People who want to work in Denmark must apply for a work visa and a residence permit.
To get a Danish work visa, you need to find a job and get an official letter of employment from a Danish employer. The visa application process is relatively quick and easy.
—
Who needs a visa?
If you want to visit Denmark for a short period of time and are a citizen of a country that requires a visa, you must have a visa.
See the list of countries that require a visa
All but citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland need a visa to work in Denmark. You need a work visa even if you will be doing unpaid work or looking for additional work.
—
EU citizens who want to work in Denmark must register with SIRI (the Danish Agency for International Employment and Integration), even if they do not need a visa.
This process takes place in person at one of SIRI's offices by submitting the following documents
- Passport or national identity card
- Passport photo
- Completed application form
- Documents confirming the grounds for residence as an employee (e.g., an employment contract)
—
Application process for a work visa in Denmark
You must apply for a Danish work visa online through SIRI (Danish Agency for International Employment and Integration).
You can apply yourself or provide a power of attorney to your employer to apply on your behalf. Here is the step-by-step process of applying for a work visa:
1) Choose a scheme of work visa to Denmark.
2) Create a case order ID.
3) Pay the Denmark work visa application fee.
4) Make a checklist of documents for a work visa to Denmark.
5) Submit the application.
6) Take biometric data.
7) Wait for a response.
Step 1. Choose the scheme of work visa to Denmark
On the SIRI website, you must choose the visa scheme that best suits your work situation.
The available visa schemes are:
1. Salary cap scheme
Designed for high-income earners who earn DKK 448,000 (approx. EUR 60,180) per year or more.
2. Positive list
For people who have a job offer in professions that are experiencing a shortage of qualified specialists in Denmark (engineers, doctors and medical consultants, auditors, etc.), the list is updated twice a year, on January 1 and July 1.
3. Accelerated scheme
For persons who have an offer from a SIRI certified company. This scheme offers faster and easier recruitment of foreign workers with special qualifications, fast start of work and flexible permit.
4. Trainee
For persons who have been offered a job in a company in Denmark for a short time as an intern.
5. Pastoralists and farm managers
For persons with a job offer as a shepherd or farm manager in agriculture.
6. Sideline employment
For persons holding a residence permit on the basis of work for a specific employer and wishing to work additionally.
7. Employment for adaptation and training purposes
For persons who have obtained a medical or dental license in Denmark and who apply for a work permit for adaptation and training purposes.
8. Work permit for accompanying family members
For accompanying family members who are applying with a person who is or will be working in Denmark.
9. Special individual qualification
For artists, entertainers, professional athletes or coaches, or specialized chefs.
10. Commitment to the labor market
For persons who had a residence permit as a refugee, a reunited family member or an accompanying family member of a foreigner with a residence permit.
Step 2. Create a case order ID
After selecting the type of visa you want to apply for, you continue to create a case order ID. This is similar to creating an account where you provide your personal information, passport number, and email address.
Step 3. Pay the fee for the work visa to Denmark
After creating your case order ID, you have to pay the fee and submit your application. You must do both in the same calendar year, otherwise the application may be rejected. The fee for most work visas is 4405 DKK (approximately 590 euros).
If you pay a fee that is not mandatory, you will be refunded.
Step 4. Make a checklist of documents for a work visa to Denmark
Documents required for your visa to Denmark:
- Passport. Make sure your passport is valid and has at least two blank pages.
- A copy of your passport. Do not include blank pages.
- Health insurance. You need a health insurance policy that covers you for the entire period of your stay in Denmark
- Passport size photos in accordance with the Schengen photo guidelines.
- Proof of payment of the visa fee.
- A completed power of attorney form. This is only required if you authorize your employer or another person to apply on your behalf.
- Employment contract or job offer. The contract/offer must not be older than 30 days.
- Diploma or academic qualification. You need these documents to prove you are qualified for the position.
- Danish work permit (if required).
Step 5. Submit your application
There are three ways to apply for a work visa in Denmark:
- Online. You can fill out the application completely online on the SIRI website. Please note that this option may not be available to everyone.
- Over the counter. You can also apply for a visa at a Danish diplomatic mission or at an application center in your country of residence. If you do not have a Danish diplomatic mission in your country, you may be referred to a Norwegian mission or a Danish diplomatic mission in the region.
- In Denmark. You can apply for a work visa in Denmark if you are already living there as a legal resident (not as a tourist). Be sure to book an appointment at a SIRI office before applying.
Remember, even if you apply at an embassy or SIRI office, you still have to complete the initial online application (first four steps).
Step 6. Take your biometric data
You have to have your photo and fingerprints taken at a Danish diplomatic mission abroad within 14 days of submitting your application. The biometric documents are stored in the database of the immigration authorities. You must submit your biometric data to a Danish diplomatic mission even if you apply online.
