Parent to a Minor Danish Citizen

You want to apply for a residence permit because you have a child under the age of 18 who is a Danish citizen. You, the applicant, is the child’s parent.

You can only be granted a residence permit because you have a child under the age of 18 who is a Danish citizen if there is a relationship of strong dependency between the two of you. So much so that the child will be forced to leave the EU, if you are refused residency in the county.

It is the child’s best interest that is taken into consideration when determining whether you can be granted a residence permit.

You want to apply for a residence permit because you have a child under the age of 18 who is a Danish citizen. You, the applicant, is the child’s parent.

This means that when you are a parent to a minor child, who is a citizen in an EU country, under particular circumstances you can be granted a residence permit in the EU country where the child either lives or must travel to and stay with you (derivative right of residence).

Documentation of parenthood

Documentation of the child/children's Danish citizenship

The Immigration Service conducts a specific assessment of the child’s best interest based on the following circumstances: The child’s age, physical and emotional development, the degree of emotional attachment to you as well as the child’s other parent, who is a Danish citizen, assessment of the risk that separation from you entails for the child’s stability.

When a minor Danish child lives with both his/her parents (where you is a third-country national and the other parent is a Danish national) and when both parents share in daily caretaking of the child and the legal, emotional and financial maintenance of the child there is a presumption of a dependency relationship between the child and both parents.

You can fill in the application form in Word format on your computer before printing it out. The application form is also available as a pdf file that can be printed out and filled in by hand. Download AO1 (Word)

You can submit your application at a Danish mission (embassy or consulate), or an outsourcing office in the country where you live.

If you are in Denmark legally, you can usually submit your application in Denmark.

The expected maximum processing time is 10 months

You will be granted a temporary residence permit under the Aliens Act section 9 (1) para. 4), typically valid for 2 years. If you and the child in Denmark still meet the requirements for residency, your residence permit can be extended.

If your child turns 18 within 2 years, you will instead get a residence permit valid until that time. This is because your residence permit is conditional on your child being under 18 and you will therefore not be able to have your residence permit extended if your child is no longer a minor at that time. However, in certain cases, a further extension will be possible if your personal circumstances make a refusal of extension particularly burdensome for you.

If you are married or cohabiting with the child’s other parent in Denmark, you can apply for family reunification as a spouse instead.

If you are granted a residence permit in Denmark, you may work during the same period as the residence permit is valid.