Advocacy

Danish citizens abroad are not mentioned in a large part of Danish legislation despite being affected by the legislation in a number of areas.

Danes Worldwide wishes that all new legislative proposals consider how the new legislation will influence Danish citizens residing abroad.

Danish citizens abroad are affected, for example, in terms of bringing their foreign spouse to Denmark, in the area of taxation, where about one-third are estimated to pay taxes in Denmark, or in connection with the transition to MitID, where Danes abroad have not been considered in the rollout and are facing massive problems. This does not align with the global world we live in, where many Danes naturally move in and out of Denmark due to study, work, or family reasons.

Danish citizens abroad are greatly affected by the current rules in the immigration law, as numerous individual cases in the media clearly show, and as politicians from virtually all parties have described as “crazy.”

Danes Worldwide welcomes the relaxations in the government’s platform but wishes for the immigration law to be divided into several categories of persons, such as 1) Nordic and EU citizens, 2) third-country workers, 3) family members of Danish citizens and persons with permanent residence, 4) asylum, and 5) permanent residence.

This would make it easier to create appropriate legislation for residence, integration, and requirements for permanent residence for the different groups of people.

Voting rights are the cornerstone of a democratic society, and among EU countries, Danish citizens abroad are subject to the most restrictive options for voting. The Danish Constitution § 29 states that one must have “permanent residence” in Denmark to have the right to vote. As this provision is currently administered, one loses their right to vote after two years abroad, with various exceptions to this rule, such as study or posting abroad, which can extend the two years to retain the right to vote for up to eight years.

The Constitution’s rules on the right to vote have (fortunately) changed drastically since 1849, and Danes Worldwide desires a change to the Constitution’s § 29 and the removal of “permanent residence.” Until this is possible, Danes Worldwide wishes that all adult Danish citizens abroad can retain their voting rights for parliamentary elections for a minimum of 12 years after moving abroad, and that instead of the Electoral Board’s administrative practice for determining “temporary residence,” it should be legislatively defined by the Folketing what is considered “temporary residence” abroad. Danes Worldwide welcomes the government platform’s statement that it will “initiate a report on whether it is possible within the constitution to extend voting rights for Danes abroad.”

The Danish citizenship is, of course, very important for Danes abroad. This is especially true for Danish children who need to retain it when they turn 22 years old, and for former Danish citizens who want to reacquire it.

Danes Worldwide wishes to open the possibility to apply for the retention of citizenship earlier than the 21st birthday, provided the conditions for retention are met. Regarding the reacquisition of Danish citizenship, Danes Worldwide wants the temporary transitional arrangement, which expires on June 30, 2026, to be made permanent, allowing for the possibility to always apply for reacquisition.

If one wishes to retain their citizenship, they must apply before their 22nd birthday, but the earliest one can apply is after turning 21. In recent years, the Danish Ministry of Immigration and Integration has had a processing time of around 12 months, which means that many young Danish citizens are uncertain for a period whether they are indeed Danish citizens. Although the period for reacquiring citizenship has been extended by an additional 5 years until June 30, 2026, many are still unaware of the opportunity for reacquisition. Therefore, there should be no time limit on how long it is possible to reacquire Danish citizenship, both on principle and in practice.

The current Danish tax rules are based on the assumption that one resides permanently in one country and works consistently in one country. However, globalization and the COVID-19 pandemic have led to many Danes becoming much more mobile in their work situations. As a result, there are many instances where Danes, for example, live and work in one country but wish to spend the summer months in their Danish summer house and work from there.

Danes Worldwide advocates that all Danish citizens residing abroad should be able to stay in Denmark for up to 180 days in a year and work for their foreign employer without becoming fully tax liable in Denmark. These Danes should continue to be unable to utilize certain services, such as the Danish health insurance scheme.

If one owns a property in Denmark, they are already subject to limited tax liability for it. However, if one works from their summer house for 14 days, this should not trigger full tax liability, as it currently does due to the existing rule (case law) that allows for a maximum of 10 days of work in Denmark.

In the CPR registry, one is either registered as residing in Denmark or as having moved away.

Danes Worldwide, therefore, wishes for a new category to be established in the CPR registry for Danish citizens who move out of Denmark, so they can be registered as “Danish citizen residing abroad” instead of “moved away.” Such a category would also have significant symbolic importance for the many global Danes who maintain a close connection to Denmark through frequent visits, summer houses, and ongoing interactions with Danish authorities, such as the Tax Agency and Udbetaling Danmark.

When registered as having moved away, the CPR number ceases to function. While it’s natural that one no longer has access to the healthcare system or the library, this departure status has a number of other consequences that are impractical for Danes who have moved abroad. For example, it means that one cannot have a Danish phone number, which is a requirement for having MobilePay, a common payment method in Denmark and sometimes the only one accepted in certain places.

Over recent years, Danish banks have tightened their customer relationship procedures due to anti-money laundering regulations and the know-your-customer principle, leading most Danish banks to terminate relationships with customers residing abroad.

Danes Worldwide advocates for a political decision ensuring that Danish citizens abroad have the right to a Danish bank account. If one receives a state pension from Denmark or needs to pay an electricity bill for a summer house in Denmark, it is only logical to have access to a Danish bank account.

It is highly inconvenient for Danes abroad to have their accounts frozen, children’s savings seized, and stocks sold without the bank providing an explanation, guidance, or cooperating with the customer in this regard. It is problematic that anti-money laundering rules are interpreted so restrictively by Danish banks, as they do not want the hassle of monitoring Danish customers living abroad.

State pensioners residing outside Denmark or an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom can only receive the basic amount of their state pension. In contrast, pensioners residing in these countries are entitled to both the basic amount and the pension supplement and can apply for other supplements such as the senior check.

Danes Worldwide advocates that state pensioners outside the EU/EEA, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom should also receive their earned pension supplement in addition to the basic amount.

The right to a state pension is something the pensioner has accumulated over a long life in Denmark. If two individuals have worked in Denmark for the same period, they should receive the same amount, regardless of whether one remains in Denmark and the other chooses to move to, for example, the USA.

Danish students who study abroad often encounter a Danish education system that is not open to international qualifications or incorrectly converts these, resulting in many Danish international students not returning to Denmark.

Danes Worldwide wants to ensure politically that young Danes with broadly sought-after international competencies get fair opportunities to complete their education in Denmark, which will also increase the likelihood that they choose a future in Denmark.

One issue concerns the international baccalaureate (IB or EB), which does not grant access to apply for admission through the Danish universities’ Quota 1. Danes with a foreign bachelor’s degree also often experience rejections from Danish master’s programs due to narrow subject requirements and a rigid legal claim system.

Danes Worldwide desires a review and update of the conditions and affiliation with Denmark for students during their studies abroad to reflect the reality of students today.

Most guidelines regarding relocation, taxes, health insurance, and pensions are designed with Danish workers abroad in mind and do not cover students who often wish to take, for example, summer jobs in Denmark.