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Danish citizenship (nationality)

Under the Danish Constitution, the power to grant Danish citizenship generally lies with the Parliament. It exercises this power by issuing so-called Citizenship Acts on a regular basis. In order to be eligible for Danish citizenship, you must therefore satisfy certain criteria established by the Danish Parliament.

These criteria include a certain knowledge of the Danish language, documented by a certificate issued by a language training centre or other educational establishment.You must also meet certain requirements concerning the duration of your stay in Denmark. Basically, you must have been a continuous resident in Denmark for at least nine years. For stateless citizens and refugees, the required period of residence is only eight years. An applicant that has committed a criminal offence cannot attain Danish citizenship until after a certain period of time. If the offence is very serious, he or she may never become a Danish citizen. Nor can you become a Danish citizen if you have any outstanding balances with public authorities, e.g. overdue (re)payment of certain public benefits, loans, taxes and duties.

You must be at least 18 years of age before you can apply for Danish citizenship. You should submit your application to the police in the police district in which you reside. The police will also tell you how long it usually takes to process an application.

Some citizens may be granted Danish citizenship by declaration. In addition to Danish-born citizens and citizens of the other Nordic countries, this applies to young foreign nationals with no criminal record who have lived in Denmark for at least 10 years. You may obtain further information and an application form at the state county in which you reside.

When you have been granted Danish nationality, you are entitled to hold a Danish passport and to vote and be nominated at national elections.