Apply for family reunification as an adopted child, foster child or close family member

You would like to apply for family reunification as an adopted child, foster child or close family member. The person you are applying to live with in Denmark is a citizen of Denmark or another Nordic country, or has legal residence in Denmark for a reason other than asylum.

The expected maximum processing time is
7 months

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The fee is
DKK 8,575,-

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Who can be granted family reunification?

If you are under 18, you can be granted a residence permit in Denmark under the rules for family reunification if the residence permit is granted for the purpose of:

  • Adoption
  • Residence as part of a foster-family relationship, or
  • Residence with a close family member

The person whom you want to be reunified with must be a Danish resident and may not have parental custody of you.

You and the person in Denmark must also to meet certain requirements.

Special rules apply to the groups below:

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What are the requirements if you apply as an adopted child?

In order to qualify for family reunification for the purpose of adoption, you (the applicant) and the person you will live with in Denmark (the person applying to adopt you) both need to meet certain requirements.

You can be granted a residence permit as an adopted child if:

  • the person applying to adopt you has been approved as an adoptive parent,
  • the person applying to adopt you has not been approved by a foreign authority, or
  • a foreign authority has approved the person applying to adopt you, but the approval is not recognised in Denmark.

You can also be granted a residence permit as an adopted child if:

  • the person applying to adopt you has been approved as an adoptive parent by a Danish joint council or the Danish National Board of Adoption, and
  • an approval by a foreign authority is recognised in Denmark, provided the child will not become a Danish citizen after being adopted.

Read more about the actual adoption at the Agency of Family Law's webpage

Residence permit to the adopted child is granted by the Immigration Service based on an application.

The application for residence permit is normally submitted by the adoption agency DIA, which is Denmark’s only approved international adoption facilitator. The application can be submitted in Denmark regardless that the adopted child is residing abroad.

If the person applying to adopt you has not yet been approved as an adoptive parent, you can be granted a residence permit to be adopted at a later date. You will need to submit your application on this site.

The person you would like to live with in Denmark (the person applying to adopt you) needs to:

  • be a citizen of Denmark or another Nordic country
  • hold a permanent residence permit for reasons other than asylum, or
  • hold a Danish residence permit that allows you to apply for a permanent residence permit.
     

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What are the requirements if you apply as a foster child?

You can only be granted a residence permit as a foster child if very special conditions apply. You (the applicant) and the person you are applying to live with in Denmark (your foster parent) must meet certain requirements. 

You can only be granted a residence permit as a foster child if very special conditions apply.

Some of the things the Immigration Service will consider are:

  • How closely attached you are to the person you are applying to live with in Denmark (your foster parent)
  • What other caretakers you have
  • Whether your foster parent has supported you financially in your home country

When assessing how closely attached you and your foster parent are, the Immigration Service will consider, among other things, how long you have known each other and the nature of your relationship. Normally, you may not have other relevant caretakers in your home country.
 

The municipality where your foster parent lives must approve of your foster-family relationship. 

If the other conditions for being granted a residence permit as part of a foster-family relationship are met, the Immigration Service will in connection with the processing of your application ask the municipality, where your foster parent lives, about whether the care relationship can be recommended.

Your foster parent must:

  • be a citizen of Denmark or another Nordic country,
  • hold a permanent residence permit for reasons other than asylum, or
  • hold a Danish residence permit that allows you to apply for a permanent residence permit.
     

Your foster parent in Denmark must be self-supporting. This means that your foster parent may not have received social benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik) or the Integration Act (integrationsloven) prior to you being granted a permanent residence permit. Read more about social benefits and their impact on your foster parent’s ability to meet the self-support requirement

Your foster parent in Denmark must assume responsibility for supporting you financially until you turn 18. The application form includes a statement declaring that your foster parent assumes responsibility for supporting you. Your foster parent must sign this statement. 

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What are the requirements if you apply as a close family member?

Family reunification as a close family member can only be granted if very special reasons apply. You (the applicant) and the person you are applying to live with in Denmark (your close family member) both must meet certain requirements.

A ‘close family member’ can be your biological parent (if he/she is not your custody parent), your siblings, your grandparents and your parents’ siblings.
 

Your close family member must:

  • be a citizen of Denmark or another Nordic country
  • hold a permanent residence permit for reasons other than asylum, or
  • hold a Danish residence permit that allows you to apply for a permanent residence permit.
     

You can only qualify for family reunification to live with a close family member in Denmark if very special conditions apply.

Some of the things the Immigration Service will look at are when considering whether you qualify for family reunification are:

  • Your attachment to the family member you are applying to live with
  • Whether you have other close family members in your home country
  • Whether the close family member you are applying to live with in Denmark has supported you financially in your home country

When evaluating your attachment to the family member you are applying to live with, the things the Immigration Service will consider include how you are related, how closely you are attached and how long you have known each other.
 

