Nearly 14,000 citizenship applications frozen as Denmark awaits new government

Some 13,900 foreign nationals, including Romanian-born gallery owner Adrian Silviu-Suiugan, face prolonged uncertainty as their Danish citizenship applications remain on hold during ongoing coalition negotiations, DR reports.

Silviu-Suiugan, 35, who has lived in Denmark since 2012, said his application—originally estimated to take 22 months—has now stretched to nearly 29 months without resolution. “I have my family here, my work here. After living here so long, I feel Danish,” he told DR, adding that his daughter was born at Gødstrup Hospital in 2022.

The Ministry of Immigration and Integration paused processing all pending citizenship cases ahead of the June election, citing the lack of a sitting government. Legal experts call the freeze highly unusual. Eva Ersbøll, a human rights researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, noted that “from the perspective of rule-of-law and human rights principles, it is highly problematic that processing times are long and there is no clarity on which rules apply.”

Peder Hvelplund, acting citizenship spokesperson for the Red-Green Alliance, called the halt “completely unreasonable treatment of citizens who already meet very strict requirements.” He urged the incoming government to prioritise resolving the backlog. Former immigration minister Rasmus Stoklund (Social Democrats), who ordered the pause, declined to comment.

Silviu-Suiugan, who last visited Romania four years ago, said the delay has left him worried about whether he will be eligible to vote in the next election. “When they treat us this way, it makes me question if I’ll even get the chance,” he said.