The Danish government will reintroduce a citizenship bill covering 2,055 already approved applicants, but its planned screening for anti-democratic views will apply only to future applications.
DR reports that the government has decided to resubmit the bill granting Danish citizenship to 2,055 people who meet every requirement. Immigration and Integration Minister Morten Bødskov confirmed the decision in an interview on P1 Morgen, according to DR.
The 2,055 applicants have been waiting without clarity since the general election was called in February, when the earlier bill lapsed. Per DR, their cases can now be processed in the new year, but every file will be reviewed a second time. That also means not all 2,055 will necessarily be approved again.
Bødskov said the rules for obtaining Danish citizenship are very strict and that compliance must be confirmed. For that reason, the applicants are being checked once more before the Folketing debates the bill, as reported by DR.
Screening model pushed to future applicants
The government repeated its wish for a model that screens citizenship applicants for so-called undemocratic views. That model will not be ready in time for this group, DR reports, even though the Social Democrats had previously treated it as decisive. Bødskov said the screening concerns people who apply after the bill has been handled.
An expert committee is still examining how such a screening could work, and the minister expects its report after New Year. Social Democratic naturalization spokesperson Katrine Evelyn Jensen had earlier told DR it was crucial to examine the screening model before granting further citizenships.
Criticism from three government parties and from Dansk Folkeparti
The Folketing has not granted a single citizenship since June 2025, leaving more than 2,000 applicants stuck. DR reported on October 4 that government parties Moderaterne, SF and Radikale Venstre said they could not accept waiting for the expert group.
Dansk Folkeparti’s immigration spokesperson, Mikkel Bjørn, criticized reviving the bill before a screening model exists. He told P1 Morgen that it amounts to a marked broken promise by the Social Democrats. DR has also reported that experts say Denmark breaches conventions if 231 specific children among the applicants remain without citizenship.
An Epinion survey for DR found that three out of four Danes want foreigners to hold democratic values before receiving Danish citizenship. The survey was published as part of DR’s coverage of the dispute inside the government.
What it means for internationals waiting on Danish citizenship
In Denmark, citizenship is not granted by an agency but by an act of parliament, a lov om indfødsrets meddelelse. Applicants first apply through the Ministry of Immigration and Integration, and approved names are then placed on a bill that the Folketing votes on. Requirements include permanent residence, years of lawful residence, the Danish language test, the citizenship test known as Indfødsretsprøven, self-support and a clean criminal record.
Because pending bills lapse when an election is called, the 2,055 people on the February list lost their place in the process. For anyone living in Denmark on that list, DR’s reporting means a second review of their file and processing in the new year, with no guarantee that every case passes again. Rules on citizenship for later applicants will be tighter still, since the government says a screening against anti-democratic views will be added once the expert report arrives after New Year. What that screening will contain, and when it will take effect, is not yet known.
