Conditions for foreign citizens’ acquisition of Danish citizenship (2024)

Normally it is a condition for acquiring Danish citizenship that you have continuously been a resident in Denmark for 9 years.

Interruptions of residence: If, during your residence in Denmark, you have had long interruptions of residence or regularly or frequently travel abroad, this may affect whether you fulfil the residence requirement.

However, special rules apply for certain applicants regarding the required period of residence:

1. For persons who are recognised as refugees, persons who must be equated with refugees, and stateless persons, the required period of continuous residence is 8 years.
2. For Nordic citizens, the required period of continuous residence is 2 years.
3. For spouses of Danish citizens, who has been citizens for at least 3 years, the required period of continuous residence is 6 to 8 years depending on the length of the marriage.
4. For persons, who entered Denmark before the age of 15 may acquire Danish citizenship when they reach the age of 18, if the education the person may have received during the stay in Denmark is of Danish character. It is furthermore a condition that any education during residence in Denmark has been Danish in nature.
5. For persons, who have received a substantial part of their general or professional education in Denmark may acquire Danish citizenship after 5 years of continuous residence in Denmark, if the education is of Danish character and has lasted for at least 3 years or if the education prior to this has been completed by an exam or similar test.
6. For former Danish citizens and members of the Danish minority of Southern Schleswig in Germany.
7. For persons born between 1 January 1961 and 31 December 1978 to a Danish mother and who could have acquired Danish citizenship if the mother had made a declaration relating to Danish citizenship in the period from 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1981.

In certain cases, an application may be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation committee on naturalisation for it to assess whether an exemption from the residence requirement should be granted. A case is submitted to the Committee if it falls under the following examples:

1. If the applicant is married to a Danish citizen, but the spouses have different residences and therefore there is uncertainty as to whether they live together.
2. If the applicant is a former Danish citizen
3. If the applicant is married to a Danish citizen, but the spouse works abroad but there is uncertainty as to whether the work can be defined as work for Danish interests.
4. If the applicant has had interruptions in residence in Denmark beyond what is permitted and where specific circ*mstances so require, for example due to a long-term posting abroad for a Danish employer.
5. If there is uncertainty as to whether the applicant has received a substantial part of his/her education in Denmark or whether the education is of Danish character.
6. It can effect whether you fulfil the requirement of residence if you have had long interruptions or regularly or frequently travel abroad during your residence in Denmark.

It is a condition for acquiring Danish citizenship that you must be able to support yourself financially.

This means that you cannot have received financial assistance under the Law on active social policy or the Law on integration over the last 2 years.

This also means that over the last 5 years you cannot have received financial assistance under the Law on active social policy or the Law on integration for a total period of more than 4 months.

The benefits, which you cannot have received during the above periods, are, amongst others, cash assistance, educational benefits, rehabilitation benefits, out of work benefits, as well as integration benefits.

However, you may have received financial assistance related to single and isolated minor amounts that are not directly related to support or benefits equated with or replacing a salary or pension.

If for example you receive State Education Support, an early retirement pension or a national pension, or are supported by your spouse/partner, this does not preclude you from acquiring Danish citizenship, with regards to the self-sufficiency requirement.

In addition, total periods of more than 4 months of subsistence allowance (unemployment allowance, sickness allowance and maternity allowance) will be ‘added to’ the period during which you should have been self-sufficient.

Therefore, periods of subsistence allowance will not isolated preclude someone from acquiring Danish citizenship. Generally speaking, an applicant may receive or have received subsistence allowance at the time of the processing of the application.

In certain cases, an application may be submitted to the Danish Parliament's Naturalisation Committee for it to assess whether an exemption from the self-sufficiency requirement should be granted.

Submission to the Naturalisation Committee may occur, for example, if the application is submitted at the same time with regards to the possibility of exemption from the requirement concerning Danish language skills and the requirement relating to passing the 2021 citizenship test as a result of illness. Thus, if you can provide proof of illness (a long-term disability) and you do not fulfil the conditions of Danish language skills and the requirement of passing the 2021 citizenship test, and do you not fulfil the self-sufficiency requirement, the Naturalisation Committee will also assess on whether you may be exempted from the self-sufficiency requirement.

