Visa & residence in Denmark

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Tourist visa

Time-limited stay in Denmark

Permanent residence permit in Denmark

Tourist visa

If you are a citizen and/or a resident of a country outside the EU/EEA or the Nordic countries it is a condition that you have a visa that gives you the right to stay in Denmark. These types of visas can be applied for in Denmark:

  • Tourist visa (90 days)
  • Work permits

Read more about the possibility of applying for a visa and the service we are happy to help you with below.

Turistvisum i Danmark

Time-limited stay in Denmark

Tidsbegrænset ophold i Danmark

In addition to applying for a tourist visa, you can also apply for a temporary residence permit in Denmark.

If you have been employed in a position in Denmark which is not time-limited, you can apply for and obtain a residence permit, which will typically be valid for 5 years. However, you must be aware that there are certain requirements for the position you have been given.

Thus, the salary must meet certain requirements.

The fast-track procedure demands a salary of at least DKK 487,000 (2024 figures).

If the salary is lower, but at least currently DKK 393,000, applications may be made through a manual and more time-consuming procedure, where additional requirements are present.

It must be possible to provide proof of the job position in the form of an employment agreement.

If the job position requires an authorization, it must be possible to show documentation that such authorization has been obtained.

If you have been employed in a position in Denmark which is limited in time and which has a duration of less than 5 years, the residence permit will typically follow the duration of the employment relationship. Thus, if you have been employed for 2 years, the residence permit will also last for 2 years.

There are two conditions that apply in relation to the extension of a temporary residence permit.

Firstly, a fee of DKK 6,290 must be paid to the Danish Immigration Service when an extension of a temporary residence permit is applied for.

Secondly, depending on the circumstances, it takes a long time to apply for an extension and have the application processed. We recommend that you apply for an extension before time-limited residence permits expire.

Please note that there are many types of time-limited residence permits (temporary residence permits), which go by names such as

  • Short stay (visa)
  • EU residence as an employee
  • EU residence as a student
  • EU residence as a self-employed person
  • EU residence as a person with sufficient means
  • EU residence as a seconded service provider for an EU company
  • EU residence as a family member of an EU citizen
  • Residence permit as accompanying family.

Permanent residence permit in Denmark

An unlimited residence permit is also called a permanent residence permit (Permanent residence card).

The residence permit is the most sought-after permit, as you do not need to renew or extend this residence permit once it has been obtained. It can be difficult and expensive to get a temporary residence permit extended. That is why it is preferable to apply for a permanent residence permit, so that you do not have to apply for extensions in the future – again and again.

Permanent residence permit – basic conditions

You can obtain a permanent residence permit if you meet the following requirements:

  • You must have had residence legally in Denmark for at least 8 years.
  • You must be at least 18 years old.
  • The conditions for the temporary residence permit you already have must still be met.

If you have not had residence in Denmark for at least 8 years, but otherwise meet the above requirements, and if you meet all the additional conditions below, only legal residence in Denmark for 4 years is required:

  • You have not committed certain serious criminal activities.
  • As a starting point, you must not have overdue debt to the public, unless a grace period has been granted.
  • For 4 years before the application is submitted, you must not have received public financial assistance – e.g. cash assistance.
  • You must have accepted a declaration of integration and active citizenship (this must be signed).
  • You must have passed the Test in Danish 2, or an equivalent test.
  • In the past 4 years, you must have been in ordinary full-time employment, or have run an independent business for at least 3 years and 6 months.
  • At the time you submit the application, you must have a job and the same applies when you receive the decision from the Danish Immigration Service.

In the past, education used to count as full-time employment, but under the current rules it does not.

Today, as a rule, only people with a job can apply for a permanent residence permit, unless you belong to one of the 3 groups below:

  1. Young people between the ages of 18 and 19 who have had uninterrupted schooling or work since elementary school.
  2. Persons with a strong connection to Denmark – this could e.g. be that one parent has been a Danish citizen from birth.
  3. National pensioners or early pensioners.

Permanent residence permit – additional conditions

In order to be able to apply for permission to live and stay in Denmark for an unlimited period of time, in addition to meeting the conditions for having a temporary residence permit, a number of additional conditions must be met.

One must thus meet at least 2 out of the following 4 demands in connection with a permanent residence permit, namely:

  1. You must have passed a citizenship test or have demonstrated active citizenship by participating in associations or boards for at least one year.
  2. You must have had full-time work for 4 years out of the last 4 and a half years.
  3. You must have earned an average of DKK 319,738.75 or more in the past 2 years.
  4. You must have passed Danish Test 3 or higher.

It is important to highlight, as written above, that you must meet at least two of these four points in order to apply for a permanent residence permit.

Permanent residence permit according to EU regulations

There is an alternative option of obtaining a permanent residence permit in Denmark according to EU rules.

This will require that you have originally obtained a residence permit in Denmark as a family member (e.g. spouse) of an EU citizen who has made use of the rules on free movement. This means that the EU citizen has had actual and real residence in an EU country and has then returned to Denmark to live.

According to EU rules, you get permanent residence already after 5 years, if you can prove that you have had legal residence in Denmark for the last 5 years. You will be expected to show this by attaching the OD1 application form, annual statements from SKAT, and any payslips.

If your family member already has a permanent residence permit in Denmark, you simply need to attach documentation for this to the application.

Please note that if the person you are a family member to is a Danish citizen, you must use the OD2/D form.