Denmark to Raise Citizenship Application Fee to €804
KEY TAKEAWAYS
1. Denmark is planning to increase the citizenship application fee to 6,000 DKK (€804).
2. A new fee will be introduced for applicants who have had two previous applications for citizenship rejected.
3. These changes will take effect once parliament passes the relevant bill.
The fee for applying for Danish citizenship will rise from 4,000 DKK (€536) to 6,000 DKK (€804), according to a statement from the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.
The Ministry argued that this increase will better reflect the actual costs of processing applications. Immigration and Integration Minister Kaare Dybvad Bek commented, "I am happy that with this agreement we are now raising the fee for applying for Danish citizenship so that it reflects to a greater extent the expenses that the Danish state actually has to process the cases."
The Minister also noted that applicants often reapply multiple times after being rejected, which is not cost-effective for the state.
Before 2018, the application fee was 1,200 DKK (€168). It increased to 3,800 DKK (€509) in 2021, and then to 4,000 DKK, with the current proposed increase representing a 50% hike.
New Fee for Repeated Applications
Additionally, the Ministry announced a new fee for those reapplying after two rejected citizenship applications. Heidi Bank, the Immigration law rapporteur, stated that revisiting citizenship rules is essential to prevent abuses of the system. "It is only fair that we now raise the fee for applying for citizenship so that it more closely reflects the costs involved in processing," she said.
Previously, applicants could reapply multiple times without additional fees after paying the initial 4,000 DKK fee. The new fee structure aims to deter repeated applications without realistic chances of success.
Applicants planning to apply for Danish citizenship should consider doing so under the current fee structure, as the new fees will not take effect until the bill is passed by parliament.