If you fulfil the requirement of Danish language skills and the requirement of passing the 2021 citizenship test, but as a result of proven illness (long-term disability) are unable to fulfil the self-sufficiency requirement, it will also be possible to submit the case to the Naturalisation Committee to obtain an exemption from the self-sufficiency requirement.

In addition, your application may possibly be submitted to the Naturalisation Committee for an exemption in the following cases:

• If you have received rehabilitation benefits instead of State educational support and there are special circ*mstances in the case which may provide grounds for submission.
• If you fulfil the other conditions for acquiring Danish citizenship and have been self-sufficient for a period after which you, on account of entirely special circ*mstances (such as an accident at work), receive benefits under the Law on active social policy or the Law on integration and are then self-sufficient again.
• If you are referred for flexible employment, but are not in flexible employment because it is not possible to find flexible employment and you therefore receive, or have previously received, out-of-work benefit under the Law on active social policy.
• If, on account of maternity leave or as a result of special circ*mstances you are unable to fulfil the requirement of self-sufficiency.
• If, for a shorter period beyond 4 months, you have received benefits under the Law on active social policy or Law on integration or over the past year have received those benefits for a very short time.

It is a condition for acquiring Danish citizenship by naturalisation that you have not committed certain types of crime.

You can not acquire Danish citizenship by naturalisation if you are:

• sentenced to an unconditional or suspended term of imprisonment
• sentenced to measures under Chapter 9 of the Danish Criminal Code, (i.a. detention, outpatient treatment, etc.)
• convicted for breach of Chapters 12 and 13 of the Danish Criminal Code (offences against the State’s independence and security, offences against the constitution and the supreme State’s authority and terrorism)
• sentenced to permanent expulsion from Denmark
• convicted for breach of Paragraph 136(2) or (3) of the Danish Criminal Code
• convicted of gang crime (Paragraph 81 a of the Danish Criminal Code)
• convicted of violence against children under the age of 18 or sexual offences (however, special rules apply to offenders who were under the age of 18 at the time of the offence)

If you are charged with an offence, you cannot acquire citizenship for as long as the charge is maintained.

If you have been otherwise penalised or received a criminal penalty, you may face a waiting period from acquiring Danish citizenship depending on the type of criminal offence and the punishment.

For example, a fine of DKK 3,000 or more triggers a waiting period of 4 years and 6 months from the time of the offence. Thus, you can only acquire Danish citizenship 4 years and 6 months after the time of the offence.

If you have been penalised several times, the waiting period is extended, so the total waiting time is extended corresponding to the waiting time for each individual criminal offense. This applies regardless of whether the crime is similar or not.

Only penalties that trigger a waiting period have the effect of previous convictions. The overall waiting time is calculated on the basis of the penalty which isolated gives rise to the waiting period having the latest expiry date.

When applying for Danish citizenship by naturalisation, you must declare on law and honour any crime that you have committed. In addition, the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration will in every case consult the Central Population Register when processing the case. Furthermore, 2 years after the declaration the Ministry will consult the Central Population Register to investigate if any crimes have been concealed. If any crimes have been concealed, the Danish citizenship may under certain conditions be revoked.

In certain cases, an application may be submitted to the Danish Parliament's Naturalisation Committee for it to assess whether an exemption from the rules on criminal offences should be granted.

If you have been penalised by a fine in the range from DKK 3,000 to DKK 10,000 for a breach of legislation other than the Criminal Code, the Road Traffic Law, the Law on narcotics or the Law on weapons, and if you due to the crime cannot acquire Danish citizenship because the waiting period has still not elapsed, the case will be submitted to the Danish Parliament's Naturalisation Committee to assess whether an exemption should be granted.

The case will also be submitted if you have been penalised by a road traffic fine for an offence other than drunk-driving in the range from DKK 3,000 to less than DKK 3,500. A case will also be submitted for breach of the Road Traffic Law if you are penalised by a total road traffic fine in the range from DKK 3,500 to DKK 5,000 for another offence than drunk-driving for several breaches of the Road Traffic Law assessed simultaneously, which have not individually triggered a fine of DKK 3,500 or over.

