Denmark Work Visa: Schemes, Requirements, and Application Steps

To work in Denmark, citizens from outside the EU, EEA, and Switzerland need a combined residence and work permit before starting the job. The Denmark work visa most applicants use is the Pay Limit Scheme, which in 2026 requires an annual salary of at least DKK 552,000; shortage occupations and a supplementary track have lower thresholds.¹ The application fee is DKK 6,810 for most schemes, processing runs one to three months, and everything moves through the government’s New to Denmark portal.²

Who Needs a Work Permit

EU, EEA, and Swiss citizens can live and work in Denmark without a work permit; a registration certificate is all they need if the stay exceeds three months (or six while job-hunting).³ Everyone else needs a residence and work permit before starting any job in Denmark, paid or unpaid.⁴

Which Scheme Fits Your Situation

Denmark offers several tracks, and the one you qualify under depends on your salary, profession, or employer. Choosing the wrong scheme costs both the fee and months of processing time, so match your situation before you file.

Pay Limit Scheme

The simplest route if the salary is high enough. Your employer must offer at least DKK 552,000 per year (the 2026 threshold, adjusted every January 1), paid into a Danish bank account in your own name. You have 180 days from receiving the permit or entering Denmark, whichever comes later, to open that account.¹ Meeting the salary threshold is not enough on its own: the full employment terms — holiday, notice, overtime — must meet Danish standards for the profession.⁵

Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme

If the salary offer falls between DKK 446,000 and DKK 552,000, the Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme may cover it. It applies where the pay is competitive by Danish industry standards even though it doesn’t hit the main pay limit. The same rules on Danish employment terms and a Danish bank account apply.⁶

Positive List for People With a Higher Education

A list of professions where Denmark has a documented shortage of university-educated workers. If your job title is on the current list, salary is not the qualifying factor, though pay still has to meet Danish standards. The 2026 list runs from automation engineers and chemists to heads of finance and education directors. Each entry states the minimum education required — usually a bachelor’s, professional bachelor’s, or master’s — and each has an expiration date after which the profession may drop off the list.⁷

Positive List for Skilled Work

A separate shortage list for trades that require vocational training rather than a degree. Electricians, bricklayers, carpenters, welders, and toolmakers are among the roles on the 2026 list. Your specific qualification must match the listed job, and employment terms must meet Danish standards.⁸

Fast-Track Scheme

Only available if your employer has been certified by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). Certified companies handle most of the paperwork and can start you working sooner. The scheme has five tracks: pay limit, supplementary pay limit, short-term, researcher, and educational.⁹

Researcher Scheme

For roles that are primarily research-based. The position has to be tied to you as an individual, and SIRI evaluates whether there are particular research-related reasons for the offer. One practical benefit: researchers and PhD students can take unlimited sideline employment without applying for a separate permit.¹⁰

What to Submit

Every scheme shares a core document set. A missing piece can stall the file or sink it.

Color scans of every page of your passport, including the cover and blank pages. Documents are accepted in English, Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish; anything else needs a certified translation.¹¹
An employment contract or job offer setting out salary, holiday, weekly hours, notice periods, and overtime. SIRI compares these against Danish standards for the profession, and terms below standard sink the application even when the salary threshold is met.⁵
Diplomas and transcripts. For a Positive List application, the degree must match the specific educational requirement listed for that profession.
Proof you paid the DKK 6,810 fee (or DKK 840 for a job-seeking permit).²

If a formal assessment of a foreign degree is needed, the Danish Agency for Higher Education and Science does it free of charge; you pay only for translations. Assessment takes up to two months.¹²

Most applicants use the AR1 form, split into two parts: the employer completes Part 1 and passes a reference number to you, then you complete Part 2 and upload supporting documents.¹³ Certified Fast-Track employers usually file the AR6 form instead, which allows the employer or a relocation agent to submit everything under a power of attorney.¹⁴

How to File and the 14-Day Biometrics Deadline

Before uploading anything, create a Case Order ID on the New to Denmark website. The ID links your fee payment to your specific application, and the system rejects submissions if the payment type and application category don’t match exactly.¹⁵ Pay by credit card or bank transfer. Once the fee clears, upload the completed AR1 or AR6 and supporting documents in PDF or JPG through the portal.

Submitting starts the processing clock, and it also starts a much shorter one. You have 14 days from submission to appear in person at a Danish diplomatic mission or authorized visa application center (such as VFS Global) for a facial photograph and fingerprints. Miss the window and SIRI can reject the application outright, with no refund of the fee.¹⁶

Processing Time and the Permit Itself

After biometrics, SIRI reviews the file. Processing runs one to three months depending on scheme.¹⁷ If approved, you receive a notification letter followed by a plastic residence card in the mail. That card is your legal proof of the right to live and work in Denmark for the duration of the permit.

How Long the Permit Lasts and Extending It

Under the Pay Limit and Positive List schemes, the permit generally matches the length of your employment contract, up to a maximum of four years. If the contract is shorter, the permit covers that period and you extend when the contract renews. You can file an extension up to three months before the current permit expires, and as long as you apply before expiry, you can stay in Denmark while SIRI processes the renewal.¹⁸ The extension fee is the same DKK 6,810 as the original application.²

Changing Employers

Your permit is tied to a specific employer, so a new job needs a new permit. Denmark’s job change rule lets you start work immediately, provided you submit the new application no later than the same day you begin the new position. File even one day late and you must stop working until the new permit arrives.¹⁹

The rule covers the Pay Limit Scheme, the Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme, both Positive Lists, the Fast-Track Scheme, and the Researcher scheme, among others. If you lose your job through no fault of your own, you can get a job-seeking permit and still use the job change rule to start new work while SIRI reviews the application.¹⁹

Bringing Family

Spouses, registered partners, cohabiting partners, and children under 15 can apply for family reunification to join you. Family members granted a residence permit as an accompanying relative normally receive the right to work as well. Spouses apply on form FA1; children on form FA6 or FA7. All family members must obtain their permits before entering Denmark.²⁰

If You’re Refused

A refusal can be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board within eight weeks of the decision. An appeal requires a new Case Order ID and a separate fee. Filing an appeal does not automatically give you the right to remain in Denmark while the board reviews the case; the board can grant that permission, but only if the circumstances justify it.²¹

1
The Danish Immigration Service. The Pay Limit Scheme
2
New to Denmark. Overview of Fee Rates
3
The Nordic Co-operation. Residence and Work Permits in Denmark
4
New to Denmark. You Want to Apply for a Work Permit
5
New to Denmark. Danish Standards for Terms of Employment
6
New to Denmark. The Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme
7
New to Denmark. The Positive List for People with a Higher Education
8
The Danish Immigration Service. The Positive List for Skilled Work
9
New to Denmark. Fast-Track Scheme
10
New to Denmark. Residence Permit for Researchers
11
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Residence Permit
12
The Danish Ministry of Higher Education and Science. Before Applying for Assessment of Your Qualifications
13
New to Denmark. Fast-Track Application Using AR1
14
Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. Application Forms – SIRI
15
New to Denmark. Fee – User Manual
16
The Danish Immigration Service. Work – Waiting for an Answer
17
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. Case Processing Times in SIRI
18
European Commission. International Service Provider in Denmark
19
New to Denmark. The Job Change Rule
20
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Family Reunification
21
New to Denmark. Refusal to an Application from SIRI