Criminal offence

Abduction or retention of your child may be a violation of section 215 of the Danish Criminal Code.

Violation of the Criminal Code

A parent is not allowed to take his or her child abroad or retain the child abroad in the following cases:

  • The other parent has sole custody and has not given his or her consent
  • You have joint custody, custody is in dispute, the other parent has not given his or her consent, and no decision has been made allowing the child to stay or take up its residence abroad
  • The other parent has had custody transferred to him or her because the child has remained abroad longer than agreed or determined. Criminal liability presupposes that the parent abroad has been notified of or should otherwise have realised that he/she no longer has custody.

No violation of the Criminal Code

A parent is allowed to take his or her child abroad in the following cases:

  • The parent has sole custody
  • The Agency of Family Law/State Administration or the court has decided that the parent may leave Denmark with the child for a short period
  • The court has decided that the child may take residence abroad.

Abduction of a child must be reported to the police. The telephone number for the police is  114 . You may also find contact information at the website of the Danish police.

Please note that other rules apply to Greenland and The Faroe Islands. You may contact The Child Abduction Unit for further information or call the police where you live.