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FAMILY

Denmark gives parents of twin babies extended leave

Mothers and fathers of twin babies born in Denmark will get an additional 13 weeks of parental leave after parliament approved a change to the existing rules.

Published: 21 March 2024 14:59 CET
Denmark gives parents of twin babies extended leave
Denmark will give extra parental leave to parents of twins. Photo by Lingchor on Unsplash

The new rules take effect from May 1st, the Ministry of Employment said in a statement.

This means that twins born after this date will get an extra 26 weeks with their parents of parental leave covered by the state – 13 for each parent.

“It’s an extra big handful when there’s not just one, but two new infants in the family at the same time. We are now making sure there’s enough time to get things under control,” Employment Minister Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen said in the statement.

“Every year, parents to around 1,000 pairs of twins find themselves in a happy but also difficult situation. It has been an important priority for the government and other parties behind this agreement to give them better conditions,” she added.

READ ALSO: Have Denmark’s new parental leave rules changed mums’ and dads’ time off with babies?

The new rules were formed in a political agreement between the government and four opposition parties – the Socialist People’s Party (SF), Liberal Alliance, Social Liberals and Danish People’s Party – made as part of the 2023 budget.

The 26 weeks’ extra parental leave must be taken before the twins’ first birthdays. The rules apply to all parents who have two or more children at the same birth or adoption.

The leave cannot be transferred between parents and is therefore comparable to the “earmarked” parental leave that was introduced in a reform to the provisions in 2022.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s parental leave rules explained

The parental leave law which came into effect on August 2nd 2022 guarantees each parent 11 weeks of so-called “earmarked” leave with their newborn child. This means each parent gets 11 weeks of non-transferable parental leave after their child is born. One parent cannot transfer any of the ‘earmarked’ leave to the other, meaning if they do not use the full 11 weeks, they eventually lapse.

Denmark changed its parental leave rules in part to comply with an EU directive requiring member states earmark nine weeks of statutory parental leave for fathers.

The new rules for twins replace outgoing parental leave rules which gave additional leave to parents who had three or more children at the same birth.

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RESIDENCE PERMITS

Foreign spouses already in Denmark will not get back 57,000 kroner deposit 

Danes and foreign partners who have already deposited up to 114,000 kroner to qualify for family reunification, will not be allowed to withdraw some of the money when a new law halves the required security in July, Denmark's immigration service has told The Local.

Published: 15 May 2024 09:47 CEST
Updated: 15 May 2024 11:50 CEST
Foreign spouses already in Denmark will not get back 57,000 kroner deposit 

The new law on spousal reunion, which should be voted through parliament on May 30th, proposes that the bankgaranti, or bank guarantee, the deposit couples need to leave in an account accessible to their local municipality, be halved from 114,000 kroner to 57,000 kroner (both 2024 level) from July 1st.  

However, according to the Danish Immigration Service, couples who have already completed the process before July 1st and have already deposited the full guarantee will not be able to draw down their deposit to the new, lower, sum. 

“A concluded case resulting in a residence permit issued prior to the proposal is not subject to the new rules. Therefore, it will only be possible to reduce the collateral guarantee requirement with the amounts applicable before the amendment of the law,”  the immigration service told The Local in a written statement. 

The purpose of the bank guarantee is ostensibly to ensure that municipalities can draw from the fund to pay for costs such as unemployment benefits, if the family reunified person needs them.

But the requirement may have little practical effect because foreign nationals resident under family reunification rules are likely to lose their residence status anyway if unemployed, negating the need for social welfare benefits.

READ ALSO: What’s in the new law on bringing a foreign spouse to Denmark?

The immigration service told The Local that anyone whose application had yet to receive a decision at the time the new law was presented to parliament on April 11th will be invited to request that the decision on their application be delayed until after July 1st, so that their application will only need to meet the new more lenient rules. 

In these situations, it said, the spouse already residing in Denmark will generally be contacted via their Digital Post and asked whether they want the decision on their case to be delayed.  

Couples who have had their request for family reunion rejected “due to non-compliance with the current requirement for collateral guarantee or the current language requirement”, will be allowed to sbmit a new application under the new rules after July 1st.

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