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Danish Citizenship

Danish National Born Abroad - The 22-Year Rule - Retention of Danish Nationality

As a general rule, Danish nationals born abroad lose their Danish nationality when reaching the age of 22. However, retention (if you are between 21 and 22) of Danish nationality may be granted provided certain conditions are fulfilled.

Dual/multiple nationality, if obtained automatically at birth, has always been accepted by Denmark.

However,  a new Danish law about dual/multiple nationality has come into force on 1st September 2015. This means that  Danish nationals will now be able to apply for another nationality/further nationalities without losing their Danish citizenship. Those persons who have already lost their Danish nationality will be able to apply to regain it during a 5-year period from 1st September 2015 to 31st August 2020.

RETENTION OF DANISH NATIONALITY
If you are between the ages of 21 and 22 you can apply to retain your Danish nationality. According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), retention may be granted in the following cases:

  1. If you have been a resident in Denmark before the age of 22 The Danish authorities generally consider a continuous stay of minimum 3 months as sufficient to meet this requirement. It is a requirement that you were registered in the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR) during your stay.
  2. If you were visiting Denmark before the age of 22 The total of all visits, under circumstances indicating some association with Denmark, must add up to at least one year.

Even if you do not meet the two conditions mentioned above, you may still be granted retention of Danish nationality. The Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration assesses all applications individually. Among other things they will consider:

  • The total duration of your visits to Denmark (is it close to one year)
  • Do your visits indicate some association with Denmark; e.g. are they relatively recent or did they occur many years ago
  • How many times did you visit Denmark
  • Knowledge of the Danish language (the Embassy of Denmark in Jakarta may be requested to conduct an interview with you in Danish)
  • Association to Denmark through contact with Danish relatives or through Danish associations in Indonesia

Your application must reach the Embassy of Denmark in Jakarta or the Ministry of Immigration and Integration no later than the day before you turn 22. If you apply after you turn 22, you must apply for proof of Danish nationality. You can read more about this here.

HOW TO APPLY

Step 1: Complete Application form and Payment of Processing Fee
A completed application form is a requirement for an admissible application.

The processing fee of DKK 1200 to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration must be paid using the registration number (registreringsnummer) and account number (kontonummer) listed here. (in Danish only)

Please note that your CPR-number or full name must be included with the payment.

Please note that It is highly recommended that you verify this information directly with the authorities in Denmark, as changes may happen without the embassy being notified.

Step 2: Collect Documents
For a quick and efficient processing, you must collect all the required documents in the checklist in the 
application form before you submit your application. Failure to submit all the required documents may result in delays or rejection of your file.

Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that all necessary documents are submitted. It is strongly recommended that you contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration for any updates regarding the submission of correct documents. Failure to submit all the required documents may result in delays or rejection of your application.

Neither the Embassy of Denmark in Jakarta nor the Danish consulates in Indonesia are responsible for any problems you may incur as a result of insufficient documentation.

Step 3: Submit the Application
You can send the application and documents directly to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration in Denmark at the following address:

Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet
Slotsholmsgade 10
DK-1216 København K
Denmark

Alternatively, you can submit your application through the Danish Embassy or one of the Danish consulates in Indonesia. Please note that if you choose to submit your application this way, there is an additional handling fee payable to the Danish Embassy or the consulate. The handling fee must be paid in the form of a bank transfer. The fee list can be found here.

The handling fee covers the Embassy or Consulate’s involvement in the following steps:

  • Reception of application form and possible supporting documents. Embassy or consulate signature and date of reception on the application form. Embassy and consulates are not responsible for checking contents.
  • Hand out of receipt.
  • Shipment to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.
  • Reception of the decision from the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.
  • Hand out of the decision to client or shipment to client by courier/registered mail according to agreement and paid for separately by the client.

If additional case processing by the embassy or consulates is required, e.g. if documents are missing or the Ministry of Immigration and Integration has additional questions to the client, an additional hourly fee shall be charged as stated in the fee list mentioned above.

IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS
Please contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration directly.

