- Ways to apply
- Citizen by birth (§ 1) · Retention at 22 (§ 8) · Declaration for former citizens (§ 4, residence)
- Dual citizenship
- Kept, however you apply
- Comes with
- EU citizenship: the right to live and work in 27 countries
Each answer assumes none of your ancestors became a citizen of another country before their child was born. Below is what changes each answer.
On this page›
- 01Who qualifies
- 02Dates that matter
- 03Through your mother
- 04Keeping your citizenship
- 05Ways to apply
- 06The documents
- 07What it takes
- 08Where the records live
- 09Law changes
- 10Other options
- 11Sources
Who qualifies, generation by generation
LIKELY
Can you claim Danish citizenship through a parent?
Citizen by birth (§ 1)
A child of a Danish parent is Danish from birth. Born abroad, you keep it past 22 only by living in Denmark or applying to retain it before then.
What would settle itWhether your parents were married at your birth, or paternity was established under the rules then in force.
- A child acquires Danish nationality at birth if the father, mother or co-mother is Danish. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1) ↗
- A Dane born abroad who has never lived in Denmark, nor stayed there in circumstances showing attachment to Denmark, loses Danish nationality at 22 unless that would leave them stateless; seven years’ residence in another Nordic country counts as residence in Denmark. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 8(1) and (3) ↗
- The ministry grants retention on an application made before 22 where the applicant has lived in Denmark for three consecutive months, spent a year there in total, or can document ties such as language, family and Danish associations. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: keeping Danish citizenship at 22 (bevarelse af dansk statsborgerskab) ↗
- Denmark has permitted dual citizenship since 1 September 2015, so retaining Danish nationality does not cost you your other one. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015) ↗
What changes the answer
- POSSIBLE
If someone in your family became a citizen of another country before the next person in your family was bornCitizen by birthDenmark stopped stripping nationality for taking another one on 1 September 2015. Whether your parent was still Danish when you were born turns on the date they naturalized.
- POSSIBLE
If you were born before 2005A child of a Danish parent is Danish from birth, but nationality lapses at 22 for those born abroad who never lived in Denmark, unless retention was granted first. Whether yours survived is the question.
- POSSIBLE
If the parent is your mother and you were born before 2005A child of a Danish parent is Danish from birth, but nationality lapses at 22 for those born abroad who never lived in Denmark, unless retention was granted first. Whether yours survived is the question.
If someone in your family became a citizen of another country before the next person in your family was born, 2 more cases›
- UNLIKELY
If you were born before 2015Before September 2015 a Dane who took another nationality on application lost Danish nationality at that moment, so it did not pass to a child born afterwards. The 2015 reform did not undo earlier losses, and the declaration window for those former citizens closed on 1 July 2026.
- UNLIKELY
If the parent is your mother and you were born before 2015Before September 2015 a Dane who took another nationality on application lost Danish nationality at that moment, so it did not pass to a child born afterwards. The 2015 reform did not undo earlier losses, and the declaration window for those former citizens closed on 1 July 2026.
UNLIKELY
Can you claim Danish citizenship through a grandparent?
No grandparent option
Danish nationality passes only from a parent who held it at your birth. A parent born abroad usually lost it at 22, and anyone who naturalized elsewhere before September 2015 lost it then, so it rarely reaches grandchildren. Without one, the road to Denmark is residence and naturalisation.
What would settle itWhether your parent is still Danish (a current passport, or a retention decision before 22); if so, you are the child of a Danish parent and the parent rule applies.
UNLIKELY
Can you claim Danish citizenship through a great-grandparent?
No grandparent option
Danish nationality passes only from a parent who held it at your birth. A parent born abroad usually lost it at 22, and anyone who naturalized elsewhere before September 2015 lost it then, so it rarely reaches grandchildren. Without one, the road to Denmark is residence and naturalisation.
What would settle itWhether your parent is still Danish (a current passport, or a retention decision before 22); if so, you are the child of a Danish parent and the parent rule applies.
