Danish citizenship by descent: who qualifies, the law, and what it takes

Q: Can you claim Danish citizenship through a parent?

Likely. 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. If someone in your family became a citizen of another country before the next person in your family was born: possible. If you were born before 2005: possible. If the parent is your mother and you were born before 2005: possible.

Q: Can you claim Danish citizenship through a grandparent?

Unlikely. 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.

Q: Can you claim Danish citizenship through a great-grandparent?

Unlikely. 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.

Through a parentLIKELYCitizen by birth (§ 1)Through a grandparentUNLIKELYNo grandparent option Through a great-grandparentUNLIKELYNo grandparent option

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 birth
Denmark 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 2005
A 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 2005
A 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 2015
Before 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 2015
Before 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.

Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. 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)
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former Danish citizens regain nationality by declaration only after meeting residence conditions in Denmark; otherwise by naturalisation. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: former Danish citizens (tidligere danske statsborgere)

UNLIKELY

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a great-grandparent?

No grandparent option

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.

Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. 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)
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former Danish citizens regain nationality by declaration only after meeting residence conditions in Denmark; otherwise by naturalisation. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: former Danish citizens (tidligere danske statsborgere)

The dates that matter

2015
1 September 2015
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)
2015
1 September 2015
Until 1 September 2015 a Danish national who acquired a foreign nationality on application lost Danish nationality; the amending act removed that rule going forward. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
2015
1 September 2015
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
2015
1 September 2015
Since 1 September 2015 Denmark permits holding another citizenship alongside Danish nationality. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
2026
1 July 2026
Former citizens who lost nationality under the old rule could reclaim it by written declaration until 1 July 2026; a former citizen by birth can still declare after two years’ residence in Denmark, and otherwise applies for naturalisation. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 5 A and § 4

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 2005
A 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

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 child acquires Danish nationality at birth only if the father, mother or co-mother is Danish at the time. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1)
Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1)

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.

Since 1 September 2015 Denmark permits holding another citizenship alongside Danish nationality. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
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)

Every way to apply, and the law behind it

Citizen by birth (§ 1)

Open to you through a parent

LIKELY
Through a parent
POSSIBLE
Through a parent, if you were born before 2005

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.

Citizen by birth

Open to you through a parent

POSSIBLE
Through a parent, if someone in your family became a citizen of another country before the next person in your family was born

The law

A child acquires Danish nationality at birth only if the father, mother or co-mother is Danish at the time. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1)
Until 1 September 2015 a Danish national who acquired a foreign nationality on application lost Danish nationality; the amending act removed that rule going forward. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former citizens who lost nationality under the old rule could reclaim it by written declaration until 1 July 2026; a former citizen by birth can still declare after two years’ residence in Denmark, and otherwise applies for naturalisation. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 5 A and § 4

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.

No grandparent option

Closed: no one qualifies this way today

UNLIKELY
Through a grandparent
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.

The law

Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. 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)
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former Danish citizens regain nationality by declaration only after meeting residence conditions in Denmark; otherwise by naturalisation. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: former Danish citizens (tidligere danske statsborgere)

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: Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet, Indfødsret office list
How: By post; no appearance needed
Form: Application for proof or retention of Danish citizenship, January 2026
Fee: About $191
Decision: 13–15 months
Your records: No apostille, no translation. US birth and marriage records need no apostille or legalization. English records need no translation. Records from other countries follow the ministry’s country list; where required, send legalized or apostilled originals with an authorized Danish or English translation covering the authentication.
Pay: 1,254 DKK, by bank transfer made out to “Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet”; no personal checks.
Sign: The applicant and parents, signing the required handwritten declarations.

What goes in the file (9)

Applicant’s birth certificate showing both parents, stamped and signed by the issuing authority
Both parents’ birth certificates showing their parents, stamped and signed by the issuing authorities
Parents’ marriage certificate and divorce records, where applicable
Copies of the applicant’s Danish and foreign passports and both parents’ passports
Any Danish citizenship certificates issued to the applicant or either parent
Evidence of the applicant’s and parents’ foreign citizenships and dates of acquisition
Evidence of Danish stays not recorded in CPR and ties to Denmark, where applicable
Handwritten signatures in sections 8 and 9, and the Danish parent’s declaration in section 10; death or other inability to sign explained and supported by documents
Receipt for the DKK 1,254 fee paid to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration

What goes wrong (4)

The ministry determines whether citizenship was acquired and, when relevant, retained. Proof before age 20 does not decide retention. Apply for retention from age 20; staff checks the 22nd birthday and the evidence of residence, visits and ties before it.
Pay DKK 1,254 to Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet at Danske Bank, registration 0216, account 4069205011, IBAN DK76 0216 4069 2050 11, SWIFT DABADKKK. Include the applicant’s CPR number or full name and the payer’s full name, country of residence, birth date, birthplace, citizenship and transfer purpose. Attach the transfer receipt to the signed application.
For a US citizen, staff completes Annex 2 about the effects of losing EU citizenship. The ministry assesses the applicant’s circumstances at age 22; facts arising afterwards do not establish earlier ties.
The route establishes citizenship acquired through a Danish parent. It does not replace a naturalization application where the applicable law at birth did not confer citizenship, or a declaration to regain previously lost citizenship.

