Denmark Citizenship Test Study Guide 2026

Who can become a Danish citizen

In Denmark, a foreign citizen can only become Danish by law. Section 44 of the Constitution says so. The Ministry of Immigration and Integration (Udlændinge- og Integrationsministeriet) checks each application. People who meet the conditions are listed in a bill on granting citizenship (lovforslag om indfødsrets meddelelse), and the Folketing must pass it.

The constitution ceremony

After the law comes into force, most new citizens must attend a constitution ceremony (grundlovsceremoni) held by their municipality. You sign a declaration that you will respect the Constitution and basic Danish values, such as democracy. Then you shake hands with the mayor or a rådmand (a senior councillor), bare hand to bare hand, and receive your certificate of citizenship (statsborgerretsbevis). You must attend within 2 years of the law coming into force, or you have to apply again. Some people do not attend, for example people under 18 and people who live in Greenland or the Faroe Islands.

The citizenship test (Indfødsretsprøven)

The citizenship test checks your knowledge of Danish society, culture and history. The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) is responsible for it, and language centres (sprogcentre) across the country hold it. The test is held twice a year, in summer and winter. You register with a language centre no later than 5 weeks before the test date.

• The test is written and in Danish.
• You have 45 minutes.
• Each question has two or three answer options. You mark the right one with a cross.
• To pass, you need 36 of 45 correct, including at least 4 of the 5 questions on Danish values.
• No aids are allowed, such as dictionaries or notes.
• Bring original ID, such as a residence card, a passport or ID card from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, or a Danish alien's passport. A driving licence is not accepted, and nor are copies.
• It can take up to 4 weeks to get your result. If you pass, the language centre gives you a certificate (prøvebevis).
• If you fail, you can take the test again at the next session, but you must pay the fee again. In 2026 the fee is 946 kroner. The next test is on 25 November 2026, and the registration deadline is 21 October 2026.

Some people do not need the test. Examples are children under 12 who apply on their own, applicants who live in Greenland or the Faroe Islands, and Swedish- or Norwegian-speaking applicants with a school-leaving exam from a Swedish- or Norwegian-language school. People with a long-term illness or disability can ask the Folketing's Naturalisation Committee (Indfødsretsudvalget) for a dispensation.

A different test: the medborgerskabsprøve

The active citizenship test (medborgerskabsprøve) is a separate test. It is one way to meet a condition for permanent residence, not citizenship. It has 25 questions, you need 20 correct answers, and it lasts 30 minutes.

The Constitution and how Denmark is governed

Denmark's Constitution (Danmarks Riges Grundlov) was first signed on 5 June 1849. The version in force today is from 1953. Under section 2, Denmark is a constitutional (limited) monarchy: the King or Queen is head of state, but elected politicians hold the political power. The crown can pass to both men and women.

The monarch is not personally responsible for decisions. The ministers are. The monarch appoints the prime minister and the other ministers, and a minister must sign each decision. If the Folketing passes a vote of no confidence in a minister, that minister must leave. If the vote is against the prime minister, the whole government must resign unless an election is called (section 15).

The Folketing

• The Folketing has at most 179 members. 2 are elected in the Faroe Islands and 2 in Greenland.
• Members are elected for four years in general, direct and secret elections. A new election must be held before the four years end.
• Members are bound only by their own conviction, not by orders from voters (section 56).
• One third of the members can demand a referendum on a law within three weekdays of it being passed. The law then falls only if a majority of those voting, and at least 30% of all voters, say no. Tax and budget laws cannot be put to a vote this way.
• No tax can be brought in or changed except by law (section 43).
• Handing some powers to an international body needs a five-sixths majority. If only an ordinary majority agrees and the government keeps the bill, there must be a referendum (section 20).
• Municipalities (kommuner) run their own affairs under the supervision of the state (section 82).

修改宪法

Changing the Constitution is hard on purpose (section 88). The Folketing passes the change, an election is held, and the new Folketing must pass the same text again. Then there is a referendum. The change passes only if a majority of those voting say yes, and the yes votes are at least 40% of all voters.

Church and religion

Under section 4, the Evangelical-Lutheran Church is the Danish people's church (folkekirken) and is supported by the state. The monarch must belong to it (section 6). Everyone may worship as they choose, as long as it does not go against morality or public order, and nobody can lose civil or political rights because of their faith or descent (sections 67 and 70).

