A Guide to Visa Types and Work Permits in Denmark

Jump right in:

• Work permits & employment-based visas
• Application process & requirements
• Self-employment visas
• Family visa
• Temporary residency permit
• Permanent residency permit

Several types of visas grant you residence in Denmark. The one you apply for depends on your specific situation:

• work (including separate visas for working holiday, internship, religious workers, au pair)
• residence in Greenland or the Faroe Islands
• family reunification
• study (including a separate PhD visa)
• asylum, etc.

See a full list of visas in Denmark for more information.

Who needs to apply for a Danish visa?

• Citizens of Nordic countries (i.e., Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden­) do not need any type of work or residence permit, or even their passport. These can simply enter the country. Their family members can join them if they are also nationals of Nordic countries, but they should still carry valid identification.
• Citizens of the EU and the EEA also don’t need to apply for a visa to live, work, or study in Denmark. However, if they wish to take up employment and residence, EU citizens should still abide by a few immigration rules with SIRI (Danish Immigration Service and The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration).
• All other citizens will need to apply for a visa. Keep in mind you cannot apply for work or residence if you enter Denmark with a Schengen Visa. These only allow you to stay in the country for 90 days. You will have to apply for a residence and work permit if you wish to stay longer.

Types of Danish work visas

EU citizens do not need a visa to work in Denmark, but they still need to register with SIRI for work. This is done in person, at one of SIRI’s branches in Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus, Aalborg, or Aabenraa. Just make sure to book an appointment in advance

EU nationals are required to have:

• passport or national ID;
• Employment contract or declaration by employer
• completed copy of the application for OD1;

Citizens of all other countries will need a visa and residence permit to work in Denmark. There are several types of visas for work:

• Fast-Track Scheme
• Pay Limit Scheme
• Positive List
• researcher (and guest researcher)
• employed PhD
• herdsmen and farm managers
• trainee
• others

In this section, we focus on the work visas that apply to the broadest range of employment sectors. That is the:

• Fast-Track Scheme: If you have already been offered a job by a company in Denmark.
• the Pay Limit Scheme: You have a job offer in Denmark that pays at least the minimum salary required for the Pay Limit visa scheme.
• the Positive List: You have a job offer in Denmark in the field that is experiencing a shortage.

You can find more information on other types of specific work visas on SIRI.

You will find that some of these visa types are intertwined. For example, the Fast-Track Visa splits into four different schemes corresponding with other visa types (research, pay limit, etc.), depending on the type of work you will take up.

Fast-track scheme visa

The Fast-Track visa is for highly qualified employees who have been offered a contract with a certified company in Denmark. It is called Fast-Track because it allows the employer to take care of the entire visa application process on behalf of the employee making the entire process speedy. This permit allows employees to alternate between working in Denmark and abroad.

This visa is divided into four schemes:

• pay limit track for a minimum yearly salary of 552,000 DKK (87,000 USD)
• researcher track
• educational track
• short-term track

Positive list visa

This type of work visa is specific to job positions which are in shortage in the country. Check a full list of in-demand professions in Denmark to see if you can apply via the Positive List Visa.

Business visa

If you are coming to Denmark for a short stay and for work purposes only, you can look into a business visa. These visas are valid for a 90 day stay in a 180 day period. You can find more information for the short-term visa for business visits on SIRI.

Some requirements are common to all types of work visas. Applications are made online through New to Denmark.

Step one: Create a case order ID

Once you have selected the visa type that fits your work situation, you will be asked to create a case order ID. For some types of visas, the application is submitted entirely by your employer. For this, you will need to hand them a power of attorney by completing the power of attorney form

Step two: Pay the visa fee

All applications are processed annually. To avoid any issues with your application, make sure you create the case order ID and pay the fee in the same year.

The majority of Danish work visas cost from 3,050 to 8,860 DKK (480 to 1,080 USD).

Step three: Submit the required documents

You will be asked to submit the following documents:

• proof that you have paid the visa fee by attaching the receipt
• copy of your passport, including all pages, front cover, and back cover
• form for power of attorney fully completed
• employment contract or job offer (cannot be more than 30 days old) containing information about you, your salary, terms of employment, and job description
• educational diplomas and qualifications that prove you are qualified for the position
• Danish authorization if required for the job position (e.g., for regulated professions such as doctors, lawyers, etc.)

Step four: Submit the work visa application form

The type of work visa application form you will need depends on your employment. The most common are:

• The AR1 online: this electronic form is filled out by both the employee and the employer. For this type of form, your employer must fill in the first part. A password is then generated, which your employer should pass to you so that you can complete the second part of the form.
• The AR6 online: this form is filled out entirely by an employer who has been given power of attorney.

Step five: Have your biometrics taken

This must be done within 14 days of submitting your application. You must have your photo taken and fingerprints recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission abroad.

Step six: Wait for a response

You will be informed of the result of your application within 30 days. For some work visa types, like the Fast-Track Visa, this response should take less time, typically around ten days.

Bad news for non-EU/EEA freelancers and for those who want to be self-employed and work independently, in Denmark, there is no such thing as a “self-employment visa”.

The main self-employment pathway for non-EU citizens is the Start-Up Denmark visa  , which essentially is:

• entrepreneurial/startup-based,
• innovation-focused,
• business-growth-oriented.

This is the official route to work independently in Denmark. The good news is that “freelancers” can work as external contractors for employers, and the potential company (start-up) can be a one-person business; however, your business idea must be approved by the Danish Business Authority.

EU/EEA citizens can register their own business and work freely in Denmark.

