Translation of Residence and Family Documents for Denmark

SIRI opens the file with a two-part form

Family reunification applications in Denmark are conducted by SIRI, and the process begins with a form in two parts, one completed by the spouse in Denmark, the other by the applicant abroad. The two parts complete one another; if either is missing, the file is not taken up. The party in Denmark gives the information on housing, on income and, where there is one, on the collateral obligation. The party abroad, having paid the application fee, gives biometric data at the mission. The order and the timing of these two steps bear directly on how long the file takes.

The conditions Denmark applies in family reunification make up one of the most detailed frameworks in Europe; attachment, collateral, housing and language are each assessed under a separate head. Because the content of those heads is revised often, reading SIRI’s own guidance before applying is obligatory.

The authorised translator title has been abolished

Denmark is the exception in Northern Europe: the official authorisation of translators has been abolished. That means the work of translating has been deregulated, but it does not make a document any easier to have accepted. What is expected in practice is a translation submitted by a recognised translation agency with a declaration of accuracy; in some procedures notarisation or certification by the mission is also asked for. Since there is no system looking for a sworn translator, the reliability of a translation is carried by the agency’s declaration and its stamp. Apostilled sworn translations made in Türkiye generally cause no difficulty within that framework.

Head	What is shown
Housing	Accommodation of sufficient size and held for a suitable term
Subsistence	That there is no dependence on social assistance
Collateral	Security placed in a blocked account in the municipality’s name
Relationship	The genuineness of the marriage and the will of the parties

Where files most often come unstuck

The adverse outcome met with most often in Denmark is a failure to satisfy one of the conditions, most commonly the collateral not having been deposited or the housing not meeting the criteria of term and size. The second frequent problem is the time elapsing between the two parts of the form growing too long; SIRI expects the second part to be completed within a set period. The third is doubt arising in the assessment of whether the marriage was entered into by the parties’ own will; marriages contracted at a young age and between relatives may be examined further. Refusals stemming from the form of the documents are, by comparison, few.

The order of translation and apostille

For Turkish documents the order runs as follows: the document is obtained with a current date, the apostille is completed in Türkiye, and the text including the certificate is then translated into English or Danish. Denmark accepts an English translation in many procedures, which, given how hard a translation into Danish is to come by, is a considerable convenience. Danish may nonetheless be asked for in municipal matters. Which language and which declaration a given document calls for can be seen on our document page, and how this differs from the authorised translator regimes of neighbouring Sweden and Norway in our country guide.

Children, school and the route of appeal

Where children are brought to Denmark the birth certificate shows parentage, but the real examination centres on custody and on the child’s attachment. A parent coming alone is asked for the other parent’s consent or for the court judgment settling custody; the judgment is translated in full, together with the certificate of finality. For children above a certain age, how late the application was made also enters the assessment; delay can lead to the child’s prospects of settling into Denmark being questioned.

There is a route of appeal against adverse decisions, and an appeal is made within a set period. In an appeal file, the points found wanting are expected to be supported with fresh documents; at this stage further papers may have to be obtained from Türkiye and translated. Because time is short, knowing in advance where a document can be obtained and how long it takes to obtain is an advantage.

School and nursery enrolment runs as a separate chain. To settle which class the child will be placed in, the municipality asks for the earlier educational documents and for the birth certificate. This request is independent of the immigration file and follows its own timetable; having the documents prepared in more than one copy makes parallel processes easier.

Nor should the notification to the Turkish civil register of children born in Denmark and of a marriage contracted there be forgotten. At this step the Danish document has to be translated into Turkish; the direction of the translation reverses, and when the notification is late the child’s Turkish identity formalities are held up too.

After arrival: the personal number and the integration programme

Once you have entered Denmark you register with the municipality and are given a personal number; that number is the key to everything from the health card to a bank account. The originals of the birth and marriage certificates may be asked for during registration. The integration programme agreed with the municipality then begins, and attendance at language tuition is expected.

For the move to permanent residence, a language test, a work history and self-sufficiency conditions are sought together; these conditions vary with the rules in force at the time of the application. Should documents be needed from Türkiye once more, the preparation of a power of attorney and the time the translation takes should be planned for as well. To see the cost per page look at our pricing page, and you can upload your documents and request a quotation.

This content is for information only; a country’s practice on apostille or consular legalisation may change. We recommend checking the current position with the authority that will handle the matter.