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Born in Wedlock 1961-1979

Born in wedlock between 1961-1979 to a Danish mother and a father of foreign nationality

Princess rule

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

As an alternative, Danish mothers were offered to make a declaration by which their child obtained Danish nationality, cf. s. 2(2) of Act No. 117 of March 29, 1978. Children born during this period whose mother did not make a declaration to this effect may apply for Danish nationality by naturalization according to the “Princess Rule”.

Requirements

Applying under the Princess Rule, does not require residence in Denmark at the time of applying. However, it is a condition that you have been staying in Denmark under circumstances indicating some association with the country.

Stay in Denmark
According to the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration (in Danish only), this implies three months of residence, registered in the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR), or stays accumulating to at least one year in total before the age of 22.

Danish Language
Under the Princess Rule, you are also exempt from passing the Danish citizenship test, including the language test. However, for a successful application, you must be able to take part in an ordinary conversation in Danish with a Danish speaking national from either the Embassy of Denmark in Ottawa or one of our consulates.

Clean Criminal Record
In addition, it is a condition that the other requirements for obtaining Danish nationality by naturalization are fulfilled. If you have been sentenced to imprisonment longer than 18 months, you cannot acquire Danish nationality by naturalization. If you have been convicted of other offences, you cannot be naturalized until after a certain period of time has passed. Finally, you may not have a debt to the Danish authorities.

Step by step - How to apply


Step 1: Complete Application Form and Payment of Processing Fee

A completed application form and payment of the non-refundable processing fee of DKK 3800 is a requirement for an admissible application. 

The Embassy’s fee schedule can be found > here.

Step 2: Collect Documents
A document checklist can be found on page 2 of the application form.

In addition to the document checklist on page 2, you must enclose the following documents with your application:

  • Your birth certificate, which must include your mother’s name.
  • Your mother’s birth certificate
  • Your parents’ marriage certificate
  • A declaration from your mother stating whether she ever applied for or acquired a foreign nationality by application. The declaration should read as follows: "I, the undersigned, solemnly declare that I have never applied for nor acquired a foreign nationality". If your mother passed away, you need to enclose the death certificate.
  • If you have been studying or working in Denmark: copies of certificates etc.

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 can be held responsible for any problems you may incur as a result of missing documents.

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

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

You can also submit your application through one of the Danish Embassy. Please note that if you choose to do so, there is an additional handling fee payable to the consulate. The Embassy's fee schedule can be found > here.

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

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

If case processing by the embassy or consulate 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 Housing directly.

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

Email: [email protected].