Closing in on dual citizenship

Faroese citizens will soon be allowed to keep their Danish citizenship despite becoming a citizen of another country.

Similarly, foreign nationals residing in the Faroes will no longer be required to give up their original citizenship in order to become Danish citizens.

The proposed national law amendment, which aims to update the law on dual citizenship, had its first reading in Parliament yesterday.

The Danish government has pointed out that the law on Danish citizenship should apply throughout the Danish kingdom, rather than having three separate laws for Denmark, Greenland and the Faroes.

It is not easy to estimate how many people residing in the Faroes can make use of this system.

In the 2011 census, 1,439 respondents said they had a native langue other than Faroese or Danish.

The Danish law on citizenship, which is currently in force in the Faroes, has not been changed since 2014. Since 2014, this law has undergone seven amendments in Denmark, including one which allows for dual citizenship.

It is this particular amendment that many would like to see changed here too, says Prime Minister Aksel V. Johannesen.

See also:

MP seeks clarity on civil registration numbers

Faroese people should qualify for dual citizenship

Translated by prosa.fo