Danish start-up Denmark: requirements & process

Here is a list of the required documents you should attach to the application:

• copy of your passport (all pages, including front and back cover)
• proof of payment of the fee
• proof of your registration for a CVR, the Central Business Register Number; done at the central company register of the Danish Business Authority
• Documentation of sufficient funds to support yourself
• Documentation of company ownership

You can start your application process here.

You will need to follow these steps to apply for this type of work and residence permit:

• Create a case order ID
• Pay the visa fee of 3,060 DKK (480 USD)
• Submit the SD1 application form, attaching all the necessary documents listed above.
• Have your biometrics measured and your photograph taken.

Normal processing time is 1 month.

The start-up Denmark visa

This visa is for foreign entrepreneurs who wish to set up a business in Denmark. You must also be able to support yourself by proving you have:

• 153,200 DKK (24,200 USD) if only supporting yourself in Denmark;
• 306,500 DKK (48,300 USD) if coming to Denmark with a spouse;
• 356,900 DKK (56,200 USD) if coming to Denmark with a spouse and one or more children; 0 204,000 DKK (32,130 USD) if coming to Denmark with one or more children but no spouse.

The visa fee for the Start-Up visa is less than a regular work visa: 3,060 DKK (480 USD).

For your application to be approved, your business idea must be approved by the Danish Business Authority. You can start the application direclty through the New to Denmark website.

Taxes

Learn how to pay your taxes as an independent worker and how to start freelancing in our other guides.

If you want your family, spouse, or partner to join you in Denmark, you can apply for family reunification. The visa process will vary according to the family member’s relationship with the Danish resident.

There are visas for spouses or cohabiting partners, children, parents, or siblings of the person who was granted residence in Denmark. There are also different processes for requesting EU residence as a family member of an EU citizen in Denmark, or family reunification with a Danish citizen.

These visas can take up to 10 months to process and cost 8,500 DKK (1,340 USD).

Family and spouse visa process

If you have been granted a residence permit, you may have a family member join you in Denmark if they are:

• a spouse
• a civil partner
• a cohabitating partner (if you can prove you have lived with the person for two years)
• a child under 18 years of age

The resident already in Denmark is referred as the sponsor. The family member must meet a few requirements:

• They must hold a valid passport.
• They can prove their relationship to you.
• You have the consent of the other parent for your child to join you in Denmark.
• They will be living in the same address as you, the sponsor.
• You can financially support them (they are not allowed to receive social aid).

To apply for family reunification, follow this link and choose who you are applying as. There, you will find everything you need to know about your situation and will be able to create a case order ID and begin your application.

When you apply for a specific visa (work, study, family, asylum) in Denmark, you are automatically granted a residence permit. In other words, the process of applying for a visa and a residence permit is the same. When your temporary residence permit is approved, the entity that has approved it will give you the visa, which is a sticker that goes on your passport.

When you first apply for a permit, these are initially temporary. While a short-term visa will only allow you to stay in the country for 90 days, other visas will grant you residence for one year or more, depending on the visa type.

The process of applying for a temporary residence permit includes:

• choosing the visa type you want to apply for directly on the New in Denmark website
• Creating a case order ID
• Paying the fee
• Gathering the required documents that are needed for your situation
• Filling in the relevant application form
• Recording your biometrics
• receiving an answer (the time it takes differs on each situation);

Applying for an extension of your temporary residence permit

Some temporary residence permits can be extended, although these are mostly employment-based permits. You must apply for an extension within the last three months of your permit expiring.

In general, you must continue to meet the requirements for your initial permit and work under the same conditions—that is, having the same position, the same salary, and the same employer.

The application for permanent residence may take up to eight months to process.

Read more about extending all types of temporary permits.

How to get Danish permanent residency

Here you will find a complete list of temporary permits that can be made permanent.

Danish permanent residence requirements

There are some basic requirements to apply for permanent residence in Denmark:

• You must be over 18.
• You continue to meet the requirements for your current residence permit.
• You have been living in Denmark for 8 years.
• You have not been convicted of certain crimes.
• You do not have overdue public debt.
• You have not received some forms of social benefits.
• You accepted a declaration of residence and self-support.
• You are currently employed.
• You have never worked under a false identity.
• You have passed the Danish language test 2.
• You have been employed for at least three years and six months in the previous four years of your application for permanent residence.

You may apply for permanent residence after having lived only for 5 years in the country, if you meet all the basic requirements and two of these four additional or supplemental requirements.

• You pass the Danish language test 3.
• You have been employed for at least four years.
• You have passed the active citizen exam or have displayed active citizenship.
• You had an annual average income above 346,150 DKK (54,520 USD).

Application for Danish permanent residency

To apply for a permanent residence permit, you must follow these steps:

• Create a case order ID.
• Pay the fee: for work or study 7,570 DKK (1,200 USD), others 4,970 DKK (780 USD).
• Gather the necessary documents which we have listed below.
• Fill in the application form that matches your situation 
• Have your biometrics measured.

Here are the required documents which should be attached to the application:

• Copy of your passport
• proof of payment of the application fee
• proof that you meet the housing requirements
• language certificate such as the Prøve i Dansk certificate or the folkeskolen completion certificate
• proof of employment such as tax returns or a contract
• proof of income (i.e., pay slips, tax return, etc.)
• proof of active citizenship (this can be an exam certificate or a statement from a board or association)
• other conditions that might affect your application must also be attested for, such as disability, old age, illness, foreign residence, etc.

What are the benefits of being a permanent resident in Denmark?

As a permanent resident in Denmark, you have a few benefits besides being able to live in Denmark indefinitely.

• You can sponsor relatives who meet the eligibility criteria to live in the country.
• You can buy property and real estate.
• Children of permanent residents are entitled to free higher education.
• You will not need to apply for short-term visas to travel within the Schengen area.
• You may receive grants and aids.