While Danish citizenship is not automatic for children born in Denmark, those who are born to British parents are entitled to British nationality (and therefore a passport) from birth. Here’s how to apply for the passport.
A child born in Denmark to at least one British parent can be considered British and will therefore be eligible for a British passport.
The UK’s new ETA rules require all dual nationals to use their UK passport in order to enter the UK – and the British government considers children born abroad to a foreign parent to be UK nationals, even if they also have citizenship of the country they were born in and have never had a British passport.
READ ALSO: Can dual national Brits travel to UK without valid British passport after all?
Registration
First of all, you can register your Denmark-born child’s birth with British authorities, so that it is recorded in the UK with the General Register Office or at the National Records Office of Scotland.
Parents do not have to do this, but if you choose to, you can then order a consular birth registration certificate for a fee.
Passport
However, Brits born in Denmark can still apply for a British passport, even if their birth was not originally registered with UK authorities.
Assuming the first application for a passport is made while the applicant is still a child, you can find the online process here, on the British Government website.
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If you’re applying for a passport for your child, you will need to supply:
- A suitable digital photograph of the child/baby – examples of acceptable photographs are displayed here
- Original or certified copies of any necessary supporting documents, plus translations as necessary (more on this below)
- And payment, using a credit or debit card. The fee for a standard passport is £101 for an adult, and £65.50 for a child, plus a £19.86 courier fee. NB: you can also apply by post, but it is cheaper online.
Necessary supporting documents will include:
- Documents proving that one of the child’s parents is a British citizen (eg a birth certificate or certificate of naturalisation)
- The child’s birth certificate – plus a translation, unless you previously registered with the consulate / UK authorities.
Child’s certificate
In Denmark, the document which is equivalent to a birth certificate is called a Personattest or “Certificate of Personal Data” and is issued by the local parish (sogn in Danish). You can request a copy via the borger.dk platform, and when you do this, you can select an English-language version (avoiding the need to get a separate translation).
You can either request the document be sent to your address by post or collect it in person from a parish office. A digital version is also available but note that this cannot be used for UK passport applications because it is not signed physically.
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Your certificates
If you don’t have your original certificates, you can get copies of birth, marriage or death certificates issued in England or Wales at www.gov.uk/bmdcertificates
For documents issued in Northern Ireland, go to www.nidirect.gov.uk and for Scotland go to www.nrscotland.gov.uk
You will need to pay a fee for the UK certificates, and normally these can only be sent by mail so allow time for delivery.
On a first application, you will also need to have a countersignatory confirm the applicant’s identity.
They need to confirm that, to the best of their knowledge, the details you have given in your application are correct, and they must also confirm that the photo is of the applicant – it’s possible to do this this online, you provide their details and they will receive an email from the passport office.
For child applications (aged under 16) it is also to confirm that they have known, for at least 2 years, the adult who signed the declaration in section 9 of the application form. They must also confirm that the person has parental responsibility for the child and confirm the child’s photo is a true likeness.
The countersignatory must:
- have known you personally for at least two years – they can be a friend, neighbour or colleague but not a relation by birth or marriage
- be a ‘professional person’ or a person of ‘good standing in their community’ – you can find a list of the accepted professions here (journalists and MPs are decreed to be sufficiently respectable professions – go figure)
- live in the UK;
- hold a current British or Irish passport.
Once you have made the application, you will receive the passport through the mail. Waiting times are usually around the same as renewing an adult UK passport.