If you are a citizen from outside the Nordic countries and you want to work, live and study in Denmark, you need a residency permit. There are two types of residency permits in Denmark, called temporary residency and permanent residency. Here we explain the difference and how to get them.
If you are a citizen of Finland, Norway, Iceland or Sweden then you are able to work, live and study in Denmark without a residence permit. You just need to get a CPR (personal registration) number to register for tax and healthcare.
For everyone else who isn’t a Nordic citizen and wants to work, live and study in Denmark, a residency permit is required. The rules are different if you are an EU/EEA/Swiss Citizen but there are still two types of residency permits – temporary and permanent. You can only get a permanent residence permit after holding a temporary residence permit for a certain amount of years, depending on your circumstances. We explain more in this article.
Temporary residency permit – EU/EEA/Swiss citizen
If you are an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen and plan on remaining in Denmark for less than three months, you do not need to apply for an EU residence document.
If you are seeking employment, you can stay in Denmark for up to six months before obtaining a temporary residence document.
If you are a student in Denmark, employed or self-employed in Denmark, or you have sufficient funds and want to stay in Denmark for longer than three months, you can get a temporary EU residency permit. You can also get temporary EU residency as an accompanying partner or child of an EU citizen, however your residency will be dependent on your partner’s or parent’s status.
The rules for permanent residency are more lenient if you are between 18-19 years old, if you are a person of Danish descent, a former Danish citizen, or have ties to a Danish minority group.
You can apply for permanent residency at anytime and it usually takes 10 months to process at a cost of 6,745 kroner.
However, it is important that you submit your application before your current residence permit expires.
If you do not meet all the requirements for a permanent residence permit, you can apply for an extension of your current residence permit instead. If you apply for an extension, you can apply three months prior to the date your current residence permit expires.
If you need any more information or have questions about work permits, you can contact SIRI on their contact page.
