The citizenship freeze directly impacts roughly 19,000 applicants at various stages of the process
That includes the over 2,000 applicants who were approved and included in bill L98 (in Denmark, new citizenships must be voted through by parliament), which was tossed when the election was called earlier in the year.
Many applicants feel the freeze directly
The Danish Dispatch has spoken to over twenty applicants at various stages of their processes about the effect this has had on them.
Many highlighted the uncertainty that it has caused them, and the difficulties it has caused with regard to future planning.
Some have put off starting families until there is certainty around their legal status. Others have put off visiting sick relatives in other countries until cases are settled, so that such extended trips can’t impact their applications.
Others noted that the lack of Danish citizenship has caused difficulties in their careers.
It has limited their ability to go on work trips if their first passport is particularly weak. It has also kept others from applying for new jobs, worried that employment shifts could also impact their application.
Recent lay-offs of internationals have also caused stress, as periods of unemployment can lead to applications being rejected.
Hesitancy to speak on the record
Of the internationals The Danish Dispatch has spoken to, the majority were uncomfortable with speaking on the record and sharing their stories.
In most cases, they explained that they feared going public with their stories could impact their application, citing a loss of confidence in Danish freedom of expression.
Applicants who come from countries with authoritarian regimes in power were especially hesitant, with several comparing the current situation in Denmark around citizenship to their home countries’ authoritarianism.
However, three of the applicants who were willing to go on record shared their stories with The Danish Dispatch, and those stories are presented below.
Andrea Sanz: “Rejection from a society I thought I belonged to”
Andrea Sanz, a Spanish national, first arrived in Denmark in 2011 for a six-month university exchange programme in Aarhus.
She loved the teaching style as well as broader Danish values and decided to return to Denmark in 2013 for her master’s degree. She has lived here ever since.
Speaking to The Danish Dispatch, she said, “I had been very sure that Denmark was the right place for me.
“Part of that was what I thought were the Danish values. I felt like I could be a part of that and I felt like the way society works here, that I could really resonate with it.”
After finishing her degree in 2015, she has been working in marketing and communications at various companies, but for the past six years at Specsavers.
Andrea obtained permanent residency in Denmark in 2023 and submitted her application for citizenship the same month.
After a several-years’ wait with little contact from the authorities, she was, at the start of 2026, included in L98. However, it is now unclear when she’ll be able to get her citizenship.
She noted, “It was one of my resolutions when the new year kicked off to celebrate citizenship.
“I’d throw a big party with hot dogs and flags and invite everybody, and neighbours, and kinda make a big deal out of it. So now it looks like it won’t happen this year.”
For her, the freeze doesn’t make her worry about her right to stay in Denmark, though: “Other than having to continue meeting the requirements for an undetermined amount of time, I’m fine.
“I’m not gonna lose my house, I’m not gonna lose my job, I’m not gonna be kicked out of the country unless I really mess up.”
However, the freeze has made Andrea re-evaluate what she thought she knew about Denmark. “It has made me feel less wanted and it’s made me question, well, is Denmark the right place for me then?
“Am I going to feel like a second-class citizen forever, knowing that there’s a lot of people who feel this way and feel that I am maybe not deserving of citizenship? It has been a bit of a feeling of rejection from a society I thought I belonged to.”
Stefan Laage: “I’m Danish by blood, but not by paper”
Stefan Laage, an American national, has a Danish mother. He spent most summers of his childhood in Denmark visiting Danish grandparents in North Jutland.
He moved permanently to Denmark in 2015 to complete a dual master’s degree between Copenhagen University and Lund University.
After completing his degree, he embarked on a career in user insights, before making a switch to cybersecurity earlier this year, working for Ernst & Young.
Speaking to The Danish Dispatch, he remarked, “I’m Danish by blood, but not by paper. It’s a total conundrum, really.
“But I like my life here, I’m happy here, so I’m just stubborn as hell, I guess. I’m not really going anywhere. But I would have been Swedish twice by now.
“And what’s the difference between a Swedish passport and a Danish passport? I’m sure there are some Danes that get offended by that, but in terms of rights, there’s no difference.”
Despite his frustration with Danish naturalisation rules, he has signed up to be a volunteer for the Danish Home Guard (Hjemmeværnet) and has completed his basic training.
Stefan was expecting his citizenship case to be included in the law after L98 (which would have likely been voted on in autumn if it weren’t for the freeze). However, now he doesn’t know what he can expect in terms of timeline.
He feels that he needs to be extra careful due to a lack of citizenship, adding that, “I think it’s held me back in the way I’m very risk-averse, where I would be more ambitious and take more risks if it weren’t for this full-time employment requirement.
“I don’t drive, for instance, because if I get a speeding ticket, it adds years to my application. You’re kind of on edge, you’re walking on eggshells.”
And for him, citizenship offers certainty, saying, “Citizenship is a sense of safety and security. If I uncheck one of these boxes for whatever reason, I potentially lose the keys to Europe.
“In the worst case, being deported for no fault of my own. That, I think, is what bothers me the most.”
Erika Christensen: “You just feel very unsure and quite distressed”
Erika Christensen, an Australian national, moved to be with her Danish partner (now husband) in 2014 after the couple met at an archery competition in the Dominican Republic.
She came to Denmark initially on a green card and later achieved family reunification. However, the latter was a turbulent experience.
The Ministry’s initial determination was that she and her husband had closer ties to the US than to Denmark, and suggested they move there. Neither is American, nor has either ever lived in the US.
To The Danish Dispatch, she described the process: “It’s every time you’ve had to stand in line for that application and wait for that decision to come and that axe to fall.
“I don’t feel like I’m particularly paranoid because I did get the letter that told me I have to move to the US. And to have this thing where they make the decision and then they take it back again. You just feel very unsure and quite distressed.”
The application for citizenship was more straightforward. Erika’s application passed and she was included in L98 earlier this year. However, now she doesn’t know where she stands.
She described her frustration with the system: “The bars keep on moving. So you’re constantly in that pain in your gut, that tension that at any minute something’s going to change and that your grasp on what you think you have and where you are and your stability is always a little bit on edge.
“I’ve been here for twelve years. I’ve been working ridiculously hard hours. I’m well and truly established here. I have Danish family and friends. I tick every single box you say that the right people are supposed to tick and I’m still sitting here.”
When asked about how this impacts her, she said, “It doesn’t directly impact me on anything concrete right now, this minute.
“My biggest fear would be every time a war breaks out, or something like COVID. Those things start becoming a bit of a tense point because if you don’t have a passport for that country, you can end up on the wrong side of the border.”
Erika works as a senior scientist in a very international office with layoffs recently. She described how this impacts the internationals there: “Almost every day there was somebody bawling their eyes out because they didn’t know.
“They ask: am I still going to have a job? Am I still going to be allowed to stay in the country?”