The Danish Parliament passed a bill on dual citizenship in December 2014. The new law will take effect on 1 September 2015, and from then on, Danish citizens may obtain Australian citizenship without losing their Danish citizenship. Furthermore, a lost Danish citizenship, due to the attainment of an Australian citizenship, can generally be regained within a 5-year period (until 2020).

The Danish Embassy advises, that persons wishing to obtain dual citizenship, await the deadline of 1 September 2015, before an application is lodged, since the current law is still in effect until then. The State Administration in Copenhagen (Statsforvaltningen) will be the responsible authority for handling applications for Danish citizenship under the new law.

The new law does not change the current regulation for Danish children born abroad. Children born and living outside

Denmark still lose their Danish citizenship at the age of 22 unless retention is applied for, and approved by, the Danish Ministry of Justice. Therefore, these children should still apply to the Danish Ministry of Justice for retention of their Danish citizenship well before the age of 22.

For further information, please refer to the Danish Embassy’s webpage, which will be updated as soon as new information is available: http://australien.um.dk/da/rejse-og-ophold/dokumenter-og-gebyrer/dobbelt- statsborgerskab/ (Danish) http://australien.um.dk/en/travel-and- residence/documents-and-fees/danish- citizenship/ (English)

From the Royal Danish Embassy, Canberra