations, you, the applicant’s parent, will need to have an independent, reasonably sized residence at your disposal. This is known as the housing requirement. Among the reasons for enforcing the housing requirement include voluntarily breaking contact with the applicant for an extended period.

An independent residence is a residence that has an entrance of its own and appears as one unit. An independent residence does not need to have a kitchen or bathroom of its own.

You have a residence at your disposal if you own, rent or sublet the place where you live. Owning property collectively as an andelshaver or anpartshaver also satisfies this requirement.

Your residence needs to be reasonably sized. This means that by the time your child is approved for family reunification, your residence needs to meet one of the following requirements:

  • The number of people living in the residence may not be more than double the number of rooms, or
  • There must be at least 20 sq. metres of living space for each person living there.

Read more about the housing requirement 

In special situations, you, the applicant’s parent, will need to be self-supporting. This is known as the self-support requirement. Among the reasons for enforcing the self-support requirement include voluntarily breaking contact with the applicant for an extended period.

This requirement means that if you have received certain forms of social benefits, your child can’t be approved for family reunification. The forms of social benefits that will prevent your child from being approved for family reunification are those made under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik) or the Integration Act (integrationsloven).

Read more about social benefits and the self-support requirement

What do you want to print?

What are the requirements if you are between 15-18 years?

In order to be approved for family reunification to live with your parent in Denmark, you normally need to be under 15 years old when you apply.

If you are between 15 and 18 years at the time of applying, you can be approved for family reunification if very special reasons apply. 

Your parent in Denmark needs to meet some requirements as well.

If you are older than 15, you can only qualify for family reunification to live with your parent in Denmark in if special reasons apply.

Such situations include regard for family unity, whether it is in your best interests and Denmark's international obligations in general. If special reasons apply, you will be granted a residence permit in accordance with Aliens Act section 9 (c) (1).

The Immigration Service will look at your personal situation when deciding whether there are very special reasons for granting you a residence permit. Some of the things we will look at are:

  • Whether you have family living in your home country
  • Whether you are applying for a residence permit together with the parent you have been living with in your home country
  • Whether the parent you have been living with in your home country has been approved for family reunification in Denmark
  • Whether the parent you have been living with in your home country can take care of you properly
  • Whether you have been placed in foster care, or whether there is a risk you could be placed in foster care if you continue living with your parent in your home country
  • Whether it would be inhumane to ask your parent in Denmark to live with you in a country where there is no access to treatment for an existing illness or disability (if applicable)
  • Whether your parent in Denmark is raising minor children. Or if he/she has contact with other minor children who live in Denmark
  • Whether your parent in Denmark has been granted a residence permit as an asylum seeker
     

Requirements the applicant needs to meet

You may not be older than 18 when you submit your application.  

If you are granted a residence permit, you will need to live at the same address as your parent in Denmark.

You can’t qualify for family reunification if you have started your own family. Starting your own family includes cohabiting with a partner or having a child.

Granting you family reunification to live with your parent in Denmark needs to be in your best interests. That means the Immigration Service will consider whether the municipality where your parent in Denmark lives needs to provide us with a statement about your well-being, and how well your parent can take care of you.

The municipality can also be asked to assess whether it is in your best interests to move you away from where you live now to live with your parent in Denmark.

Granting you family reunification to live with your parent in Denmark would not be in your best interests if:

  • There is a risk you could have serious social problems in Denmark
  • There is significant risk that you would be removed from the home after you moved to Denmark
  • There is a risk you could be abused

Read more about acting in the best interests of child applicants for family reunification

Requirements the parent needs to meet

You, the applicant’s parent in Denmark, need to have permission to reside here legally.

You, the applicant’s parent in Denmark, may not have been found guilty by a Danish court of child abuse within the past 10 years. This also applies to your spouse/partner.

