The short version: permanent residence requires Prøve i Dansk 2, and Danish citizenship requires Prøve i Dansk 3 plus a separate test about Danish society. Everything else on this page is the detail: what those tests are, which level they are, what the alternatives are, and how to plan your Danish around them.
In short
- Permanent residence (permanent opholdstilladelse): a passed Prøve i Dansk 2 (level B1). Prøve i Dansk 3 is one of the supplementary requirements that let you apply earlier.
- Citizenship (indfødsret): a passed Prøve i Dansk 3 (level B2), plus the citizenship test (indfødsretsprøven), which is about Danish society, history and culture, not about language.
- “The Danish citizenship test” that people search for is that second test. It is multiple choice, in Danish, and you need Danish at roughly B1 to read it.
- The rules have other requirements too (years of residence, work, no serious crime, no public debt) and they change. This page covers the language and tests only. The official source is nyidanmark.dk.
The Danish tests, by level
| Test | Level | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Prøve i Dansk 1 (PD1) | A1–A2 | The end of Danskuddannelse 1. Not enough for permanent residence on its own. |
| Prøve i Dansk 2 (PD2) | B1 | The language requirement for permanent residence. The end of Danskuddannelse 2. |
| Prøve i Dansk 3 (PD3) | B2 | The language requirement for citizenship; a supplementary requirement for permanent residence; replaces the A1/A2 tests for family reunification. After module 5 of Danskuddannelse 3. |
| Studieprøven | C1 | University admission in Danish. Counts wherever PD3 does. |
A higher test always counts for a lower requirement, so a passed PD3 covers the PD2 requirement. Some foreign and Danish qualifications count as equivalents; the list is on nyidanmark.dk.
Permanent residence: Prøve i Dansk 2, and why PD3 helps
To get permanent residence you must, among other things, have passed Prøve i Dansk 2 or a higher test. That is the basic language requirement, and it is at level B1: you can talk about your work and your life, read everyday texts, and write a simple email.
On top of the basic requirements, there are supplementary requirements (tillægskrav), and meeting some of them lets you apply after fewer years of residence. One of them is a passed Prøve i Dansk 3. The others are about work, income and active citizenship, including the smaller citizenship test called medborgerskabsprøven. So if you are on Danskuddannelse 3 anyway, finishing module 5 and passing PD3 is not only a language goal; it can shorten the wait for permanent residence.
Citizenship: Prøve i Dansk 3 plus the citizenship test
Danish citizenship by naturalisation has two test requirements:
- Prøve i Dansk 3 (or Studieprøven, or an equivalent). B2, with a written and an oral part, held twice a year. What is in it is on the PD3 page.
- The citizenship test, indfødsretsprøven. A multiple-choice test about Danish society, culture and history, in Danish, held twice a year. You need a clear majority of the answers right, and a few of the questions are about Danish values and must be answered correctly. The material is a published learning text you can study from.
People often mix up the two, because both are “the test for citizenship”. The difference is simple: PD3 tests your Danish, and the citizenship test tests what you know about Denmark, in Danish. Most of my students take PD3 first, then read the citizenship material in Danish as reading practice, which is what it is.
Where the A1 and A2 tests fit
If you came to Denmark through family reunification, you also had the A1 and A2 tests with their six- and nine-month deadlines. They have nothing to do with permanent residence or citizenship; they are conditions of the family reunification permit. A passed PD3 replaces them, but almost nobody reaches B2 within nine months, so plan to take them.
A realistic timeline
For most people who start from zero on Danskuddannelse 3, the tests come in this order:
- Months 1–9: the A1 and A2 tests, if they apply to you, and modules 1 and 2.
- Year 1–2: modules 3 and 4, with the module tests, to B1. At this point you could take PD2 if you wanted a certificate early, but on DU3 most people continue.
- Year 2–3: module 5 and Prøve i Dansk 3. The Danish education is planned so that PD3 can be reached in about three years, and the right to free teaching lasts five.
- Whenever the other requirements are met: the citizenship test, and the applications.
If your goal is citizenship, aim for PD3 and do not stop at PD2. If your goal is permanent residence as fast as possible, ask which supplementary requirements you can meet; for many, PD3 is the most realistic one.
Questions people ask
Is there a Danish language test for permanent residence other than PD2?
PD2 is the requirement, but PD3 and Studieprøven count as well, and some other qualifications are accepted as equivalent. A module test from the language school is not.
Can I take PD2 or PD3 without a language school?
Yes. You register through a language centre as a self-study candidate and pay a fee. The exams are held in May/June and November/December.
What level is the citizenship test?
It is not a language test, but it is written in Danish, and the material is at roughly B1. If you have passed PD3, reading it is not the problem; knowing the answers is.
Do the rules change?
Yes, regularly. The tests and levels on this page have been stable for years, but the years of residence, the work requirements and the details of the supplementary requirements are changed by new governments. Check nyidanmark.dk before you plan around any of it.
Updated 13 September 2026