Apply to extend a residence permit as a family reunified child

You want to apply for an extension of your residence permit as a family reunified child.

The expected maximum processing time is
6 months

The fee is
DKK 4,035,-

What do you want to print?

What should you do if your residence card is about to expire?

When you have a residence permit on the grounds of family reunification as child, you must be aware, that your residence permit can expire even though you residence permit is not about to expire.

If only your residence card is expiring, you do not need to apply for extension via this page. Instead, you must apply for a new residence card. Apply for a new residence card here

You only need to apply for extension on this page if your residence permit is about to expire.

 

What do you want to print?

Who can be granted an extension of their residence permit as a child?

Your temporary residence permit in Denmark can be extended if you were granted family reunification to live with a parent, a foster parent or a close family member in Denmark.

If you are under 18, your parent (the person you applied for family reunification to live with in Denmark) needs to meet certain requirements.

If you are over 18, you need to apply for an extension of residence permit on your own behalf, so you can obtain an independent basis for residence.

Different rules apply if you hold a residence permit as the child of a foreign national holding a residence permit in Denmark on the grounds of work or study. Read more about accompanying children
 

What do you want to print?

What are the requirements if you are under 18 years old?

In order to qualify for an extension of residence permit if you are under 18 years old, your parent, foster parent or close family member needs to meet certain continuous requirements. These are requirements that he/she needed to meet in order for you to be granted your residence permit, and which he/she still needs to meet when you apply for an extension.

The continuous requirements he/she needed to meet are listed in the letter the Immigration Service sent you and your parent when you received your residence permit. The letter also indicates which requirements were suspended.
 

The parent, foster parent or close family member you applied for family reunification to live with needs to be a Danish resident and needs to reside with you at the same address in Denmark.

All applicants need to meet this requirement.

The parent, foster parent or close family member you applied for family reunification to live with normally needs to have an independent, reasonably sized residence at his/her disposal. This is known as the housing requirement.

An independent residence is a residence that has an entrance of its own and appears as one unit. An independent residence does not need to have a kitchen or bathroom of its own.

Your parent has a residence at his/her disposal if he/she owns, rents or sublets the place where you live. Owning property collectively as an andelshaver or anpartshaver also satisfies this requirement.

If your parent rents or sublets the place where you live, the lease needs to be permanent, or extend at least 18 months beyond the date you submit your application for a residence-permit extension.

If your parent rents co-operative housing (andelsbolig), the lease needs to be permanent and may not conflict with the co-operative association’s rules.

A residence is reasonably sized if it meets one of the following requirements:

  • The number of people living in the residence may not be more than double the number of rooms, or
  • There must be at least 20 sq. metres of living space for each person living there

Exceptions from the requirement

If the Immigration Service suspended the housing requirement when granting you your current residence permit, your parent normally will not need to meet the requirement in order for you to qualify for an extension.

If the reason for not enforcing the housing requirement no longer applies, your parent will need to meet the requirement in order for you to qualify for an extension.

This would be the case if, for example, the requirement was suspended because your parent had contact with a minor child from a previous relationship, but either no longer has contact or the child has turned 18.
 

The parent, foster parent or close family member you applied for family reunification to live with normally needs to be able to support you (the self-support requirement). This requirement means that your parent may not have received certain forms of social benefits at any time after you were approved for your current residence permit. The forms of social benefits that will prevent you from being granted an extension are those made under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik) or the Integration Act (integrationsloven). Read more about social benefits and the self-support requirement

Exceptions from the requirement

If the Immigration Service suspended the self-support requirement when granting you your current residence permit, your parent normally will not need to meet the requirement in order for you to qualify for an extension.

If the reason for not enforcing the self-support requirement no longer applies, your parent will need to meet the requirement in order for you to qualify for an extension.

This would be the case if, for example, the requirement was suspended because your parent had contact with a minor child from a previous relationship, but either no longer has contact or the child has turned 18 years old.
 

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What are the requirements if you are over 18 years old?

When you turn 18 years old, you need to apply for an extension of your residence permit in order to obtain an independent basis for residence.

In order to qualify for a residence permit that is valid after you turn 18, you need to reside in Denmark. One of your parents must also reside in Denmark.

What do you want to print?

When do you need to apply for an extension of residence permit?

