Guidance

Denmark: Knowledge Base profile

Updated 12 April 2024

About: Denmark

This document contains useful information about Denmark which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 4.0
• published for Home Office staff on 9 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Denmark: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Denmark.

Names in Denmark consist of:

• 1 forename
• up to 2 middle names
• a surname, double-barrelled surnames are not allowed

If a child has a double-barrelled surname on the birth certificate one of the names will be shown as a surname and one as a middle name.

Changes of name

Name changes are allowed in Denmark and are recorded in official records. This includes change of name through marriage.

Following a marriage, the:

• married surname of the couple can be either the:
  • husband’s original surname
  • wife’s original surname
• couple will be issued with a:
  • change of name document (Bekraeftesle af Navm)
  • marriage certificate (Vielsesattest)

The customer must complete a registration process and provide documents showing their new name. A customer may provide a Registerindsigt document to confirm their name change, this is accepted by HM Passport Office as it contains the customer’s previous and current name.

Denmark: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Denmark.

Dual nationality is not allowed in Denmark unless the person is a dual national from birth.

Denmark: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Denmark.

Legitimacy

Denmark recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered legitimate if:

• the child’s mother is married at the time of birth, her husband is registered as the child’s father unless:
  • they have separated; or
  • she was married to another man within the 10 months before the birth
• the parents are unmarried at the time of birth and the parents complete a Declaration of Joint Care and Responsibility

A child will be considered illegitimate if the parents are unmarried and do not complete a Declaration of Joint Care and Responsibility.

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility if they are named on the birth certificate in Denmark. An unmarried father will only be added to the birth certificate when the parents complete a Declaration of Joint Care and Responsibility form.

Denmark: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Denmark.

Adoption is legal in Denmark.

Denmark: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Denmark.

Surrogacy is illegal in Denmark.

Denmark: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Denmark.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Denmark.

Denmark: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Denmark.

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, HM Passport Office cannot accept Multilingual Standard Forms (MSFs) issued by member states. An MSF will:

• contain a reference to the convention signed at Vienna on September 8 1976, this may be on the reverse of the document
• be marked as a Formul A (birth certificate), normally in the top right corner on the front of the document in the language of the country where the document was issued
  • there will also be marriage certificates and death certificates that will have a different Formul version that is also not acceptable

These documents are an extract of a civil registration record translated into the language needed and not a full, original certificate.

Birth certificates

All births in Denmark are registered in the parish where the mother lives and must be registered within 30 days. Certificates are only produced when requested.

Birth certificates can be issued without the child’s name if issued before the child is christened. When the name is given the birth certificate must be amended.

The certificate will always show the names of the birth or adoptive parents. Additional documents can be requested to confirm if the parents are the birth parents:

• a transcript of the Church register issued in order to confirm the birth parents’ details; or
• a printout from the hospital where the child was born

The child’s sex does not appear on the certificate. The last four numbers of the civil registration number confirm the sex. Odd numbers show the child is male and even numbers show the child is female.

There are 2 types of certificate:

• Danish fødsels- og navneattest used by people who are members of the Danish State Church (Folkekirken)
• Personattest (personal certificate) (introduced on 6th November 2017)

An unmarried father will only be added to the birth certificate when the parents complete a Declaration of Joint Care and Responsibility form.

Marriage certificates

All marriages in Denmark are registered and recorded in a central registry. Certificates can be issued in Danish or are multilingual.

Death certificates

Deaths are recorded on a central register.