Your close family member in Denmark must be self-supporting. Being self-supporting means that your close family member may not have received social benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik) or the Integration Act (integrationsloven) prior to you being granted a permanent residence permit. Read more about social benefits and their impact on your close family member’s ability to meet the self-support requirement

Your close family member in Denmark must assume responsibility for supporting you financially until you turn 18. The application form includes a statement declaring that your close family member assumes responsibility for supporting you. Your close family member needs to sign this statement. 

Your close family member in Denmark must have an independent, reasonably sized residence at his/her disposal. This is known as the housing requirement.

An independent residence is a residence that has an entrance of its own and appears as one unit. An independent residence does not need to have a kitchen or bathroom of its own.

Your close family member has a residence at his/her disposal if he/she owns, rents or sublets the place where he/she lives. Owning property collectively as an andelshaver or anpartshaver also satisfies this requirement.

The residence must be reasonably sized. This means that by the time you are approved for family reunification, your close family member’s residence must meet one of the following requirements:

  • the number of people living in the residence may not be more than double the number of rooms, or
  • there must be at least 20 sq. metres of living space for each person living there.

Read more about the housing requirement 
 

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Which type of residence permit will you be granted?

 

If your application for family reunification is approved, you will initially be granted a temporary residence permit, typically valid for one year. If you and the person in Denmark still meet the requirements for residency, your residence permit can be extended.

When you turn 18 years, it may be possible for you to obtain a permanent residence permit by meeting relaxed requirements. Read more about permanent residence permit 
 

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The information below explains how to apply for a residence permit based on family reunification.

We recommend that you make sure you meet the requirements for family reunification before paying the application fee. Read more about the requirements in the ‘Need to know’ tab.


 

You and the person in Denmark each need to fill in part of the application form. You will also need to enclose documentation. It is a good idea to gather the documentation before you start. 

If you are applying as an adopted child, you may need:

If you are applying as a foster child, you may need:

If you are applying to live with a close family member, you may need:

Set aside

30 to 40 minutes

to fill in the application form.

2 people

You (or an adult who is applying on your behalf) and the person you are applying to live with in Denmark each need to fill in part of the application form.

If you are not applying at the same time as your parent

The application form FA1 online includes detailed instructions for how to fill it in and which types of documentation you can attach. The person in Denmark starts the digital application form he/she starts the application proces for you. He/she needs MitID when filling in the application form. Read more about MitID

If you want to resume filling in an application form online select ‘Start online application’. Once you are logged in, select ‘Continue a previously saved application’.

If you would like to make changes to an application after you have submitted it, you need to contact the Immigration Service. You do not need to submit a new application. Contact the Immigration Service

Start FA2 online application

We encourage you to use the digital application form. It adapts according to your answers and is automatically send to the Immigration Service, when you have submitted it.

You can also print out and submit the application form. You can fill in the application form in Word format on your computer before printing it out. The application form is also available as a PDF file that can be printed out and filled in by hand.

Download a printable version of FA7 in Word format

Download a printable version of FA7 in pdf format 

When you submit an application to the Immigration Service, we will process your personal information. You can read more about your rights and how we process your information in the application form or on this page: Personal data – How we process your data

When processing your case, we may seek to verify the accuracy of the information you have given. Read more about verification at the Danish Immigration Service

 

Applying from abroad

You can submit your application at a Danish mission (embassy or consulate), or an outsourcing office in the country where you live.

See the list of Danish missions or outsourcing offices where you can hand in your application

If there is no Danish mission or outsourcing offices in the country where you live, the list refers to missions Denmark shares a representation agreement with, e.g. Norway or Sweden. If there is no representation agreement, the list refers to the nearest Danish mission or outsourcing office in the region.

The Immigration Service recommends that you visit the website of the Danish mission before you submit your application. Individual offices might have additional requirements, such as extra passport photos or copies of your application.

Applying in Denmark

If you are in Denmark legally, you can normally submit your application in Denmark. This would be the case if you:

  • hold a valid visa,
  • are not required to hold a visa, or
  • hold a valid Danish residence permit.

You can submit your application at the Immigration Service’s Citizen Service. You must book an appointment before you show up at the Citizen Service. Read more about where the Immigration Service’s Citizen Service has branch offices and how you book an appointment

You can also send your application to the Immigration Service in the post.

Read more about the rules for submitting your application in Denmark

When you submit your application, you will normally need to have your fingerprints recorded and a picture of your face taken. These are also known as your biometric features. Your biometric features are required in order for you to get a new residence card.

Read more about residence cards with fingerprints and facial pictures
 

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Last updated 15-12-2023 - Published by: The Danish Immigration Service