Step 7. Wait for a response
The processing time for a work visa to Denmark is 30 days. For some types of visas, such as the Accelerated Scheme visas, it usually takes ten days to receive a response.
You will receive an email when the application center you applied to has made a decision. The application center may also notify you of the status of your visa application via SMS.
—
After your application for an employment visa to Denmark is approved
Once your application for an employment visa has been approved, you can travel to Denmark. One of your first steps towards settlement is to register your Danish address with the local municipality where you will be living. After registration, you will receive a Danish CPR (personal registration number).
—
The cost of a work visa to Denmark
You must pay the fee to the embassy or consulate where you apply online on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Your employer can apply for a residence and work permit in Denmark on your behalf through the Fast-track program. The usual processing time can take up to one month.
- Positive list: 4405 DKK (591.92 EUR)
- Payment limit scheme: 4405 DKK (591.92 euros)
- Trainee: 4405 DKK (591.92 euros)
- Accelerated scheme: DKK 4405 (€591.92)
- Special individual qualifications: 4405 DKK (591,92 euros)
- Shepherds and farm managers: DKK 4405 (€591.92)
- Labor market application: DKK 4405 (EUR 591.92)
—
Duration of a work visa in Denmark
The duration of a work permit can be up to 4 years for an indefinite employment contract. For limited or temporary employment contracts, the duration of the work permit is equal to the duration of the contract plus an additional six months. If you wish to continue working in Denmark after the first four years, you must apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.
—
Extension of a work visa to Denmark
You can apply for an extension of your residence and work permit if your current permit is about to expire. Keep in mind that you can only extend your residence permit if you continue to work in the same job. This means that you must be employed in the same position, with the same employer and under the same conditions. The processing time for your extension application is three months.
If you are no longer employed by the same employer, you have to apply for a new work permit, not an extension.
—
Family members of the main applicant
If you are the spouse, civil partner, cohabitant or child (under 18 years of age) of a person who is residing in Denmark for the purpose of work, you can obtain a residence permit as an accompanying family member.
A work-based residence and work permit allows your family to come to Denmark with you. The processing time for this application is two months and you have to pay a fee of DKK 1615 (EUR 210).
The following documents are required to accompany your family members:
- Proof of paid fee. Please attach the receipt.
- A copy of all pages of your passport, including the cover.
- A copy of your marriage or partnership certificate (if you are a spouse or registered partner).
- Proof of cohabitation (if you are a partner), for example:
- Lease agreements
- Insurance policies
- Bank statements
- Joint payments or similar
- A copy of the birth certificate (for children). You also need the consent of the other parent if the parent does not come to Denmark.
Denmark encourages innovation and entrepreneurship. As a foreign graduate of a Danish university, you may consider starting your own business.
If you are a citizen of a Nordic country or the EU/EEA, you can start your own business in Denmark. If you are not a citizen of a Nordic country, the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you need to apply for a residence and work permit to be self-employed and/or run an independent company in Denmark.
—
Register your business
If you want to start your own business, you need to register your company with the Danish Trade and Companies Agency. This must be done no later than eight days before the start of any mandatory activities. Register your business online at virk.dk (in Danish).
After registration, you will receive a Central Business Registration Number (CVR number). The CVR number is the identification number of your business, which you must use when corresponding with public authorities and private individuals, for example, when sending invoices, etc.
After registering your business, information is automatically sent to the Danish Tax Agency (SKAT), as the company must be registered as a VAT payer.
—
What is Start-up Denmark?
Start-up Denmark is a program for foreign entrepreneurs that gives you the opportunity to obtain a residence permit in Denmark in order to establish and manage an innovative and growing company.
This program also gives you the opportunity to continue running an individual business in Denmark that has already been established during your stay in Denmark on other residence grounds.
Finally, you can also obtain a residence permit under this scheme for the purpose of running a business in Denmark through a Danish branch of a foreign self-employed company.
Your business idea must be approved by a panel of experts appointed by the Danish Business Administration before you can apply to SIRI for a residence and work permit under the scheme.
The scheme is open to both individuals and teams of up to 3 people who, using a joint business plan, want to start or continue a joint business in Denmark through a Danish branch of a foreign self-employed company, or to conduct business through a Danish branch of a foreign company.
—
What are the conditions?
You must meet certain conditions in order to obtain a residence permit and run your own business in Denmark under the Start-up Denmark scheme.
—
Below you will find step-by-step instructions on how to apply to the Danish Agency for International Employment and Integration (SIRI).
If you are a visitor and will not be residing in Denmark and for this reason will only be applying for a work permit, you do not need to create a case ID or pay a fee. Instead, you can proceed directly to step 3. Find out more here.
- Create a case ID
- Pay the fee
- Gather documentation
- Fill out the application form
- Biometrics
- Get a response