If an application provides information on a criminal offence which does not appear in the Central Criminal Register, the case will be submitted to the Danish Parliament's Naturalisation Committee for it to assess whether the applicant should nevertheless acquire Danish citizenship. For example if the applicant has committed a criminal offence abroad. In such cases, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration will get an opinion of what penalty the concerned offence would have triggered in Denmark from the Director of Public Prosecutions. This opinion will be the basis for the Naturalisation Committee's decision.

A dispensation from the rules on criminal offenses always requires that a majority of the committee members are in favour of granting the dispensation. Whether this is the case will depend on an individual assessment of the applicant. You must contact a member of the naturalization committee yourself. It is a prerequisite for any consideration in the naturalizations committee that you have a pending application in the ministry, or that you have been rejected under the new rules due to a criminal offense.

It is furthermore a prerequisite for any dispensation from the rules on criminal offenses for applicants who have been sentenced to unconditional or suspended imprisonment that dispensation can only be considered after the expiry of the waiting period that applied under the previous agreement on citizenship from 2018.

It is a requirement for obtaining Danish citizenship that you have been in ordinary full-time employment or engaged in self-employment for at least 3 years and 6 months within the last 4 years.

It is also a requirement that you are connected to the labour market at the time a bill on the notification of citizenship is submitted. The following are included in assessing the employment requirement:

• Employment where you have had ordinary employment in Denmark with an average weekly working time of at least 30 hours (full-time employment).
• Employment abroad for less than 2 years, where you have been posted or deployed by a Danish public authority, a private company, an association, or an organization.
• Employment abroad for less than 2 years, where you have been employed in connection with your spouse having been posted or deployed abroad as mentioned in the bullet point before this.
• Employment abroad for less than 1 year, where the posting or deployment is significant for the sake of the applicant's employment in Denmark.
• Employment where the applicant as part of an education employment agreement has been employed with a company.

• Applicants who are residing abroad due to the Danish spouse's work for Danish interests
• Applicants who were born in the period from 1 January 1961 to 31 December 1978 to a Danish mother and who could have acquired Danish citizenship if the mother had made a declaration in that regard in the period from 1 January 1979 to 31 December 1981
• Former Danish citizens, persons of Danish descent, and members of the Danish minority of Southern Schleswig in Germany
• Certain children applying for citizenship without their parents
• Stateless applicants born in Denmark who are covered by the Convention on the Rights of the Child or the Convention on stateless persons who have applied for citizenship before they turn 18.
• Applicants who have reached the state pension age or have been granted an early retirement pension or senior pension.

In certain cases, an application may be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation for it to assess whether an exemption from the Employment requirement should be granted. A case is submitted to the Naturalisation Committee if it falls under the following examples:

• You can apply for dispensation from the employment requirement if you do not meet the employment requirement due to a disability. If you wish to apply for dispensation, you must enclose current medical documentation that you have been prevented from being in ordinary full-time work due to a disability (long-term physical, mental, sensory or intellectual disability).
• If you are under 22 years of age and have entered Denmark before the age of 8, you can also apply for a dispensation. You can attach a motivated application for dispensation and possibly documentation that supports your application. Documentation can for instance be training documents, employment contracts from full-time, part-time employment, documentation of voluntary work in the form of statements, or the likes.

It is a condition for acquiring Danish citizenship that you provide evidence of your Danish language skills.

Danish language test 3

As a general condition, you must have passed Danish language test 3 (Dansk 3) of the Danish training programmes or one of the tests listed in Appendix 3a to the Circular on naturalisation.

Danish language test 2

If you have not received assistance according to the Law on active social policy or the Law on integration for more than 3 months over the last 9 years, you must have passed Danish language test 2 (Dansk 2) or one of the tests listed in Appendix 3b to the Circular on naturalisation.

The requirement to provide evidence of Danish language skills does not apply to:

• Applicants residing on the Faroe Islands or in Greenland.

  The police’s assessment that the person is able to participate with ease in a Danish or Faroese/Greenlandic conversation without using paraphrasing or other languages and with an accent that is natural, will be considered to be sufficient evidence of the applicant’s Danish language skills.

• Swedish- or Norwegian-speaking applicants.

