Apply for extension of a visa

Under certain circumstances, a Schengen visa issued for less than 90 days can be extended to cover a total stay of 90 days.

These circumstances include:

• Humanitarian considerations, compelling business or personal reasons.
• New information which was not available at the time the original visa was issued.
• If you have been prevented from leaving the country due to extraordinary circumstances such as airline strikes or inclement weather (force majeure).
• You or the person living in Denmark have/has fallen seriously ill.

It is a condition for extension that the purpose of your visit remains unchanged and that you can document that a visa extension is necessary. You must also document that your travel insurance policy is valid for the period for which you want your visa to be extended.

An application for extension of your visa must be submitted before the expiry of your visa.

In some cases, your visa or visa-free stay in Denmark may be extended by a visitation permit of up to 90 additional days, so that you can stay in Denmark for a maximum of 180 days altogether. 

The application for extension must be submitted before the expiry of your visa or visa-free stay. If your application is submitted too late and has thus been submitted during an illegal stay, you will normally have your application for extension refused. However, we will always make a concrete and individual assessment of whether special circumstances have been disclosed that have resulted in your application not being submitted in time.

If you get your visa or visa-free stay in Denmark extended, the extension of your stay does not give you the right to enter or stay in any other Schengen country; including transits through other Schengen countries in connection to your journey home.  

Normally, you can only be granted an extended stay if there are extraordinary circumstances present. For instance, it may be the case if you were to become sick during your visit and present documentation that according to a medical assessment, it would be unreasonable for you to travel home before the lapse of your visa or visa-free stay, as far as your health is concerned. If the person you are visiting in Denmark becomes seriously ill or passes away, this can also be the basis of an extension of your stay. 

It is a prerequisite for the extension of your stay in Denmark that there have been unforeseen, sudden circumstances that were not present when the visa was being issued, which has meant that you were unable to arrange your visitation accordingly. 

Besides the abovementioned situations where extraordinary circumstances are present, you can be granted this type of extension if:

• You applied for family reunification with a spouse or cohabiting partner who lives in Denmark and are currently waiting for the ruling of your case and has not obtained a procedural stay in Denmark, and you entered Denmark at a time when both of you were at the age of at least 23 and six months. This is to ensure that spouses or cohabiting partners who do not yet meet the 24-year requirement for family reunification have an opportunity to stay together until the immigration authorities have determined that the other requirements for family reunification are met.
• You are a third-country citizen visiting a spouse, cohabiting partner, boyfriend/girlfriend or fiancé/fiancée, parents, children or siblings living in Denmark, and the person you are visiting in Denmark is a citizen of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland, and are intending to take advantage of his/her right to free movement in Denmark under the EU-laws. 

Fill in application

You can fill in the application form in Word format on your computer before printing it out. The application form is also available as a PDF file that can be printed out and filled in by hand.

Download form VS2 for print:

A paper version of the application form is also available at the Immigration Service's Citizen Service.

Submit application

You can submit your application at the Danish 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

Normally, the person you are visiting in Denmark must accompany you.

You must pay a fee of DKK 225 if you apply for an extension of your Schengen visa for up to 90 days, which is the maximum number of days for which a Schengen visa can be issued within a 180-day period. You must pay the fee when you submit your application for extension.

When you apply for an extension of your visa, make sure that your passport is valid. The Immigration Service can revoke or refuse to extend your visa if you do not hold a valid passport or other valid travel documents.

Your visa can only be extended up to 3 months before your passport expires. In other words, if your passport expires in 4 months, your visa can only be extended by 1 month.

If you hold a national passport (i.e. a passport from your country of origin), the diplomatic mission of your country of origin will renew it.