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: Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet, Indfødsret office list
How: By post; no appearance needed
Form: Application for proof of Danish citizenship, January 2026 — child
Fee: About $191
Decision: 13–15 months
Your records: No apostille, no translation. US civil records require no apostille or legalisation; English needs no translation. This scope uses Danish and US birth and marriage records.
Pay: 1,254 DKK, by bank transfer made out to “Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet”; no personal checks.
Sign: Both joint-custody parents.

What goes in the file (11)

Your original US birth certificate naming both parents
Both parents’ stamped and signed birth certificates naming their parents
Parents’ marriage certificate and joint-custody evidence
Child’s valid US passport and both parents’ passports
Danish-born parent’s complete Danish citizenship history and birth record
Qualifying parent’s US naturalisation certificate dated on or after 1 September 2015 and before the child’s birth
Both guardians’ handwritten section 8 signatures and both parents’ section 9 signatures
Qualifying Danish parent’s truthful section 10 declaration
All actual Danish/Nordic residence and visits, ties and applicable references with signed Annexes 3a/3b
Completed Annex 2 for US citizenship and any selected representation authority
Actual DKK 1,254 bank transfer receipt

What goes wrong (4)

One US-born child under 12 living in the United States, with married biological parents and joint parental custody. The qualifying parent was Danish-born, held Danish citizenship continuously before 1 September 2015 and at the child’s birth, and naturalised in the US on or after 1 September 2015 but before that birth. Both parents can sign and attend. Adoption, surrogacy, earlier losses, guardianship and custody exceptions are outside scope.
Proof now does not establish retention at age 22. Record the child’s twentieth birthday for a separately scoped retention review.
Pay DKK 1,254 to Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet, Danske Bank registration 0216, account 4069205011, IBAN DK76 0216 4069 2050 11, SWIFT DABADKKK. Use child CPR or full name and required payer identification. Attach actual receipt.
After proof, both parents and child attend a passport appointment at a Danish US mission with the complete official child checklist and page-2 guardian consents. Any existing CPR record must show Danish citizenship before passport issue; a CPR number itself is not required.

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.
Ask
Online, in Danish · request page ↗
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. Chicago, Houston, New York, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles accept debit or credit card only for passports. The published fee table lists $281 when a valid or expired passport cannot be presented, or when it is damaged. Adult passports take four weeks, longer in peak season. After arrival notification, book collection with the mission; FedEx delivery can be requested at your cost.
Bring the completed signed passport application, your original Danish citizenship certificate, original birth certificate, current passport, and the US immigration or citizenship documents that apply to you. No adult passport photo is needed at the consulate because biometrics are taken there.

source ↗

Recent and pending changes

We know of no pending bill or recent court ruling for Denmark.

Already in the rule

Former citizens who lost nationality under the old rule could reclaim it by written declaration until 1 July 2026; a former citizen by birth can still declare after two years’ residence in Denmark, and otherwise applies for naturalisation. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 5 A and § 4

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.

Every source on this page

4 laws and official pages behind the answers, then the offices and pages behind the records and filing.

Not legal advice. Every answer comes from the country’s own laws and is tested against real cases. Where the law isn’t clear, we say “possible” rather than guess.

Through a parentLIKELYCitizen by birth (§ 1)Through a grandparentUNLIKELYNo grandparent option Through a great-grandparentUNLIKELYNo grandparent option

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 birth
Denmark 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 2005
A 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 2005
A 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 2015
Before 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 2015
Before 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

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.

Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. 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)
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former Danish citizens regain nationality by declaration only after meeting residence conditions in Denmark; otherwise by naturalisation. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: former Danish citizens (tidligere danske statsborgere)

UNLIKELY

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a great-grandparent?

No grandparent option

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.

Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. 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)
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former Danish citizens regain nationality by declaration only after meeting residence conditions in Denmark; otherwise by naturalisation. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: former Danish citizens (tidligere danske statsborgere)

The dates that matter

2015
1 September 2015
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)
2015
1 September 2015
Until 1 September 2015 a Danish national who acquired a foreign nationality on application lost Danish nationality; the amending act removed that rule going forward. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
2015
1 September 2015
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
2015
1 September 2015
Since 1 September 2015 Denmark permits holding another citizenship alongside Danish nationality. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
2026
1 July 2026
Former citizens who lost nationality under the old rule could reclaim it by written declaration until 1 July 2026; a former citizen by birth can still declare after two years’ residence in Denmark, and otherwise applies for naturalisation. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 5 A and § 4

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 2005
A 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

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 child acquires Danish nationality at birth only if the father, mother or co-mother is Danish at the time. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1)
Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1)

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.

Since 1 September 2015 Denmark permits holding another citizenship alongside Danish nationality. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
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)

Every way to apply, and the law behind it

Citizen by birth (§ 1)

Open to you through a parent

LIKELY
Through a parent
POSSIBLE
Through a parent, if you were born before 2005

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.

Citizen by birth

Open to you through a parent

POSSIBLE
Through a parent, if someone in your family became a citizen of another country before the next person in your family was born

The law

A child acquires Danish nationality at birth only if the father, mother or co-mother is Danish at the time. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 1(1)
Until 1 September 2015 a Danish national who acquired a foreign nationality on application lost Danish nationality; the amending act removed that rule going forward. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former citizens who lost nationality under the old rule could reclaim it by written declaration until 1 July 2026; a former citizen by birth can still declare after two years’ residence in Denmark, and otherwise applies for naturalisation. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 5 A and § 4

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.

No grandparent option

Closed: no one qualifies this way today

UNLIKELY
Through a grandparent
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.

The law

Nationality is acquired at birth from a Danish father, mother or co-mother; the Act has no provision for grandparents. 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)
Until 1 September 2015 taking another nationality on application ended Danish nationality, and children born afterwards did not inherit it. Act No. 1496 of 23 December 2014 amending the Act on Danish Nationality (dual citizenship, in force 1 September 2015)
Former Danish citizens regain nationality by declaration only after meeting residence conditions in Denmark; otherwise by naturalisation. Ministry of Immigration and Integration: former Danish citizens (tidligere danske statsborgere)

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: Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet, Indfødsret office list
How: By post; no appearance needed
Form: Application for proof or retention of Danish citizenship, January 2026
Fee: About $191
Decision: 13–15 months
Your records: No apostille, no translation. US birth and marriage records need no apostille or legalization. English records need no translation. Records from other countries follow the ministry’s country list; where required, send legalized or apostilled originals with an authorized Danish or English translation covering the authentication.
Pay: 1,254 DKK, by bank transfer made out to “Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet”; no personal checks.
Sign: The applicant and parents, signing the required handwritten declarations.

What goes in the file (9)

Applicant’s birth certificate showing both parents, stamped and signed by the issuing authority
Both parents’ birth certificates showing their parents, stamped and signed by the issuing authorities
Parents’ marriage certificate and divorce records, where applicable
Copies of the applicant’s Danish and foreign passports and both parents’ passports
Any Danish citizenship certificates issued to the applicant or either parent
Evidence of the applicant’s and parents’ foreign citizenships and dates of acquisition
Evidence of Danish stays not recorded in CPR and ties to Denmark, where applicable
Handwritten signatures in sections 8 and 9, and the Danish parent’s declaration in section 10; death or other inability to sign explained and supported by documents
Receipt for the DKK 1,254 fee paid to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration

What goes wrong (4)

The ministry determines whether citizenship was acquired and, when relevant, retained. Proof before age 20 does not decide retention. Apply for retention from age 20; staff checks the 22nd birthday and the evidence of residence, visits and ties before it.
Pay DKK 1,254 to Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet at Danske Bank, registration 0216, account 4069205011, IBAN DK76 0216 4069 2050 11, SWIFT DABADKKK. Include the applicant’s CPR number or full name and the payer’s full name, country of residence, birth date, birthplace, citizenship and transfer purpose. Attach the transfer receipt to the signed application.
For a US citizen, staff completes Annex 2 about the effects of losing EU citizenship. The ministry assesses the applicant’s circumstances at age 22; facts arising afterwards do not establish earlier ties.
The route establishes citizenship acquired through a Danish parent. It does not replace a naturalization application where the applicable law at birth did not confer citizenship, or a declaration to regain previously lost citizenship.

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: Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet, Indfødsret office list
How: By post; no appearance needed
Form: Application for proof of Danish citizenship, January 2026 — child
Fee: About $191
Decision: 13–15 months
Your records: No apostille, no translation. US civil records require no apostille or legalisation; English needs no translation. This scope uses Danish and US birth and marriage records.
Pay: 1,254 DKK, by bank transfer made out to “Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet”; no personal checks.
Sign: Both joint-custody parents.