  Successful completion of a Swedish or Norwegian primary school with Swedish or Norwegian language will be considered sufficient evidence of language skills.

• Applicants who are members of the Danish minority of Southern Schleswig in Germany covered by the facilitated residence requirements in Appendix 1, item 5 of the Circular on naturalisation, by being part of the Danish minority in South Schleswig in Germany
• Applicants born to a Danish mother during the period from 1 January 1961 until 31 December 1978, and who are residing abroad.

  The assessment by a Danish representation abroad that the applicant is able to participate in a Danish conversation, without using paraphrasing or other languages and with an accent that is natural will be considered to be sufficient evidence of language skills

• Certain children applying for citizenship without their parents.

  There are no requirements for evidence of Danish language skills for children below 12 years of age.

  Children who have reached the age of 12, but have not yet successfully completed secondary education (ninth or tenth grade), a statement from the applicant’s school attesting that the applicant’s Danish language skills and knowledge of Danish society, Danish culture and history is equivalent to what can be expected from a child of the same age, is considered to be sufficient. However, an opinion from the applicant’s school would not be considered sufficient if the applicant completes the 9th or 10th grade of secondary education before the adoption of the law on notification of naturalisation, in which the applicant is expected to be included.

In certain cases, an application can be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation for it to assess whether the applicant should be exempted from the rules of Danish language skills.

Submission to the committee on naturalisation due to illness

The application will be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation if an exemption has been requested from the requirement of Danish language skills due to illness, and if the following conditions are met:

• The applicant have been medically diagnosed with a long-term physical, mental, sensory or intellectual impairment and therefore is not able to meet – or do not have a reasonable chance of meeting – the requirement to provide evidence of passing the Danish language test 3 (or Danish language test 2), including by taking the test under special conditions and by use of special aids.

If the medical report shows that the long-term impairment does not hinder the applicant from being able to pass – or from having a reasonable chance of passing – a Danish test on the relevant level (for instance Danish language test 2 or Danish language test 1), then the case will only be submitted to the committee on naturalisation when the applicant have provided evidence of passing the test in question.

Furthermore, as a condition for submission to the committee on naturalisation, you must:

• provide evidence of having taken part in Danish training programme 3 (‘Danskuddannelse 3’) or – if you are not capable of providing this – Danish training programme 2 or at least Danish training programme 1 or a specially designed Danish course adapted to your personal conditions, and
• provide evidence of having attempted to sit a Danish test, including by taking the test under special conditions, by taking the test with the exemption of certain parts or by use of aids.

If you have not taken part in a Danish training programme and have not attempted to sit a Danish test as described, the case will be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation, if a medical report presents evidence that you, due to long-term impairment, are not able to acquire competence in Danish and have not been able to take part in a Danish training programme or to attempt to sit a Danish test.

If you do not provide evidence of having taken part in a Danish training programme or having attempted to sit a Danish test, the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation will consider any other evidence of you having attempted to acquire competence in Danish to roughly the same level as a Danish person at the same stage of development and level of education. This will for instance be based on opinions from employers, associations, active support measures, private language schools etc.

During the assessment of whether to make an exemption from the requirements for evidence of Danish language skills, the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation will therefore consider whether you, within a few years, will be capable of acquiring competence in Danish on some level and will try to sit (attend) a Danish test.

The long-term physical, mental, sensory or intellectual impairment and the connection between the impairment and the lack of opportunity to acquire competence in Danish and take part in a Danish training programme or to attempt to sit a Danish test must be documented through a report by a medical professional.

In those cases, where a long-term impairment is caused by mental illness, a medical report must be completed by a medical specialist in psychiatry or a person with other medical background based on a previous psychiatric investigation. Thus, a psychologist’s opinion will in these cases not be sufficient.

Examples of mental illnesses are depression, schizophrenia and PTSD.

