Denmark’s government on Tuesday announced it will rise the fee for applying for citizenship from 4,000 kroner to 6,000 kroner.

The government said it was raising the fee for apply for citizenship to 6,000 kroner so that it “more closely reflects the costs of case processing”.

The current 4,000 kroner fee, has applied since 2021 when it was raised from 3,800 kroner. The new hike means the fee is five times more than the 1,200 kroner that was charged to applications prior to 2018.

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We asked for your thoughts on this and it’s fair to say we got differing takes.

“If a person really loves Denmark and needs the citizenship of Denmark, then he/she should be ready to accept Denmark for what it is and be ready to contribute to the society as a future Dane,” said Selina.

Selina, who lives in Esbjerg, stated she would be happy to pay up to 20,000 kroner in fees to apply for Danish citizenship.

She also pointed out that, even with the incoming increase, the cost of applying for citizenship in Denmark remains less than the fee for non-EU nationals applying for permanent residency.

READ ALSO: What’s the difference between temporary and permanent residency in Denmark?

“We need to also respect that there is a cost incurred to the government to source employees to check our applications. The hourly wage here is high compared to other countries, which is why in return we also get paid high salaries,” she continued.

Selina said that, during five years living in Denmark, she had spent “nearly 15,000 kroner [on] application fees for me and my family just for residency visas, and I don’t complain!”

“I am not at all concerned about any cost for application fees and I do not understand why people make it a topic of discussion when a fee increases for them to apply for citizenship in one of the world’s happiest countries, actually,” she said.

Selina was not the only person to mention the cost of various types of residency permit against the citizenship fee.

“(The) initial family reunification application is 8,575 kroner, with renewal costs of 4,075 kroner, so 4,000 kroner for Citizenship seems like a bargain!”, Caz, who lives in Randers said.

READ ALSO: ‘A noticeable change’: What Denmark’s plans to change family reunion rules mean

A British national who is the spouse of a Dane, Caz said she plans on applying for citizenship “when the time comes around”.

“But so far it costs a small fortune to live here,” she said.

“The journey towards a citizenship is becoming more and more expensive, if you also add the cost of the permanent residence (which is required for citizenship),” said Salvador from Chile, a six-year resident of Denmark.

“The value becomes quite high for some households,” he noted, adding that he plans to apply for citizenship in around two years.

Some of the readers who responded to our survey rejected the government’s explanation that the fee raise was related to costs.

“A succession of steep price rises clearly indicates the government wants to reduce the amount of new citizens, instead of welcoming them. This is not about covering costs,” James, a UK national who lives in Gentofte said.

Although he is working towards qualifying for citizenship, James described the cost as a “concern”.

“I recently received my permanent residency in Denmark and do have some eventual plans to apply for the Danish citizenship as soon as I become eligible,” wrote Anuradha, who lives in Farum.

“The cost does seem to be on a higher side, however I see it as a one-time cost and definitely there is no guarantee that I will get the Danish citizenship so it is a calculated risk with no guarantee of getting the citizenship, either,” she said.

“I am sure that there are certain percentage of people who would still be applying irrespective of this cost and it would not really impact as long as they are motivated to apply for the citizenship,” she reflected.