Parties want to grant citizenship to 487 more people before they are screened for being against democracy
First, citizenship was put on hold. Then some cases were resumed. And now two parties believe even more people should be granted citizenship.
The Danish Parliament held Citizenship Day 2026 in September. Citizenship is on hold, but now two parties want those who were promised to become Danish citizens in October to also receive it. (Photo: © Emil Nicolai Helms, Ritzau Scanpix) 22 minutes ago
"You can expect to become a Danish citizen."
That is what it says in a letter in e-Boks to 487 people who have been told that their citizenship case has been processed. In the letter, the Ministry of Immigration and Integration writes that they expect the individuals to be included in a bill that will make them Danish citizens in October.
But that is not going to happen.
The government and large parts of the opposition want Danish citizenship to only be granted to people who are loyal to Denmark and who hold values such as freedom, equality, and liberalism.
Therefore, many citizenship cases have been put on hold until a new law is expected next year that screens applicants for anti-democratic attitudes.
But now the Alternative and the Red-Green Alliance are pushing for the 487 people who were promised to become Danish citizens to receive a Danish passport – even before a new law is in place.
"It is completely unreasonable that 487 people in Denmark have been told by the authorities that they meet all requirements. They have waited for years and done everything we asked of them. And now they are left in limbo, not knowing what their future holds," says Elise Sydendal, spokesperson for citizenship for the Alternative.
The Red-Green Alliance points out that applicants have paid over 6,000 kroner in fees to have their cases processed. Even though they have passed all tests, are employed, and have not committed any crimes, they have no idea what rules apply.
"It is an utterly untenable situation," believes Peder Hvelplund, the Red-Green Alliance's citizenship spokesperson.
But isn't it fair when there is a broad political desire to have better control over what attitudes applicants hold before granting citizenship?
"It fundamentally comes down to how the state treats its citizens. When the state says there are certain conditions you must meet to obtain citizenship, you normally don't say: No, we didn't mean that after all," says Peder Hvelplund, who believes it violates the principles of a rule-of-law state.
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Pause in citizenship may violate conventions
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Denmark has committed under the European Convention on Nationality to have legislation on citizenship. Applicants must know what rules they need to meet, explains senior researcher Eva Ersbøll from the Danish Institute for Human Rights. She has previously criticized that Denmark effectively has no law on citizenship when all cases are suspended.
"Denmark does not in practice meet the requirement of having applicable legislation. Because about two to three years ago, people applied for citizenship in reliance on the current rules. Now they are suddenly told that their cases are suspended until new rules come into effect. That is problematic," she told DR at the beginning of October (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/saeid-var-naesten-dansk-statsborger-nu-er-familien-saa-utryg-de-overvejer-forlade-danmark).
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Compromise that some became citizens and others must wait
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Since the summer of 2025, the Danish Parliament has not approved new people receiving a Danish passport, and for many months all citizenships were put on hold.
But there was division within the government and criticism that Denmark was violating conventions. At the beginning of October, the government then proposed that 2,055 people who were due to become citizens in January could be approved after all.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the time in the TV program "Meet the Prime Minister" that a "fairness" consideration was behind granting citizenship to this particular group, because according to the Prime Minister, they had "played by the rules that apply."
The opening does not apply to those who were promised to become citizens in October. They have played by the same rules and met all the requirements set for them. But they will not receive citizenship.
Therefore, the Minister of Immigration and Integration, Morten Bødskov (Social Democrats), is being called to a consultation today about what will happen to them. He does not wish to participate in an interview with DR beforehand.
The Social Liberal Party says the party must acknowledge that there is no majority for the citizenship law as it stands today.
"We need to ensure we get an agreement on naturalization that has broad support in the Danish Parliament, so there won't continue to be a heated debate," says immigration spokesperson Magnus Georg Jensen (Social Liberal Party).
He is "very pleased" that those on the bill in January can become Danish citizens, but those from October must wait.
The Moderates would have preferred that those promised to become Danish citizens in October did not have their cases put on hold.
"I personally think that is a shame, but that was the art of compromise," says citizenship spokesperson Mohammed Rona (Moderates).
He notes that there is no support for the citizenship law as it stands today.
What is fair about people having passed all tests and requirements and been told they are ready to become citizens, and then being told they must wait until a new model for citizenship is in place?
"I don't know if that is fair either. But we need to address the naturalization agreement once and for all. I don't think it is fair that people wait 3-4-5 years to get a Danish passport," says Mohammed Rona (Moderates).
He dreams of a broad and sustainable agreement in the Danish Parliament. In March, an expert group will examine how new applicants can be screened for anti-democratic attitudes. After that, politicians will see if they can agree on a new citizenship law.
New citizens violate the penal code less than Danes. 'Special types get citizenship,' says professor (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/nye-statsborgere-overtraeder-straffeloven-mindre-end-danskere-saerlige-typer-faar-statsborgerskab) Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=undefined)
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