Apply to extend a residence permit as an other family member

You can be granted an extension of your temporary residence permit in Denmark as an ‘other family member’ if you are – for example, the

• adult child, or
• parent

of the person you applied to live with in Denmark.
 

In order to qualify for an extension of residence permit, the reasons for granting you your initial residence permit must still apply.

If you were granted a residence permit as an ‘other family member’ it was because there were special reasons that applied in your case.

The reasons may have been: contact with a minor child from a previous relationship, health problems or a disability.

The specific reasons why you were approved for a residence permit are listed in the letter you received from the Immigration Service when you received your 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 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 for a residence-permit extension 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 to punished for illegal residence in the period from your residence permit expired and until you submitted your application for extension.

After 2 years, your residence permit can be extended by 4 years. Subsequent extensions will be for 6 years at a time.

If the family member you applied to live in Denmark with holds a temporary residence permit in Denmark, your residence permit will expire when his/her residence permit expires.

Furthermore, your residence permit can be extended only up to 3 months prior to your passport’s expiry date. In other words, if your passport expires in 12 months, your residence permit can be extended for only 9 months.

National passports are renewed by the embassy or consulate of the country that issued them. Convention and alien’s passports are renewed by the Immigration Service.

The Immigration Service does not extend temporary residence permits for less than 6 months.