It is very important to submit your application for an extension of residence permit before your current residence permit expires. You may not submit your application more than three months before your residence permit is due to expire.

If you submit your application in time, you may remain in Denmark legally while your application is being reviewed.

If you are turning 18 years old

If you are applying for an extension of residence permit because you are turning 18, please keep in mind that you may not submit your application more than three months before you turn 18 years old.

If you do not apply in time

If you do not submit your application in time, it will likely be rejected on the grounds that you would be in Denmark illegally. The application will be rejected regardless of how briefly you are in Denmark illegally.

If your application is rejected because you missed the deadline, you will need to leave Denmark and apply for a new residence permit in your home country. Your application will be considered a new application for a residence permit, and will be reviewed based on the current rules for first-time applicants. These rules may not be the same as the ones you had to meet when you were granted your residence permit.

If you are staying in Denmark illegally, you risk being punished for illegal residence. You also risk being deported and banned from entering Denmark or any other EU or Schengen country for two years.

If Denmark’s international obligations demand it, an application is allowed to be submitted even though it is submitted to late. This means that you have a legal residence while we process your application for extension. However you can risk being punished for illegal residence in the period from your residence permit expired and until you submitted your application for extension.

What do you want to print?

Do you qualify for a fee waiver?

In special situations, the Immigration Service can waive the fee to apply for an extension of residence permit. 

As a result of Denmark’s international obligation to protect the right to family life, the Immigration Service may asses that you in some cases may be exempt from paying the fee, if:

  • You have had at least 6-7 years of continuous legal residence in Denmark, during which you have been enrolled in Danish childcare or attended Danish schools.

  • You suffer from a very serious illness requiring treatment, or a serious disability. 

Because of the Association Agreement between the EU and Türkiye, you can also be exempt from paying the fee, if you are a Turkish citizen who is economically active as an employee, self-employed person or service provider.

Read more about who can be exempt from paying fee

What do you want to print?

How long can your residence permit be extended?

A residence permit granted on the grounds of family reunification can be extended until you turn 18 years old.

Once you have turned 18 years old, your residence permit will be extended for 4 years at a time.

If your parent, foster parent or close family member also holds a temporary residence permit in Denmark, your residence permit will expire when his/her residence permit expires.

What do you want to print?

The information below explains how to apply to extend a residence permit granted on the grounds of family reunification.

If you are under 18 years old, your parent, foster parent or close family member can submit the application on your behalf.

We recommend that you make sure you know the requirements for family reunification before paying the application fee. Read more about the requirements in the ‘Need to know’ tab.

 
 

You or your parent, foster parent or close family member need to fill in the application form. You will also need to enclose documentation. It is a good idea to gather the documentation before you start. 

You may need:

Set aside

15 to 20 minutes

to fill in the application form

1 person

You or your parent needs to fill in the application form.

The application form includes detailed instructions for how to fill it in and which types of documentation you need to attach.

You need MitID when filling in the application form. Read more about MitID

If you want to resume filling in an application form online select ‘Start online application’. Once you are logged in, select ‘Continue a previously saved application’.

If you would like to make changes to an online application after you have submitted it, you need to contact the Immigration Service. You do not need to submit a new application. Contact the Immigration Service

Start FA4-5 online application

Family-reunified children are required to use the on-line version of application form FA4-5 when applying for an extension of residence permit, unless you have been granted an exemption.

Read more about mandatory online self-service

When you submit an application to the Immigration Service, we will process your personal information. You can read more about your rights and how we process your information on this page: Personal data – How we process your data

 

If you are over 18 years old, or if you do not live with your parent, you will normally need to provide us with your fingerprints and a picture of your face (biometric features) no more than 4 weeks after submitting your application to extend your residence permit. Your biometric features are required in order for you to get a new residence card.

If you are under 18 years old and live with your parent in Denmark, you are not required to have a residence card. If you do not want a residence card, you will not need to provide us with fingerprints or a picture of your face.

You can have your biometric features recorded at the Immigration Service’s Citizen Service. You must book an appointment before you show up at the Citizen Service. Read more about where the Immigration Service’s Citizen Service has branch offices and how you book an appointment

Read more about residence cards with fingerprints and facial pictures
 

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Last updated 23-09-2024 - Published by: The Danish Immigration Service