How long does it take to get citizenship in Denmark?

The naturalization process in Denmark takes 8–30 months on average (15 months typical). You need 9 years (reduced to 6 for refugees, 8 for Nordic citizens) before applying.

What are the steps to get Denmark citizenship?

1. Application to Ministry of Immigration (0.5–2 months). 2. Parliamentary bill process (6–24 months). 3. Ceremony & oath (1–4 months)

What is the residency requirement for Denmark citizenship?

You need 9 years (reduced to 6 for refugees, 8 for Nordic citizens) to be eligible for naturalization in Denmark. Must pass citizenship test (indfødsretsprøven) and Danish language test (Prøve i Dansk 3).

Overview Salaries Tax Cost of Living Housing Visa Routes PR & Citizenship Healthcare Education Passport Happiness Retirement Safety

Immigration Tracker

Denmark — Citizenship Timeline

9 years (reduced to 6 for refugees, 8 for Nordic citizens) → 3 processing steps → passport

Average Total

15mo

Range

8–30mo

Speed Rank

#11 of 20

Residency Req.

9 years (reduced to 6 for refugees, 8 for Nordic citizens)

Processing Steps

1Application to Ministry of Immigration1mo avg (0.5–2 months)

2Parliamentary bill process12mo avg (6–24 months)

Citizenship granted by act of parliament (Folketinget, twice yearly bills)

3Ceremony & oath2mo avg (1–4 months)

Constitution Day ceremony or written declaration

Total processing time

Moderate15 months average

Important Notes

Must pass citizenship test (indfødsretsprøven) and Danish language test (Prøve i Dansk 3). Dual citizenship allowed since September 2015. PR requires 8 years (4 fast-track). Citizenship requires 9 years continuous residence.

How Denmark compares

Average naturalization processing time, all 20 countries. Denmark highlighted.

Source: uim.dk, Folketinget records, thelocal.dk, exploringdenmark.com · Last updated: 2026-04

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