Almost 24, but marriage isn’t an option in Denmark

In one month I will turn twenty four, the legal age for me (a foreigner) to get married in Denmark.

This is due to the 24  year rule which prohibits marriage between foreigners and Danes until both partners have turned twenty four. This represents the toughest family reunification laws in the world.

Until recently I thought this was fairly harsh, but now I have discovered that should I want to get married, there are even more hoops the government wants me to jump through.

Firstly I have to prove that we would have more connection to Denmark than to Australia. They want to know how well we both speak Danish, are connected to the Danish labour market and whether we have any family here. As I studied here last year, I should be able to prove this, but I dislike trying to justify why I should be allowed to live in Denmark. Shouldn’t my love for my girlfriend be enough?

Secondly we would need to be living together, but no, that’s not all. The government has made requirements for the size of the property. The total residential area must be no smaller than 20 square meters per person. I wonder how this number was generated and why it matters?

Thirdly my girlfriend can’t have received any government assistance (welfare) for the last three years, I don’t know if the student support counts, but I surely hope not! Maybe this matters in the case of welfare cheats, but why should it impair marriage?

Fourthly my girlfriend would have to pay the municipality 62,231 kroner to ‘compensate’ the state for having to cover the costs of my relocation to Denmark. I mean, I’ve only just graduated from university, this seems a little unfair to me.

Last but not least, the Danish spouse (my girlfriend) must not have committed a violent act against me or another partner in the last ten years. But I’m sure we wouldn’t be getting married if she was slapping me around, so I don’t see why this should impede our relationship.

Last year when I was studying at the journalism school I did a story on this subject.  We concluded the rule which is meant to stop forced marriage, is really a guise for making immigration to Denmark more difficult.

Unfortunately for me I am an casualty of this twenty four years rule. I mean I don’t want to be a welfare cheat, I would like to work and integrate into society. I have an education, but not enough money. I have a desire to learn Danish and to respect Danish culture, but whether that will be enough to convince the government of this is another matter.

I have heard that the Danish Peoples Party who are responsible for this law would like to raise the age to twenty eight, as it has been so successful at keeping out foreigners. Purely on selfish grounds I hope this won’t happen.