It's about the decision of an individual to submit an application for Danish citizenship, a significant personal move they have decided to make.

Cashing in on Danish Citizenship Michael Barrett Unleash

For years, the steep cost of submitting a citizenship application in Denmark kept The Local Denmark's editor Michael Barrett holding off on the process. Now, that fee is about to soar by 50%.

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This week brings the new skyrocketing fee for applying for Danish citizenship, leaping from 4,000 kroner to 6,000 kroner on May 1st.

The increased application fee has long been in the works, with the government announcing it backed by several opposition parties last year. It took a while for the necessary law change to make its way through parliament, but now that's done, anybody aiming for Danish citizenship will have to fork over 6,000 kroner for the privilege.

The government insists higher fees are essential to cover costs, while critics claim this justification is just a front for making citizenship more inaccessible - a symbolic move to placate immigration skeptics.

Critics have previously pointed out that, given the typical time lag between moving to Denmark and becoming a citizen, there are many qualified individuals who can't participate in Danish democracy because of the high barriers to naturalization. One could argue that this weakens democracy since it reduces the proportion of active participants.

READ ALSO: Denmark's Citizenship Rules: A Barrier to Participation

A comparison of citizenship application fees across Europe reveals that, contrary to popular belief, Denmark isn't among the most expensive nations, though it is near the top of the league table.

Denmark displays strict criteria for citizenship, most noticeably the lengthy residency requirement and the need to be a fluent Danish speaker. The demanding Danish citizenship test sets the bar even higher.

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It's logical that any country must limit the number of citizenships it grants to non-nationals and perfectly acceptable for a well-functioning democracy like Denmark to set its own rules.

READ ALSO: Foreigners' Perspectives on Denmark's Citizenship Fee Hike

I've wrestled with these issues for years, but none of them are the main reasons I'm finally applying for citizenship, long after meeting all the criteria.

I aced the citizenship test back in 2018 and easily could have applied then, having already been a resident in Denmark for 11 years at the time.

I hesitated due to fears my student debt could pose a problem (these turned out to be unwarranted). By the time that concern vanished, the fee had jumped from 1,800 kroner to 4,000 kroner. This prompted further delay, not in hopes that the government would ease up on citizenship and lower the fee again, but simply because 4,000 kroner is a chunk of change.

I wished I could have exercised my voting rights in Danish elections and received a Danish passport (especially following 2020, when I ceased being an EU member state citizen). However, that fee was always large enough to keep me procrastinating.

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It's ironic, then, that the final push I needed to send off my application was the prospect of paying even more if I didn't act promptly.

I'm not sure this is the effect the government intended by raising the fee, but that's what happened in my case. Perhaps it would be interesting to observe a spike in citizenship grants next year (by which time current applications should be processed).

Once the law was passed last week, I had eight days to apply if I wanted to do so at the lower fee of 4,000 kroner. I managed to make it in time, but only because my paperwork had been ready for years.

The trickiest part of the application was the section on overseas stays and travel. For any given year in the last 12, you must indicate any stay outside of Denmark lasting four weeks or more. Additionally, if you spent a total of six weeks outside of the country in a calendar year, you must detail every single trip (even if all the trips were under four weeks individually).

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The latter scenario applied to me in 2013, 2014, and 2017, so I found myself scouring old Ryanair booking confirmations for details of weekend visits back to the UK over a decade ago. I also had to include the fine I received from South East Jutland Police in 2022 after being caught speeding 9 km/h over the limit. Although serious traffic offenses can prevent citizenship due to rules related to past convictions, this one thankfully didn't fall into that category.

READ ALSO: Can a Speeding Fine Prevent Danish Citizenship?

I reached the final section of the lengthy online application form, clicking the box that said "I profess faith and loyalty to Denmark and Danish society and pledge to obey Danish laws, including the constitution of the Danish kingdom."

Clicking that box felt like the most significant part of the process, embodying a sense of change in identity. It also meant I was promising to "respect fundamental Danish values, rule of law, and democracy." It didn't take me long to check the box and sign, and off went the application and my 4,000 kroner.

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Becoming a Danish citizen and adhering to Danish values doesn't feel like something I need to change about myself to do. I already support Danish values and democracy.

I feel a natural sense of loyalty to the country, not because of conscious effort but due to what I believe is essentially human nature after living in the same place for such a long time, and being accepted by the Danes I've built relationships with.

I have no plans to depart Denmark anytime soon, so not becoming a citizen and not participating in elections is a foolish move that works against my own interests. A Dane born on the same day I moved to Denmark would now be eligible to vote in elections. With that in mind, it doesn't feel good to fork over a substantial amount of my monthly income for the same privilege. But I'm glad I finally found the motivation to do it, and I have a feeling I won't regret it in the long run.

#Danish Citizenship #Opinion and Analysis### Comments

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It's about the decision of an individual to submit an application for Danish citizenship, a significant personal move they have decided to make.