The medical reports must also meet the following requirements:

• The medical report must be no more than 2 years old at the time of application.
• The doctor must consider whether the applicant is able to take part in Danish training programme 1, 2 or 3 or in a specially designed Danish course adapted to the applicant’s personal conditions, including special needs education (for instance a special education for people with visual impairment, deaf people, people with PTSD etc.). If it is medically assessed that the applicant due to his or her impairment will not be able to take part in a specially designed Danish course adapted to the applicant’s needs, this must be justified by the doctor.
• The doctor must consider a few of the special conditions that people with impairments can be offered at tests in Danish. For example, that the particular applicant wishes to attempt to sit a test in a separate testing room, or sit a test in the presence of an assistant, or sit a test in his or her own home. Negative replies must be justified.
• The doctor must consider whether the applicant can try to sit a Danish test, provided that the applicant is exempted from one or more parts of the test – for instance the part concerning writing.
• The doctor must in detail consider the prognosis of the applicant's ability to take part in the Danish training programme or to sit a Danish language test 2 or Danish language test 1, including under special conditions, within 5 years.
• The doctor must elaborate the grounds of their medical assessment in depth, including whether the doctor is the applicant’s regular practitioner, for how long the doctor may have treated the applicant, and whether the doctor has assisted the applicant in connection with anything besides the completion of the medical report for use in the application for citizenship.
• If it is assessed that the applicant due to his or her impairment will not be able to sit Danish language test 3, the doctor must consider whether the applicant would be able to sit a Danish test on a lower level (Danish language test 2 or Danish language test 1), and (to the best of his or her ability) whether the applicant would be able to acquire competence in Danish on a lower level than Danish language test 3.

At the moment, there is no standard medical report that can be used for naturalisation cases.

It is a condition for acquiring Danish citizenship, that you demonstrate knowledge of Danish society, culture and history, for instance by having passed ‘Indfødsretsprøven af 2021’ (Naturalisation test of 2021).

If you have taken and passed the previous Naturalisation test of 2015, between the test date in June 2016 and the test date in June 2021, it is considered a sufficient prove to demonstrate your knowledge of Danish society, culture and history.

The requirement to have passed Naturalisation test of 2021 does not apply to:

• children below the age of 12 applying for citizenship without their parents
• children who have reached the age of 12, and who apply for citizenship without their parents but have not yet successfully completed secondary education (ninth or tenth grade)

However, in these cases it is required that the child's school submits an statement that the child’s knowledge of Danish society, culture and history is on a level equivalent to what could be expected from a child at the same age level. A statement from the child’s school would not be considered sufficient prove if the child completes the ninth or tenth grade of secondary education before the adoption of the proposal for Law on notification of naturalisation, in which the child is expected to be included.

• applicants residing on the Faroe Islands or in Greenland
• Swedish- or Norwegian-speaking applicants

These applicants must submit evidence of their successful completion of a Swedish- or Norwegian-speaking primary school

• applicants who are part of the Danish minority of South Schleswig in Germany, who are covered by the facilitated residence requirements in Appendix 1, item 5 of the Circular on naturalisation
• applicants born to a Danish mother during the period from 1 January 1961 until 31 December 1978, and who are residing abroad.

An application for Danish citizenship would be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation if an exemption is requested from the rules on knowledge of Danish society, culture and history (Naturalisation test of 2021) due to illness, and if the following conditions are met:

• The applicant has been medically diagnosed with a long-term physical, mental, sensory, or intellectual impairment and is therefore not able to meet – or does not have a reasonable chance of meeting – the requirement to provide evidence of having passed the Naturalisation test of 2021, including by taking the test under special conditions and by use of aids.

Furthermore, as a condition to the submission to the Parliamentary committee on naturalization, you must:

• provide evidence of having attempted to sit a Naturalisation test of 2021, including by taking the test under special conditions or by use of aids (for instance by using practical measures and technological aids, the presence of an assistant, or an extended duration of the test).

If you have not attempted to sit a Naturalisation test of 2021, the case will be submitted to the Parliamentary committee on naturalisation, if a medical report presents evidence that you have not been able to sit a naturalisation test, due to long term impairment.

The long-term physical, mental, sensory, or intellectual impairment and the connection between the impairment and the lack of opportunity to attempt to sit a Naturalisation test of 2021 must be well documented through a report by a medical professional.

In cases where a long-term impairment is caused by mental illness, a medical report must be completed by a medical specialist in psychiatry or a person with other medical background based on a previous psychiatric investigation. Thus, an opinion from a psychologist will in these cases not be sufficient.