Rights, freedoms and the courts

The Constitution protects the basic freedoms of everyone in Denmark.

The courts

• The courts are kept separate from the government's administration (section 62).
• Judges must follow only the law. They cannot be dismissed or moved against their will except by a court judgment or a reform of the courts (section 64).
• Court cases should be public and oral as far as possible. Ordinary citizens (lay judges) take part in criminal trials (section 65).
• Children under 15 cannot be punished for a crime.

History: from the Vikings to 1849

Denmark has been an independent state for more than 1,000 years without a break, and it has always been a monarchy. The name 'Denmark' is known from the late 800s: 'Dan' means the Danes and 'mark' means a border area.

The Viking Age (about 750–1050)

• Gorm the Old raised a runestone for his wife Thyra around 955. It is the first known use of the name 'Denmark' inside the country.
• His son Harald Bluetooth is seen as the first king of all Denmark. He was baptised and raised the large Jelling stone around 965. It tells that he made the Danes Christian, so it is called Denmark's baptismal certificate (dåbsattest).
• Around 980 Harald had ring fortresses built, such as Aggersborg, Fyrkat and Trelleborg.
• Old Norse gave English words such as egg, window, knife, law and sell.
• The old Norse gods included Odin, Thor and Freja. Wednesday (onsdag) is named after Odin and Thursday (torsdag) after Thor.

The Middle Ages (about 1050–1500)

• The Jutland Law (Jyske Lov) of 1241 made the king the lawmaker and ended blood feuds. It begins: 'With law shall the land be built' (Med lov skal man land bygge).
• Legend says the flag, Dannebrog, fell from the sky during a Danish crusade to Estonia in 1219, near today's Tallinn.
• In 1397 Margrete 1 joined Denmark, Norway and Sweden in the Kalmar Union. Sweden left in 1523. Norway stayed with Denmark until 1814.

Reformation, wars with Sweden and absolute monarchy (about 1500–1700)

• The Reformation was carried out in 1536. Denmark became Lutheran (Protestant), and the king took over the church's land. The first Danish Bible came in 1550.
• Christian 4 (1588–1648) ruled for almost 60 years, longer than any other Danish king. He built Rosenborg, Frederiksborg, the Stock Exchange (Børsen) and the Round Tower (Rundetårn).
• In the Peace of Roskilde in 1658, Denmark lost Skåne, Halland and Blekinge to Sweden. Bornholm rebelled against Swedish rule and came back to Denmark.
• Absolute monarchy (enevælde) began in 1660–61. The Royal Law (Kongeloven) of 1665 was its written basis and gave the king almost unlimited power until 1849.

Colonies

From the 1600s Denmark had colonies in India, in today's Ghana and in the Caribbean. More than 100,000 enslaved Africans were shipped to the Danish West Indies, and slavery there ended in 1848. Denmark sold the Danish West Indies to the USA in 1917 for 25 million dollars.

Towards democracy (1700–1849)

• The adscription (stavnsbåndet) of 1733 tied young farmers to the estate where they were born. It was abolished in 1788 as part of the land reforms.
• In 1814 Denmark had to give Norway to Sweden, ending a union of more than 400 years.
• On 5 June 1849 King Frederik 7 signed Denmark's first free constitution. It created the Rigsdag, with two chambers: the Folketing and the Landsting. Only men over 30 with their own household could vote, about 15% of people over 30.

History: from 1849 to 1972

Everyday life, work and welfare

• All children have compulsory education for at least 10 years. The public school (folkeskole) is free, and grades use the 7-step scale from -3 to 12.
• The most common full-time working week is 37 hours. By law you earn about 2 days of holiday a month, which gives 5 weeks a year.
• Wages and working conditions are mostly agreed between trade unions and employers in collective agreements, a system that goes back to 1899. Joining a trade union or an unemployment fund (a-kasse) is voluntary.
• Visits to your own doctor and treatment at public hospitals are free. Public hospitals are run by the regions. You show your health card (sundhedskort).
• VAT (moms) is 25%, and Danes pay some of the highest taxes in the world. Taxes help pay for welfare: the public school, health care and most education are free.
• You must be 18 to marry, and same-sex couples can marry. A woman has the right to an abortion until the end of week 18 of pregnancy. It is forbidden to hit children.
• The folk high schools (højskoler) have no exams. They build on the ideas of N.F.S. Grundtvig, who saw teaching as a path to democracy.