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Guidelines on the Princess Rule

Children born in wedlock to a Danish mother and a foreign father during the period 1st January 1961 to 31st December 1978 did not obtain Danish nationality by birth.
As an alternative, Danish mothers were offered to make a declaration by which their child obtained Danish nationality, cf. s. 2(2) of Act No. 117 of 19th March 1978.

Children born during this period whose mother did not make a declaration to this affect may apply for Danish nationality by naturalisation according to the “Princess Rule”.

It is a condition that the general requirements for obtaining Danish nationality by naturalisation are fulfilled. This means that an applicant who has been convicted of an offence cannot be naturalised until after a certain period of time, and that the applicant may not owe money to the Danish authorities.

In addition, the applicant must be able to take part in an ordinary conversation in Danish. It is not a condition that the applicant must read or write in Danish.

It is furthermore a condition that the applicant has been staying in Denmark under circumstances indicating some association with the country. In general, one year's stay in total before the age of 22 is required.

In order to obtain Danish nationality by naturalisation, it is furthermore a condition that the applicant renounces his/her previous nationality, in so far as this is possible, unless the applicant lives in his/her country of origin. This means that a Irish national residing in the Ireland does not have to give up his/her Irish nationality to obtain Danish nationality by naturalisation in accordance with the Princess Rule.

Please enclose the following documentation (photocopies accepted) with your application.
  • The applicant’s Certificate of Birth (or Baptism) from which the name of the mother appears. The applicant’s mother’s Certificate of Birth (or Baptism)
  • The parents’ marriage certificate
  • The applicant’s passport
  • A declaration from the applicant’s mother stating whether she has ever applied for or acquired a foreign nationality by application. The declaration should read as follows: "I, the undersigned, solemnly declare that I have never applied for nor acquired a foreign nationality".
  • If the applicant has been studying or working in
    Denmark: copies of certificates etc.

The application form (for children) can be downloaded from the website of the Danish Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs. The application form for adults can be found here.

The application is processed by the Ministry for Integration and usually takes about 3 months.

Please note that the information above is for guidance only. Further information can be obtained from the website of the Danish Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs (www.nyidanmark.dk) or by contacting the Ministry:

The Ministry of Refugee, Immigration and Integration Affairs
Nationality Division
Holbergsgade 6
1057 Copenhagen K

Tel. +45 33 95 42 70 (8-11 Irish time)
E-mail: [email protected]