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WORK PERMITS

What are the fees for work permits and residency applications in Denmark?

Denmark recently changed several of the fees it charges for various types of work, study and residence permits. We set out what you can expect to pay.

Published: 23 May 2023 17:44 CEST
What are the fees for work permits and residency applications in Denmark?
The process for applying for Danish work and study permits or permanent residency and citizenship can be complex. We set out what you can expect to pay to apply once you have prepared your application. File photo: Kristian Djurhuus/Ritzau Scanpix

Application fees for several types of work and residence permits in Denmark went up earlier this month after the 2023 budget was passed.

Fees for applying for work and study permits, along with family reunification and permanent residence have changed.

The fee for family reunification applications is reduced from 10,330 kroner to 9,750 kroner, while all other fees go up.

The fee for applying for Danish citizenship is 4,000 kroner as of 2023.

We outline the various application fees for work, study and residence permits, family reunification as well as citizenship.

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The category “work permit” applies to all the pathways by which foreign professionals can apply for a Danish work permit. These include the Pay Limit Scheme, Fast Track Scheme and Positive List, and all other types of work permit.

Study permits include those for people offered positions as PhD researchers, as well as permits for basic and youth study and higher education.

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The residence permit fees apply to people who are not EU nationals, who must pay fees when applying for residence permits in Denmark. EU citizens do not pay a fee when registering for Danish residence.

All citizenship applicants must pay the application fee regardless of nationality.

READ ALSO: How to apply for citizenship in Denmark

All fees are correct as of May 2023.

Work and study

  • Work permit: 4,670 kroner
  • Study permit: 2,115 kroner
  • Au pair and intern (not connected to a study programme): 4,320 kroner
  • Accompanying family members: 2,635 kroner
  • Job seeking after completing study programme: 1,890 kroner (plus 750 kroner to apply for work permit during job seeking period)

Family reunification

  • Family reunification: 9,750 kroner (plus bank guarantee, deposit of 110,293 kroner)
  • Extension of family reunification: 3,230 kroner

Permanent residence

  • Permanent residence based on family reunification, asylum etc.: 4,835 kroner
  • Permanent residence based on existing work or study permit: 7,355 kroner

Citizenship

  • Citizenship: 4,000 kroner
  • Children under 18: free

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WORK PERMITS

EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Want to intern at the elite restaurant Noma, at the architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group, as a vet or as a nurse? Here's what you need to know.

Published: 28 March 2024 14:51 CET
EXPLAINED: How to apply for a work permit in Denmark as an intern

Denmark has a special scheme for foreigners offered work in the country as interns, with different rules for those employed in architecture, healthcare, farming or veterinary jobs, or other sectors such as the natural sciences, technical fields, the pharmaceutical sector, or culture.

As an intern, you can get a permit to work in Denmark and a residency permit without having to earn any salary whatsoever, let alone secure the generous pay levels required to qualify for the Pay Limit Scheme. 

But you do have to meet the conditions put in place, to prevent unscrupulous employers using the internship permit to bring low cost labour to the country. 

You can find an English language guide to internships on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (Siri). 

READ ALSO: Danish work permit agency changes practice for hotel and restaurant interns

Who is eligible to get a work permit as an intern? 

You need to be between the ages of 18 and 35 (or 18 and 30 for some sectors), and you normally need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country or current country of residence .

In some cases you can already have recently graduated and in some cases you can be studying a subject not related to the internship, but if this is the case you need to show that you have passed a semester’s worth of courses in a relevant subject. 

If your internship is unpaid, you normally need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period.

If your internship is paid, your salary must be at least 6,820 kroner per month, which has to be stated in the standard contract, and paid into a Danish bank account in a bank operating legally in Denmark.

Be aware that opening a Danish bank account can be difficult, with applicants normally needing to have a Danish address and CPR personal number. If you are having trouble you can apply for a basic payments account.

What qualifications do I need to show or paperwork do I need to provide? 

The rules are different depending on which sector you intend to carry out your internship in. 

Agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary 

If you plan to intern in the agricultural, horticulture, forestry or veterinary sectors, you need to show that you have passed a language test in English, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or German at the A2 level or higher, in Common European Framework of Reference for Languages scale.

This is a very basic level, described in the CEFR as enough to communicate “very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment”. 

For English language tests offered by IELTS, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) accepts test scores from 3.0, and for English tests from TOEFL, scores at Studieprøven level (C1 CEFR level). You will need to send the results certificate along with your application. 

To qualify for an internship in these sectors you also need to be studying a relevant subject in your home country, or the country where you have residency, and the internship also needs to be timed to coincide with where you are in the course, for instance as a practical element following more theoretical ones. 

“We compare the content of your educational programme with the job tasks which you will be carrying out during the internship,” Siri writes in its guide to internships. 

You cannot be more than 30 years old for an internship in these sectors. 

Interns in these sectors do not need to provide proof that they can support themselves. 

Healthcare 

There are no language requirements for an internship in the healthcare sector, and for medical interns there is no upper age limit (although an age limit of 35 applies for other healthcare interns). 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

You can receive an internship in healthcare even if your studies have recently been completed, but you must show that the internship is a continuation of your studies and relevant to the future role you intend to take on. 

If you have completed your studies, you should include documentation of any work experience you have had since completing your studies. 

If your internship is unpaid, you need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself over the period, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Architecture 

To be eligible for a work permit in the architecture sector, you cannot have completed your education and cannot be more than 35 years old. 

The internship must be related to the educational programme you are studying in your home or another country, and you need to submit an authorised translation of the list of courses you have studied, along with your application. 

If your internship is unpaid, you also need to show that you have at least 6,820 kroner a month to support yourself, which you can document with a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is not enough for someone else, such as a parent, to say they will support you. 

Which employers are eligible to take interns?

Employers need to be approved to take interns, either through a prior praktikpladsgodkendelse, or “place of internship approval”, or through sending detailed documentation to Siri on what the internship will consist of, including details of who will be supervising the intern, and prior experience the firm has with taking on interns or trainees. 

All public hospitals in Denmark are approved as places of internship.

If you are planning on interning at a Danish architecture firm, the firm must use the standard “Internship Agreement and Guidelines” issued by DANSKE ARK, the Danish association of Architectural Firms, and the Danish Union of Architects and Designers.

Architecture firms do not need to receive a separate praktikpladsgodkendelse but when filling in the standard contract, need to state the number of fully-trained architects and number of interns working at the firm. 

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