Guidelines on Danish Citizenship

In the recent years, Denmark has been continuously ranked as the happiest nation in the world. In fact, it is not surprising that most people who migrate here on study, work or residence permit eventually become Danish citizens.

There are many ways to acquire Danish nationality. A child born to a Danish parent, whether outside or in Denmark, automatically becomes a Danish citizen. Also, a child adopted by a Danish parent through a legal adoption process acquires Danish citizenship automatically. Citizens of Nordic countries, including Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden can become Danish citizen by declaration. And people who have migrated here from other than Nordic countries can become Danish citizens by naturalization.

To become a Danish citizen by naturalization, you first need to have permanent residence in Denmark. To become eligible to apply for Danish citizenship, migrants have to show specific tenure of Danish permanent residency. This tenure varies according to the nature of their migration. Also, the residence should be uninterrupted, although under special circumstances such as family illness and child education, the government can allow an interrupted residence of up to 2 years. Here are permanent residency requirements for different categories: 

·         9 years in general cases

·         8 years for people residing in Denmark on refugee status

·         6 years if you are married to a Danish citizen for at least 3 years, (since for each year you are married to a Danish citizen you get a relief of one year from the 9 years permanent residence requirement)

If you are married to a Danish citizen, then the government may allow you a residence absence of more than 2 years. For that, you must have a continuous residence of at least 3 years, and must exceed your period of absence in Denmark. Additionally, if you marry a Danish citizen working in a foreign country then your marriage period in the foreign country can be considered as residence in Denmark. It is also important to note here that Nordic country citizens must also have a minimum permanent residence of 2 years before they can acquire Danish citizenship. 

Usually, people have to lose their original nationality in order to obtain Danish citizenship, since Danish immigration policy is quite restrictive about dual citizenship. However, the new government is trying to bring some reforms in Danish immigration policy to make it more liberal towards dual citizenship. In June 2014, the government was able to have the multiple citizenship bill passed in the Parliament, which is expected to come into force in summer 2015. It will also allow Danish people, who had given up their nationality to gain nationality of a foreign country, to reclaim their Danish citizenship. 

While applying for Danish citizenship you must ensure that, you fulfill the eligibility criteria, since the application fee is not refundable. Additionally, you only come to know that your application is refused when the results are declared.   

To ensure that you have filled in the right application form and put together all the necessary documentation, it is recommended to take guidance from a credible immigration consultant.