The dates that matter
- 2015
- 2015
- 2015
- 2015
- 2026
Claiming through your mother or grandmother
In Denmark’s rule, the answer changes when the ancestor you descend through is a woman:
- POSSIBLE
If the parent is your mother and you were born before 2005A child of a Danish parent is Danish from birth, but nationality lapses at 22 for those born abroad who never lived in Denmark, unless retention was granted first. Whether yours survived is the question.
In the law’s words
Dual citizenship with your home country
You keep your citizenship.
On every open route, the rule lets a citizen of the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina or South Africa keep that citizenship.
Every way to apply, and the law behind it
The law
- A child acquires Danish nationality at birth if the father, mother or co-mother is Danish. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1) ↗
- A Dane born abroad who has never lived in Denmark, nor stayed there in circumstances showing attachment to Denmark, loses Danish nationality at 22 unless that would leave them stateless; seven years’ residence in another Nordic country counts as residence in Denmark. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 8(1) and (3) ↗
- The ministry grants retention on an application made before 22 where the applicant has lived in Denmark for three consecutive months, spent a year there in total, or can document ties such as language, family and Danish associations. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: keeping Danish citizenship at 22 (bevarelse af dansk statsborgerskab) ↗
- Denmark has permitted dual citizenship since 1 September 2015, so retaining Danish nationality does not cost you your other one. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015) ↗
What would settle an unsure case
- Whether your parents were married at your birth, or paternity was established under the rules then in force.
- Whether you lived in Denmark, or held a retention decision, before you turned 22; if not, the ways back are § 4 declaration after two years’ residence, or naturalisation.
The law
What would settle an unsure case
- Your parent’s naturalization date against 1 September 2015 and against your birth.
- Whether your parent kept Danish nationality by a retention decision or a Nordic exception; the ministry’s case file would show it.
- UNLIKELY
Through a grandparentDanish nationality passes only from a parent who held it at your birth. A parent born abroad usually lost it at 22, and anyone who naturalized elsewhere before September 2015 lost it then, so it rarely reaches grandchildren. Without one, the road to Denmark is residence and naturalisation.
The law
What would settle an unsure case
- Whether your parent is still Danish (a current passport, or a retention decision before 22); if so, you are the child of a Danish parent and the parent rule applies.
The documents, as the rule lists them
Citizen by birth (§ 1)
Through a parent
- Your parent’s Danish passport or birth certificate
- Your birth certificate
- Your parents’ marriage certificate, if any
Through a parent, if you were born before 2005
- Your parent’s Danish passport or birth certificate
- Your birth certificate
- Your parents’ marriage certificate, if any
- Any retention decision or Danish passport issued to you
Citizen by birth
Through a parent, if someone in your family became a citizen of another country before the next person in your family was born
- Your parent’s naturalization certificate
- Your birth certificate
Most countries also want proof that your ancestor didn’t become a citizen somewhere else before their child was born: the naturalization record with its date, or a letter saying there isn’t one.
What it takes: time, cost, the hard part, who decides
Citizen by birth (§ 1)
- Time
- 4–8 weeks for a first Danish passport once citizenship is confirmed; longer if the retention question at 22 needs a ruling from the immigration ministry first.
- Cost
- About $200–400: certified copies, apostilles and the passport fee.
- The hard part
- If you were born abroad and are past 22, showing you lived in Denmark, stayed there enough to show attachment, or applied to keep citizenship before turning 22.
- Who decides
- The Danish consulate for your address, or Udlændingestyrelsen (the Danish Immigration Service) for a retention ruling.