PROOF OF DANISH CITIZENSHIP

Copy of your Certificate of Danish Nationality

If you have obtained Danish nationality by naturalisation/declaration or applied to retain your Danish nationality after age 22 and have lost your Certificate of Danish Nationality (Indfødsretsbevis) you cannot obtain a copy of the original certificate, but you can ask the Nationality Office to provide confirmation that a Certificate of Danish Nationality was issued to you (Bevisbekræftelse):

Proof of Danish nationality

Please click the link above for contact details of the Danish Nationality Office

If you have any further questions

Please contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration in Copenhagen directly.

CHILDREN BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK TO A DANISH FATHER AND A MOTHER OF FOREIGN NATIONALITY

Children born abroad out of wedlock to a Danish father and a mother of foreign nationality between October 11, 1993 and June 30, 2014 (both days included) did not obtain Danish nationality by birth. As an alternative, children born under these circumstances are able to apply for Danish nationality by naturalization without meeting the general requirements. It is a condition that the father was a Danish citizen at the time of the child’s birth. More information about this process is available here (in Danish only).

If the parents married before the child turned 18 and if the child was unmarried, the child will automatically obtain Danish nationality from the date of the marriage. However, please note that children born abroad must apply for retention of their Danish citizenship before the age of 22.

If a child is born abroad out of wedlock to a Danish father and a mother of foreign nationality before October 11, 1993, and if the parents remained unmarried, the child cannot obtain Danish nationality without meeting the general requirements. Children born on or after July 1, 2014 automatically obtain Danish nationality by birth if the father or mother is Danish – regardless of whether the parents are married or not.

When you apply for Danish nationality by naturalization without meeting the general requirements, it is not a requirement that you reside in Denmark at the time of the application. Nor is it a requirement that you pass the Danish citizenship test, including the language test.

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS
Please contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration directly.
Tel.: +45 72 26 87 00. The phone hours can be found 
here (local time).
Email: 
[email protected].

The Princess Rule

Children born in marriage to a Danish mother and a foreign father during the period 1st January 1961 to 31st December 1978 did not obtain Danish nationality by birth.

As an alternative, between 1979 and 1981 Danish mothers were able to register their children under 18 as Danish nationals, cf. s. 2(2) of Act No. 117 of 19th March 1978.

Children born between 1961 and 1978, whose mothers did not register their children, can apply for Danish nationality by naturalisation according to the “Princess Rule”.

It is a condition that the general requirements for obtaining Danish nationality by naturalisation are fulfilled. This means that an applicant ,who has been convicted of an offence, cannot be naturalised until after a certain period of time, and that the applicant must not owe money to the Danish authorities.

In addition, applicants must be able to take part in an ordinary conversation in Danish. It is not a condition, that applicants can read or write Danish, and they do not have to pass a Danish or nationality test.

It is furthermore a condition, that the applicant has been staying in Denmark (not necessarily residing (= registered in the CPR Register), but visiting) under circumstances indicating some association with the country. In general, one year's stay in total before the age of 22 is required. It is not a requirement that applicants have a CPR. number in order to apply.

HOW TO APPLY

application form

Applications should be sent direct to the Danish Nationality Office in Copenhagen:

Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet
Indfødsretskontoret
Slotsholmsgade 10
DK-1216 Copenhagen K
Denmark 
email: 
[email protected]

However, the Embassy can assist with a test to assess applicants' Danish skills. Please write to the Embassy's main mailbox [email protected] to arrange this. The fee is IDR 2,587,500

Please contact Indfødsretskontoret for further advice (it is advisable to ring rather than write, as the response time is very long for emails and letters):

 

You can, however, also submit the application through the Embassy / Consulates but the following fees would apply (in addition to the application charge paid direct to the Ministry):

IDR 650,000 for the Embassy/Consulates to submit the application and forward the Certificate of Nationality to the applicant at the conclusion of the application. The application will not be checked. If you choose this method, further charges may apply, for example if further correspondence with the Ministry for Aliens and Integration is necessary:

IDR 2,587,500 per hour or part thereof for the Embassy/Consulates undertake the whole application and any correspondence with the Ministry for Aliens and Integration.