Authorisation

You want to work in Denmark, but you do not have a Danish authorisation.

Normal processing time
1 month

Processing fee
DKK 2,490,-

What do you want to print?

Who can be granted a residence and work permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation?

If you have been trained as a medical doctor, dentist or nurse in a country outside the EU/EEA, you can apply for a residence permit in Denmark which makes it possible for you to learn Danish and pass the professional tests etc. which are necessary in order to obtain a Danish authorisation.

If you already have a Danish residence permit, e.g. as an accompanying family member to a foreign national working or studying in Denmark, you do not need to apply for a new permit.

You can use your current permit to complete the process required by the Danish Patient Safety Authority for you to be able to obtain a Danish authorisation as a doctor, dentist or nurse.

If you have received a specific offer concerning an employment for adaption and training purposes and if the Danish Patient Safety Authority have assessed that you are covered by the authorisation process for specifically requested healthcare professionals, you are allowed to apply for a residence permit in Denmark in order to obtain a Danish authorisation.

What do you want to print?

What are the conditions for doctors, dentists and nurses?

You must meet certain conditions to be granted a permit to stay in Denmark in order to obtain a Danish authorisation.

The Danish Patient Safety Authority must have assessed your primary qualifications to be eligible for testing in order to obtain a Danish authorisation as a doctor, dentist or nurse.

You must submit a copy of the assessment along with your application for a residence permit.

You can read more on the Danish Patient Safety Authority's website (opens in a new window) 

You must provide documentation that you have sufficient funds to support yourself and any accompanying family members during your stay in Denmark. You must submit the documentation along with your application.

You must document that you have:

  • DKK 39,318 (2024 level) if you do not have any family accompanying you to Denmark.
  • DKK 78,636 (2024 level) if you bring your spouse with you to Denmark.
  • DKK 94,338 (2024 level) if you bring your spouse and one or several children with you to Denmark.
  • DKK 78,630 (2024 level) if you bring one or several children with you to Denmark (but no spouse).

Documentation proving your ability to support yourself and any accompanying family members could for example be a statement from your bank account. The bank statement must not be more than 30 days old.

You can read more about the self-support requirement

In order to be granted a residence permit under the Authorisation Scheme, it is a requirement that you have not had a previous residence permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation within the previous 2 years.

The period of 2 years is calculated from the time your original residence permit (first-time permit) under the Authorisation Scheme either expired, was refused an extension or was revoked.

If you have changed your grounds for residence, e.g. from the Authorisation Scheme to being an accompanying family member, the period of 2 years is calculated from the time you were granted your new residence permit.

What do you want to print?

What are the conditions for specifically requested healthcare professionals?

You must meet certain conditions in order to be granted a permit to stay in Denmark in order to obtain a Danish authorisation.

The Danish Patient Safety Authority must have assessed that you are covered by the authorisations process for specifically requested healthcare professionals.

You must submit a copy of the assessment along with your application for a residence permit.

You must provide documentation that you have sufficient funds to support yourself and any accompanying family members during your stay in Denmark. You must submit the documentation along with your application.

You must document that you have:

  • DKK 39,318 (2024 level) if you do not have any family accompanying you to Denmark.
  • DKK 78,636 (2024 level) if you bring your spouse with you to Denmark.
  • DKK 94,338 (2024 level) if you bring your spouse and one or several children with you to Denmark.
  • DKK 78,630 (2024 level) if you bring one or several children with you to Denmark (but no spouse).

Documentation proving your ability to support yourself and any accompanying family members could for example be a statement from you bank account. The bank statement must not be more than 30 days old.

You can read more about the self-support requirement

What do you want to print?

What are my rights if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a residence permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation, and what are you not allowed to do?

A residence permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation gives you the right to work.

Therefore, you must not apply for a work permit, if you get a job.

A Danish residence permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries

A residence permit allows you to stay in Denmark during the period your permit is valid.

In addition, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within the latest 180 days period. The permit, however, does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

You must not give up your Danish address or stay abroad for longer than 6 successive months. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Denmark.