Abuse of a child includes, among other things:

  • Incest, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 210
  • Neglect, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 213
  • Rape, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 216
  • Sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 15, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 222
  • Recording of child pornography, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 230
  • Indecent exposure, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 232
  • Manslaughter, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 237
  • Assault and aggravated assault, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, sections 244-246
  • Confinement, cf. the Danish Criminal Act, section 261

This requirement applies regardless of whether the sentence was served or suspended.

Exceptions from the requirement

The Immigration Service can suspend this requirement in special situations, such as if you:

  • were suffering from a psychiatric illness when the crime was committed. You may no longer be affected by the illness, or
  • committed the crime in connection with drug or alcohol abuse. You may no longer be a substance abuser.

What do you want to print?

Which type of residence permit will you be granted?

Temporary residence permit

If your application for family reunification is approved, you will initially be granted a temporary residence permit, typically valid until you turn 18. If your parent has a temporary residence permit, your residence permit will expire when your parent’s residence permit expires. Your residence permit can be extended if you and your parent still meet certain requirements.

When you turn 18, it may be possible for you to obtain a permanent residence permit by meeting relaxed requirements. Read more about permanent residence permit
 

What do you want to print?

The information below explains how to apply for a residence permit based on family reunification.

If you are applying at the same time as your parent who is applying for family reunification as a spouse, some of the steps will be different than if you are not applying at the same time as your parent. If there is a difference, the instructions will tell you what to do.

You and your parent each need to fill in part of the application form. You will also need to enclose documentation, so it is a good idea to gather it all before you start.  

If you are applying at the same time as your parent, you may need:

If you are not applying at the same time as your parent, you may need:

Set aside

30 to 40 minutes

 to fill in the application form

2 persons

You (or an adult who is applying on behalf of you) and your parent in Denmark each need to fill in part of the application form

The application form includes detailed instructions for how to fill it in. It also clearly states which types of documentation you need to enclose.

You can fill in the application form on your computer using Word. When you are done, print out the completed form.

The application form is also available as a PDF file that can be printed out and filled in by hand.

Form to use if you are applying at the same time as your parent

Download form FA11 for print

Download form FA11 (word)

Download form FA11 (pdf)

 

Form to use if you are not applying at the same time as your parent

Download form FA12 for print

Download form FA12 (word)

Download form FA12 (pdf)

When you submit an application to the Immigration Service, we will process your personal information. You can read more about your rights and how we process your information in the application form or on this page: Personal data – How we process your data

When processing your case, we may seek to verify the accuracy of the information you have given. Read more about verification at the Danish Immigration Service

 

Applying from abroad

You can submit your application at a Danish mission (embassy or consulate), or an outsourcing office in the country where you live.

See the list of Danish missions or outsourcing offices where you can hand in your application

If there is no Danish mission or outsourcing offices in the country where you live, the list refers to missions Denmark shares a representation agreement with, e.g. Norway or Sweden. If there is no representation agreement, the list refers to the nearest Danish mission or outsourcing office in the region.

The Immigration Service recommends that you visit the website of the closest embassy or consulate before you submit your application. Individual offices might have additional requirements, such as extra passport photos or copies of your application.

Applying in Denmark

If you are in Denmark legally, you can normally submit your application in Denmark. You are in Denmark legally if you:

  • hold a valid visa
  • are not required to hold a visa, or
  • hold a valid Danish residence permit.

You can submit your application to the Immigration Service at Citizen Service. If you live outside Greater Copenhagen, you can also submit your application at a police station that is capable of recording biometric features. See the list of police stations capable of recording biometric features

You can also send your application to the Immigration Service in the post.

Read more about the rules for submitting your application in Denmark 

When you submit your application, you will normally need to have your fingerprints recorded and a picture of your face taken. These are also known as your biometric features. Your biometric features are required in order for you to get a new residence card.

When you live with your parent in Denmark, you don’t need a residence card. If you don’t want a card, you don’t need to have your fingerprints or picture taken.

Read more about residence cards with fingerprints and facial pictures

What do you want to print?

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Last updated 18-06-2019 - Published by: The Danish Immigration Service

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