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22 Year Rule - Proof - older than 22

For Danish nationals born abroad older than 22 years of age

Proof of Citizenship

As a general rule, Danish nationals born abroad lose their Danish nationality when reaching the age of 22 if they have never lived/resided in Denmark, or stayed in Denmark under circumstances indicating some association with Denmark.

However, proof of Retention of Danish nationality may be granted provided certain conditions are fulfilled.

Requirements
If you are older than 22 you can apply for proof of retention of Danish nationality.

According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), proof of retention may be granted in the following cases:

  • 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.
  • 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.

Note!
If you apply after reaching the age of 22, the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration does not make an individual assessment of your application. Therefore, if you do not fulfil one of the two conditions listed above, you will not be granted proof of retention of Danish nationality.

Step by step - 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 to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration must be paid using the registration number (registreringsnummer) and account number (kontonummer) listed below.

The address of the bank is as follows:

Danske Bank, Statens betalinger
Girostrøget 1
0800 Høje Taastrup

Branch code: 0216

Account number: 4069205011

 

IBAN: DK76 0216 4069 2050 11,

BIC/SWIFT: DABADKKK.

 

Please note that your birth date or full name must be included as reference with the payment.

Note!
The above banking information was current on January 1st 2016. 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

A document checklist is part of the application form.

For a quick and efficient processing, you must collect all the required documents in the checklist 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 South Africa nor the Danish consulates 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- of 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 South Africa. 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 fee schedule 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 documents.
  • 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 schedule mentioned above.

If you have questions
Please contact the Nationality Division at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration directly - http://uim.dk/kontakt

Tel.: +45 70 80 24 50. The phone hours can be found here (local time).

Email: [email protected]