renunciation of citizenship for danish citizenship

[abrakadbabra]

Hi Experts,

Does one need to renounce his/her original citizenship before applying for Danish citizenship by naturalization?

I had called the immigration counseling office in Copenhagen today and the person said that I will need the document from my country or embassy that I have surrendered my citizenship before applying for danish one.

Regards
abrakadabra

[skaanebo]

Yes, dual citizenship is not allowed until September when a new law comes into effect. So if you wish to keep your previous nationality and if your country allows dual citizenship, you had better wait until September to apply.

[abrakadbabra]

yes I know that dual citizenship is not allowed as of now in Denmark.

but do we need to renounce it before applying for danish citizenship. Because, in that case till the citizenship application is in progress, one will have have to be without any passport.

[mh1]

Be aware that it is not only up to the Danish rules whether you may have dual citizenship. Your own country must accept it too.

You will not be required to renounce your present citizenship if your country allow you to acquire one more, because if you have not yet applied, you will not acquire your Danish citizenship until next year.
see http://www.justitsministeriet.dk/arbejd ... ationality
"Foreign citizens applying for Danish nationality

The time of entry into force of the new rules also imply that foreign citizens who are included in the bill on naturalisation which is expected to be presented in April 2015 may – as has previously been the case – be met with a requirement to obtain renunciation of their previous nationality.

Foreign citizens, who are included in a bill on naturalisation which is expected to be passed at a later date, will be included with no such requirement. Applications for naturalisation which are made now will be processed without a requirement to obtain renunciation.

Foreign citizens, who have been included with a condition of obtaining renunciation in an Act on naturalisation passed in December 2012 or later will be able to become Danish citizens without obtaining renunciation of their previous nationality by making a declaration to The State Administration (Statsforvaltningen). The declaration must be made between 01 September 2015 and 31 August 2017.

Application

A fee of DKK 1,100 must be paid when filing a declaration to The State Administration (Statsforvaltningen). Forms for declarations to The State Administration will be made available prior to the entry into force of the rules. Applications for naturalisation may be made on the forms already available on the Ministry of Justice’s website.

Access to multiple nationality is not decided by Danish law alone. For a person to acquire multiple nationality this must be allowed in the nationality laws of each of the states in which the person wishes to hold nationality."

[abrakadbabra]

thanks mh,

so it means that if my country does not allow dual nationality then I must renounce it before applying for danish citizenship.

Or can I just go to my embassy the very next day after getting my danish passport and surrender my old passport there? I know in UK it happens like this.

[mh1]

NO
You definitely should not, and most likely cannot renounce your citizenship before acquiring another - what you do is that you in your application for DK citizenship promise to renounce the other IF AND WHEN you acquire the Danish. The procedure from application to acquisition can take up to one year.

If you then do get Danish citizenship (which happens by the acceptance of a law) you will receive a letter in which you are given a period of 18 months from the date where the law granting you (conditional) citizenship comes into force, to rid yourself of your other citizenship.

If and WHEN you can deliver written proof that you have been freed from your other citizenship you will receive the letter of proof of Danish citizenship. Until then you cannot get a Danish passport.

Your Danish citizenship is thus pending, until you have proven that you do not have the other citizenship anymore.

Depending on the procedures, you may therefore technically be without citizenship for a few days.

[abrakadbabra]

thanks, mh.

could not have expected more clear answer