If you need to stay abroad for an extended period of time, you can apply for dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

You can read more about lapse of permit

You can read more about and apply for dispensation to prevent a permit from lapsing

You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. Therefore, you are not allowed to receive public benefits, e.g. benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act and housing benefits – and there might be other benefits that you cannot receive.

If you or your family members receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Denmark.

If an authority, e.g. a municipality, disburses benefits to foreign nationals, SIRI will be notified.

You can see a list of benefits that you are not allowed to receive

With a residence permit in Denmark, you are entitled to free Danish lessons. However, you must have turned 18 years and have your Danish address registered in the Danish National Register.

If you have a residence permit in Denmark based on work, study, etc. you have to pay a deposit before you can start receiving lessons. Be aware that you can lose your deposit if you do not pass the different modules within a specific timeframe.

Your municipality of residence is obliged to offer you Danish lessons and refer you to a language centre. If you have not been offered Danish lessons within a month after registering your address in Denmark, you can contact your municipality. 

You will (typically) be taught together with other foreign nationals who have arrived in Denmark recently.

If you are going to stay and work in Denmark there are a number of things to acquaint yourself with. Depending on your personal situation, you might need other important information and options.

The portal lifeindenmark.dk provides you with information, links and in many cases also options concerning the most important subjects such as:

  • MitID
  • The CPR register
  • Health card
  • Tax matters
  • Holiday entitlements 
  • School and daycare
  • Housing
  • Danish lessons
  • Car registration and driver’s license

What do you want to print?

How long can I stay in Denmark?

As a general rule, you can be granted a residence permit for 3 years.

The permit can be extended for 2 more years if you can provide documentation that you have passed the Danish 3 Exam with the scores required to obtain a Danish authorisation.

Read more about the requirements for the Danish language test for doctors at the Danish Patient Safety Authority (opens in a new window)

Read more about the requirements for the Danish language test for dentists at the Danish Patient Safety Authority (opens in a new window)

If you are in the middle of your employment for adaption and training purposes or if you have a specific offer for an employment for adaption and training purposes, you can apply for an extension beyond the 5 years. If you meet the necessary requirements, your residence permit can be extended in accordance with the duration of your employment for adaption and training purposes, however with a maximum of 6 months.

Read more on the page concerning an extension of authorisation

It is very important that you apply for an extension before your residence permit expires.

If you submit your application for an extension in time, you are allowed to stay in Denmark and continue to work while we process your case. This applies also in case your permit expires before SIRI has made a decision in your case.

You can be granted a residence permit for 3 years.

You can extend your residence permit, if your first permit as a nurse was granted for less than 3 years counting from the date on which the Danish Patient Safety Authority approved your formal qualifications as a nurse.

As a general rule, the permit cannot be extended beyond 3 years in total.

Read more on the page concerning an extension of authorisation

If you are a doctor or a dentist who is covered by the authorisation process for specifically requested healthcare professionals, you can be granted a residence permit for 4 years.

If you are a specifically requested healthcare professional in a profession other than doctors and dentists, you can be granted a residence permit for 3 years.

You can have your residence permit extended if your residence permit as a specifically requested healthcare professional was granted for a shorter period than 4 years for doctors and dentists, or for a shorter period than 3 years for additional professions.

As a general rule, it is not possible to get a residence permit extended for more than a total of 4 years for doctors and dentists, and for more than a total of 3 years for additional professions.

Read more on the page concerning an extension of authorisation

When you have obtained your Danish auhtorisation, you are allowed to stay in Denmark for 6 months on a job seeking permit.

If you have been granted a residence permit before 1 july 2024, you can apply for a separate job seeking permit

Your job seeking permit does not allow you to work in Denmark during the job seeking period, but it does give you the opportunity to look for a job. If you receive a job offer, you must submit an application for a new residence and work permit based on your new job.

If you submit a new application for a residence and work permit, you are, in certain situations, allowed to start working at your new job as soon as you have submitted the application.

Read more about the job change rule

A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the expiry date of your passport.

If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit – however, this can only be done 3 months before your permit expires at the earliest.

Read more about the passport requirements

What do you want to print?

Can my family be granted a residence permit?

A residence permit in order to obtain an authorisation in Denmark allows your family to come with you to Denmark.

A permit can be granted to your spouse, registered or cohabiting partner as well as children under the age of 18 living at home.