- The first record
- Your parent’s Danish birth record, from Rigsarkivet (the Danish National Archives), or the CPR (Det Centrale Personregister) for a living record. Search Rigsarkivet’s digitized parish registers (kirkebøger) by name and parish for records before the 1968–91 civil registration; for a current record, order a personattest via borger.dk with the CPR number if known. sa.dk ↗
How it’s filed
- Where
- The Ministry of Immigration and Integration, through the Danish embassy or consulate for your address, or sent to the ministry directly office list ↗
- How
- In person; no appearance needed
- Fee
- About $191
- Decision
- 12–15 months
What goes in the file (4)›
- Your parent’s Danish birth record or passport history
- Your own birth certificate
- Your parents’ marriage certificate, if any
- Evidence of residence or ties to Denmark, if you are past 22 and were born abroad
What goes wrong (3)›
- Proof or retention of citizenship costs DKK 1,254, paid to the ministry’s account (reg. 0216, account 4069205011; IBAN DK76 0216 4069 2050 11).
- Apply for retention from age 20 and before you turn 22. The ministry weighs at least 3 months’ registered residence in Denmark, about a year’s stays before 22, and ties such as language and family. Bring proof of every stay.
- The ministry currently takes 13 to 15 months. A case with no retention issue is essentially a passport application.
source ↗
Citizen by birth
- Time
- 3–6 months once the naturalization dates are documented; this is the reformed rule applying to a parent who naturalized on or after 1 September 2015.
- Cost
- About $200–500 in certified copies and translations.
- The hard part
- Fixing the exact date your parent naturalized abroad against 1 September 2015 and against your birth.
- Who decides
- The Danish consulate for your address.
- The first record
- Your parent’s Danish birth record, from Rigsarkivet (the Danish National Archives), or the CPR (Det Centrale Personregister) for a living record. Search Rigsarkivet’s digitized parish registers (kirkebøger) by name and parish for records before the 1968–91 civil registration; for a current record, order a personattest via borger.dk with the CPR number if known. sa.dk ↗
How it’s filed
- Where
- The Ministry of Immigration and Integration, through the Danish embassy or consulate for your address office list ↗
- How
- In person; no appearance needed
- Fee
- About $191
- Decision
- 9–20 months
What goes in the file (3)›
- Your parent’s Danish birth record
- Your parent’s naturalization certificate abroad, with its date
- Your own birth certificate
What goes wrong (2)›
- This is the reformed-era case: a parent who naturalized abroad on or after 1 September 2015 did not lose Danish nationality, so the filing turns on documenting the date.
- Proof of citizenship costs DKK 1,254 and takes about 12 months. A former citizen’s declaration after two years’ residence costs DKK 1,150 (about $175) and takes 18 to 20 months; the same fee applies when it is filed at a Danish mission.
source ↗
Fees are each office’s published fee, converted to U.S. dollars.
Where each record lives, and how to ask for it
birth
Rigsarkivet (the Danish National Archives) for parish registers before civil registration; the CPR (Det Centrale Personregister) for a current record
For a person still on the Danish population register, order a personattest via borger.dk; for older entries, Rigsarkivet’s digitized kirkebøger cover most parishes.
- Takes
- 1–4 weeks
Good to know (1)›
- Rigsarkivet’s parish registers are free to search online; a certified extract from the CPR is faster than an archival search.
source ↗
Translations
- Into
- Danish
- Who may translate
- Any certified translator
- About
- $20–$40 a page
Records in English need no translation, and U.S. birth and marriage records need no apostille for a citizenship case. Records in other languages go to an authorised translator (autoriseret translatør) for Danish or English, after any apostille, which is translated too.
source ↗
The passport
- Where
- A Danish consulate general in Chicago, Houston, New York or Silicon Valley (Palo Alto), or the honorary consulate in Los Angeles.
- Fee
- About $193
- Time
- 4–8 weeks
- $193 at a Danish mission in the U.S., for adults and children alike, paid by card or money order. Adult passports take about 4 weeks, longer in peak season; you collect it in person.
source ↗
Recent and pending changes
We know of no pending bill or recent court ruling for Denmark.
Already in the rule
We re-read the official pages behind this guide every day. When one changes, a person checks the rule before we update anything here.
If descent doesn’t reach you
5 residence programs lead to Denmark without an ancestor, each with its own law and road to citizenship.