Examples of mental illnesses are depression, schizophrenia and PTSD.

The medical reports must also meet the following requirements:

• The medical report must be no more than 2 years old at the time of application.
• The doctor should consider a few of the special conditions that people with impairments are offered at the naturalisation test. For example to sit a test on special conditions, with the use of practical measures and technological aids, with an assistant present and with an extended duration of the test. Negative replies to these must be justified.
• The doctor should in detail consider the prognosis of the applicant's ability to sit a Naturalisation test of 2021, including under special conditions, within 5 years.
• The doctor must elaborate the grounds of their medical assessment in depth, including whether the doctor is the applicant’s regular practitioner, for how long the doctor may have treated the applicant, and whether the doctor has assisted the applicant in connection with anything besides the completion of the medical report for use in the application for citizenship.

At the moment, there is no standard medical report that can be used for naturalisation cases.

You must participate in a constitution ceremony in your municipality of residence to obtain Danish citizenship.

At the ceremony, you must show respect for Danish values and shake hands with the mayor, or a city alderman.

You must also sign a declaration that you will comply with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark, and respect basic Danish values and legal principles, including Danish democracy.

You cannot attend a constitutional ceremony until the bill you are on has been passed.

Before you can participate in a constitution ceremony, you must submit a sworn declaration to provide the Ministry of Immigration and Integration with information of any criminal activities committed in Denmark or abroad.

If the Ministry of Immigration and Integration has not received the signed sworn declaration, you may not participate in the next constitution ceremony in your municipality of residence.

After the adoption of a proposal for Law on notification of naturalisation, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration will submit a guidance letter concerning the ceremony to the persons who are covered by the requirement to participate in the ceremony and who are included in the concerned proposal for law.

The letter will be annexed with one sworn declaration to provide information on any criminal activities committed in Denmark or abroad. This declaration must be completed and submitted to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration within 10 working days of your participation in the ceremony.

Certain persons, including applicants residing in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, children below 18 years of age, applicants regularly exempted from the requirement for residence in Denmark, and stateless persons born in Denmark who are covered by the Convention on the Rights of the Child or the Convention on stateless persons are exempted from the requirement to participate in the ceremony set out above.

The proposal for law, in which the applicant is included, states whether the applicant is covered by the requirement to participate in a Danish constitution ceremony.

Applicants who, due to illness or similar causes, find themselves unable to take part in the ceremony, have the opportunity to apply for exemption from the condition to participate in the ceremony etc. in the context of applying for Danish nationality by way of naturalisation. The application for exemption must be submitted to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

The Parliamentary committee on naturalisation will determine whether there is justification for notifying full or partial exemption to the conditions.

The ceremony takes place in the municipalities once the proposal for Law on notification of naturalisation has been passed by Parliament. You must take part in the ceremony within 2 years of adoption of the law, and citizenship is not valid until your signature is on paper. If you do not comply with this final date, but still wish to acquire Danish citizenship, you must submit a new application for Danish citizenship and comply with the rules that are in force on that date.

The ceremonies must take place at the earliest 1 month and at the latest 4 months from the entry into force of a Law on notification of naturalisation. At the latest 10 working days before holding the ceremony, the municipality will send a list of the enrolled applicants to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

The municipal council can request that the Ministry of Immigration and Integration waives the final dates in the notice for holding a ceremony, if a related person to an applicant turns 18 within a month from the entry into force of the Law on notification of naturalisation, in which the applicant is included.

If you have any queries about the ceremony itself, including time, place and registration, please contact your municipality.

No, you can only participate in a ceremony in your municipality of residence.

If you cannot attend the ceremony on the dates planned by the municipality, you can contact your municipality to find out if they can help you.

As a general rule, you should apply for Danish citizenship digitally. Certain persons must, however, use a paper-based application form.

When you apply for Danish citizenship, you should as a rule apply digitally, if you are above 18 years old and not exempted from digital self-service.

If you do not submit the digital application right away, the application solution will keep the entered information for up to 30 days. This means that you can start filling in the application, even if all the necessary documents are not at hand.

• Guidance on how to apply for Danish citizenship

• The Nationality Act (in Danish)
• Circular letter on naturalisation (in Danish)