Read more about accompanying family members

What do you want to print?

Penalty risk - If I am already residing in Denmark on a visiting visa

If you have already entered Denmark and reside here on a visiting visa when you file your application, you have to be aware of the risk of a penalty period.

If you file your application for a residence permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation while you are residing in Denmark on a visiting visa, it can have as a consequence that for a period of 5 years you will not be able to receive further visiting visas to Denmark. This will have consequences for you if your application for a residence permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation is denied, and you after your return to your home country again wish to visit Denmark.

You can read more about the risk of visa penalty period

What do you want to print?

What more to know before I apply?

An application for a residence permit in order to obtain a Danish authorisation must be submitted to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). If you are in Denmark when submitting your application, you must be here legally. More about submission here.

You can find the relevant application form, XG1, on the “How to apply” tab to right.

Please note that, as a rule, SIRI will refuse your application for a residence permit on new grounds, if the application is submitted prematurely in relation to the wished start date for your stay in Denmark.

If you submit such an application earlier than 6 months before your stay in Denmark will begin, you can expect a refusal to your application. If you have paid SIRI's case processing fee, you will not receive a refund of the fee.

SIRI will contact you if we need further information to process your case.

What do you want to print?

Below you will find a step-by-step guide to submitting an application to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

It is important that you have carefully read the conditions for being granted a residence permit before you begin step 1. You can do this on the tab “Need to know” on the left.

It is a good idea to gather the necessary documents before you start to complete the application form. You can use the check list below.

If you submit documents not written in English, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, you must also submit certified translations into Danish or English.

You must submit:

Expect to use

50 minutes

completing the application

1 person

You complete the application form by yourself.

In this step you have access to the relevant application form.

Make sure that you have completed all the preceeding steps before you begin.

All our application forms contain careful instructions on how to complete the form and what kind of documents you must submit along with the form.

You can read more about how we process your personal data

 

Use the form XG1

 

Please note that it is mandatory to use this application form. Under special circumstances, you can be exempted from the requirement to use an online application form. You can read more here.

When you apply for a residence permit, you must have your biometric features recorded. This means that you must have a facial photo taken and your fingerprints recorded. The facial photo and your fingerprints will be stored on a microchip embedded in the residence card, which will be issued to you if you are granted a permit.

If you do not agree to have your biometric features recorded, your application will be rejected. This means that your application will not be processed.

Read more about biometrics

You must have your biometric features recorded no later than 14 days after you submitted your application.

If you are unable to have your biometric features recorded within the time limit of 14 days, because you are unable to book an appointment at a Danish diplomatic mission, you can inform us of the appointed time you will have your biometrics recorded. This way you can avoid having your application rejected.

You are abroad

You can have your biometric features recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country, where you reside.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can have your biometric features recorded

In certain countries Denmark does not have a diplomatic mission or application centre. In these instances the list will refer you to one of the Norwegian missions with which Denmark has made an agreement or to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in the region.

If you submit your application to a Norwegian diplomatic mission, you must also submit one passport photo. If you are granted a residence permit based on your application, you must within a specific time frame afte you entry to Denmark have your biometric features recorded.

We recommend that you visit the local diplomatic mission’s webpage to get more information before you submit the application. The individual diplomatic mission can have additional requirements regarding payment of additional fees, submission of additional passport photos or additional copies of the application.

You are in Denmark

If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to have your biometric features recorded in Denmark. This is the case, if you:

  • hold a valid visa
  • are exempt from the visa requirement or
  • already hold a valid residence permit.

Read more about the legal residence requirement and submission of your application in Denmark 

You can have your biometric features recorded in one of SIRI’s branch offices. 

If you plan to have your biometrics recorded in one of SIRI’s branch offices, you must remember to book an appointment

You have submitted your application succesfully if you have:

  • created a case order ID
  • paid the fee
  • submitted the application
  • had your biometric features recorded.

You can see the normal case processing time to the right on this page. When we make a decision in your case, you will receive an answer.

SIRI will contact you if we need further information to process your case.

Read more about what you can expect while you are waiting for an answer

What do you want to print?

Responsible agency

Contact SIRI
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Last updated 01-07-2024 - Published by: SIRI

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