Published 11-06-2018
New rules on sideline employment for researchers, guest researchers and PhD students and on unpaid voluntary work
On 1 June 2018 the Danish Parliament passed new rules on sideline employment for researchers, guest researchers and PhD students and on unpaid, voluntary work. The rules took effect on 10 June 2018.
The new rules regarding sideline employment applies to foreign nationals that have been granted a residence and work permit as a researcher (under the Researcher Scheme or under the Researcher Track of the Fast-track Scheme), as a guest researcher or as a PhD student and to foreign nationals that are submitting a new application for a residence permit as a researcher, as a guest researcher or as a PhD student.
The new rules on unpaid, voluntary work applies to foreign nationals that have been granted a residence permit based on work and to foreign nationals that are submitting a new application for a residence permit based on work.
The rules do not apply to foreign nationals that have been granted a residence permit valid for the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
Sideline employment
The new rules enable foreign nationals that have been granted a residence permit as a researcher (under the Researcher Scheme or the Researcher Track of the Fast-track Scheme) as guest researcher or as a PhD student to take up sideline employment without submitting a specific application for sideline employment. It is a precondition that the sideline employment is naturally related to the job that forms the basis of the foreign nationals residence and work permit.
Researchers, including researchers under the Fast-track Scheme, guest researchers and PhD students are – under the new rules – allowed to take up unlimited sideline employment.
Researchers with a residence permit under the Pay Limit Scheme are not subject to the new rules on sideline employment. These researchers continue to need to apply for a specific permit for sideline employment.
Unpaid, voluntary work
The new rules grants a right to carry out unpaid, voluntary work in addition to main employment and sideline employment, if any. The unpaid voluntary work must not be replacing any paid employment and it is therefore a condition that the job in question is normally carried out without a salary and by volunteers.
The right to carry out unpaid, voluntary work does not require the submission of an application, but will be included in the original residence and work permit based on work.
You can find the Act here (in Danish only)
The new rules are also explained on the relevant pages of newtodenmark.dk.
