Work Visas in Denmark

How to get a work permit and which routes actually exist

Denmark does not operate a general labour migration route; instead it publishes several named schemes, each with its own qualifying test. The Pay Limit Scheme, which asks only that the salary exceeds a high published threshold, is the main route for non-EU nationals, while the Positive Lists cover shortage occupations at lower pay, and the Fast-Track Scheme allows certified employers to move faster. EU and Nordic citizens use none of these and register instead.

The schemes, and what each one actually tests

• Pay Limit Scheme. The salary offered must exceed a published annual threshold that is revised each year and sits at a level well above an ordinary Danish salary. The occupation does not matter. This is the broadest route and the one most professionals use.
• Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme. A lower threshold variant introduced to widen access, subject to additional conditions such as collective agreement coverage, a quota, and labour market conditions. It is narrower than the headline threshold suggests and is periodically suspended or adjusted.
• Positive List for People with a Higher Education. A published list of shortage occupations requiring a degree. Where the job title appears on the list, the pay threshold does not apply, but the qualification must match.
• Positive List for Skilled Work. The parallel list for vocationally trained occupations, agreed with the social partners and revised periodically. It has been the main opening for tradespeople.
• Fast-Track Scheme. Not a separate eligibility test but a faster procedure, available only where the employer is certified by SIRI. It includes a short-term work track and, in several tracks, the ability to start work on the day the application is submitted.
• Researcher scheme. For a person recruited to a research post at a Danish institution or company, assessed on the position rather than on salary.
• Establishment Card. For a person who has completed a Danish higher education degree, allowing a period of residence afterwards to seek work or start a business.
• Start-up Denmark. For an entrepreneur whose business plan has been approved by an expert panel appointed by the Danish Business Authority; the approval, not the investment, is the gate.

How an application runs

Applications are made to SIRI, generally with the employer completing an employer part and the applicant completing a personal part. Biometrics are recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission abroad or at a Citizen Centre in Denmark, commonly within a fortnight of applying.

Permits are tied to the employer and to the specific job described in the application. A change of employer, and in many cases a material change of role or a substantial change in pay, requires a new application rather than a notification.

Salary must be paid to a Danish bank account and terms must be customary for the Danish labour market. Where a collective agreement covers the workplace, the terms of that agreement are the reference point, and offers below it are refused even when they exceed the numerical threshold.

Indicative government fees

What the permit does not include

A work permit does not carry a right to unemployment benefit on the same terms as a long-settled resident, and periods without work are the most common reason a permit is not renewed. Insurance through an unemployment fund is voluntary, paid for, and requires a qualifying membership period, so joining early matters.

Accompanying family members generally receive their own permits with the right to work, which is comparatively generous, but those permits are derived from the main permit and end with it.

Official sources

• Work permits — New to Denmark
• Workindenmark — official recruitment portal

Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.

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