What goes in the file (11)

Your original US birth certificate naming both parents
Both parents’ stamped and signed birth certificates naming their parents
Parents’ marriage certificate and joint-custody evidence
Child’s valid US passport and both parents’ passports
Danish-born parent’s complete Danish citizenship history and birth record
Qualifying parent’s US naturalisation certificate dated on or after 1 September 2015 and before the child’s birth
Both guardians’ handwritten section 8 signatures and both parents’ section 9 signatures
Qualifying Danish parent’s truthful section 10 declaration
All actual Danish/Nordic residence and visits, ties and applicable references with signed Annexes 3a/3b
Completed Annex 2 for US citizenship and any selected representation authority
Actual DKK 1,254 bank transfer receipt

What goes wrong (4)

One US-born child under 12 living in the United States, with married biological parents and joint parental custody. The qualifying parent was Danish-born, held Danish citizenship continuously before 1 September 2015 and at the child’s birth, and naturalised in the US on or after 1 September 2015 but before that birth. Both parents can sign and attend. Adoption, surrogacy, earlier losses, guardianship and custody exceptions are outside scope.
Proof now does not establish retention at age 22. Record the child’s twentieth birthday for a separately scoped retention review.
Pay DKK 1,254 to Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet, Danske Bank registration 0216, account 4069205011, IBAN DK76 0216 4069 2050 11, SWIFT DABADKKK. Use child CPR or full name and required payer identification. Attach actual receipt.
After proof, both parents and child attend a passport appointment at a Danish US mission with the complete official child checklist and page-2 guardian consents. Any existing CPR record must show Danish citizenship before passport issue; a CPR number itself is not required.

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.
Ask
Online, in Danish · request page ↗
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

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. Chicago, Houston, New York, Silicon Valley and Los Angeles accept debit or credit card only for passports. The published fee table lists $281 when a valid or expired passport cannot be presented, or when it is damaged. Adult passports take four weeks, longer in peak season. After arrival notification, book collection with the mission; FedEx delivery can be requested at your cost.
Bring the completed signed passport application, your original Danish citizenship certificate, original birth certificate, current passport, and the US immigration or citizenship documents that apply to you. No adult passport photo is needed at the consulate because biometrics are taken there.

source ↗

Recent and pending changes

We know of no pending bill or recent court ruling for Denmark.

Already in the rule

Former citizens who lost nationality under the old rule could reclaim it by written declaration until 1 July 2026; a former citizen by birth can still declare after two years’ residence in Denmark, and otherwise applies for naturalisation. Consolidated Act on Danish Nationality (indfødsretsloven), LBK nr 1656 af 23/12/2022, § 5 A and § 4

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.

Every source on this page

4 laws and official pages behind the answers, then the offices and pages behind the records and filing.

Not legal advice. Every answer comes from the country’s own laws and is tested against real cases. Where the law isn’t clear, we say “possible” rather than guess.

Who qualifies, generation by generation

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a parent?

What changes the answer

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a grandparent?

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a great-grandparent?

The dates that matter

Claiming through your mother or grandmother

In the law’s words

Dual citizenship with your home country

Every way to apply, and the law behind it

The law

What would settle an unsure case

The law

What would settle an unsure case

The law

What would settle an unsure case

The documents, as the rule lists them

Citizen by birth (§ 1)

Citizen by birth

What it takes: time, cost, the hard part, who decides

Citizen by birth (§ 1)

How it’s filed

Citizen by birth

How it’s filed

Where each record lives, and how to ask for it

Translations

The passport

Recent and pending changes

Already in the rule

If descent doesn’t reach you

Every source on this page

Check your family for Denmark.

Who qualifies, generation by generation

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a parent?

What changes the answer

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a grandparent?

Can you claim Danish citizenship through a great-grandparent?

The dates that matter

Claiming through your mother or grandmother

In the law’s words

Dual citizenship with your home country

Every way to apply, and the law behind it

The law

What would settle an unsure case

The law

What would settle an unsure case

The law

What would settle an unsure case

The documents, as the rule lists them

Citizen by birth (§ 1)

Citizen by birth

What it takes: time, cost, the hard part, who decides

Citizen by birth (§ 1)

How it’s filed

Citizen by birth

How it’s filed

Where each record lives, and how to ask for it

Translations

The passport

Recent and pending changes

Already in the rule

If descent doesn’t reach you

Every source on this page

Check your family for Denmark.