Residing privately with friends or family
As an asylum seeker, you can apply to the Danish Immigration Service for permission to live with family or friends in a private residence in Denmark until you are granted a residence permit, leave Denmark or are deported.
Because it is the responsibility of the Immigration Service to ensure that asylum seekers’ living conditions are acceptable, the residence, as well as you and the person you would like to live with, need to meet certain requirements in order to be approved.
Requirements for residing privately with friends or family
The friend or family member you would like to live with needs to meet the following requirement:
- He/she needs to be a legal Danish resident
- He/she must be registered in CPR at the address stated in the application.
As an asylum seeker, you need to meet the following requirements:
- You must live at an asylum center or another type of accommodation center approved by the Immigration Service until we have processed your application for private accommodation.
- You need to enter into a contract with the Immigration Service specifying the conditions under which you may live in the residence. These conditions include co-operating with the immigration authorities seeking to process your application for asylum and/or assisting with the deportation process if you have received a final refusal of your application for asylum, or if you have withdrawn your application
- At least 6 months must have passed from the time you applied for asylum
- The Immigration Service must have decided that your application for asylum is to be processed in Denmark
- The Immigration Service may not be processing your request for asylum according to the manifestly unfounded procedure or the expedited version of the manifestly unfounded procedure. Read more about processing applications for asylum
- Neither you nor a member of your household may, at any time, have been expelled (administrative expulsion) because you were considered a danger to national security or a serious threat to public order, safety or health
- Neither you nor a member of your household may, at any time, been sentenced to expulsion by a court
- Neither you nor a member of your household may, at any time, have been sentenced to prison (served or suspended) for criminal offences committed in Denmark or another form of sanction that involves or allow detention for an offense committed in Denmark, which would have resulted in a sentence of this character
- Neither you nor a member of your household may be covered by the grounds for exclusion in the Aliens Act section 10 and be on a tolerated stay.
- Neither you nor a member of your household may have had a residence permit that has lapsed in pursuant of the Aliens Act section 21 b (that means where there is reason to believe that the person during a stay abroad, has participated in activities that threaten, or have the potential to threaten, national security, the public order or the security of other states).
The residence you would like to live in needs to meet the following requirements:
- It needs to be suitable accommodation for your household
- It may not be located in a municipality that is not receiving refugees in accordance with the Integration Act (integrationsloven). As of 1 January 2025, these are: Albertslund, Ballerup, Brøndby, Gladsaxe, Halsnæs, Horsens, Høje-Taastrup, Ishøj, Køge, Rødovre, Vallensbæk og Vejle.
You can receive healthcare and cash allowances
You can still receive cash allowances and necessary healthcare at the asylum centre with which you will be affiliated. You will also continue to be offered education and other activities.
You may work if you meet the requirements. Read more about employment options for asylum seekers
If you are a minor
If you are a minor asylum seeker, you may only be permitted to reside privately with friends or family if, after a specific assessment of i.a. age and maturity, the Immigration Service finds that it would be in your best interests to live in a private residence, and if certain requirements are met.
If you are under 18 and apply for private accommodation with a parent or, as an unaccompanied minor, with a close family member in Denmark, you must be aware, that the following requirements do not apply:
- at least 6 months must have passed from the time you applied for asylum,
- The Immigration Service must have decided that your application for asylum is to be processed in Denmark, and
- the residence is not located in a municipality that is not receiving refugees in accordance with the Integration Act (integrationsloven).
If you are under 15 and reside privately with someone other than your parents, the Immigration Service is required to obtain a child certificate (børneattest) for all individuals over 15 years of age residing at the address. This applies regardless of whether those individuals are family members or not. The child certificate includes any relevant decisions (e.g., criminal convictions) regarding violations of sections of the Danish Penal Code related to sexual offenses against children.
Healthcare and cash allowances
If you are privately accommodated with a parent, your parent is responsible for supporting you financially. This means that you will not receive cash allowances. Nor will your healthcare costs be covered, should you require treatment.
If you apply for private accommodation as an unaccompanied minor with a close family member other than your parent, you will continue to receive cash allowances and access to necessary healthcare at the asylum center you are attached to. You will also continue to have access to activation programs and education.
Apply to reside privately with friends or family
Use application form IN3 when applying for permission to move into a private residence with friends or family. The application form includes detailed instructions for how to fill it in, and which types of documentation you need to enclose.
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 IN3 for print:
Apply to reside privately with close family as an unaccompanied minor
Use application form IN8 when applying for permission to move into private residence with close family members. The application form includes detailed instructions on how to fill it in and which documentation you need to enclose. Please note that the application form can only be used if you are an unaccompanied minor.
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 IN8 for print (in Danish only):
If your application is approved
The Immigration Service’s approval to live in a private residence with friends or family under Section 42 l, (1) of the Danish Aliens Act remains valid until you are granted a residence permit, depart Denmark, or are deported.
The Immigration Service's approval to live in a private residence with close family members as an unaccompanied minor under Section 42 l, (3) of the Danish Aliens Act remains valid until you turn 18, or until you are granted a residence permit, depart Denmark, or are deported.
The Immigration Service can revoke its approval to live in a private residence (meaning that you and any family members living with you would need to resume living at an asylum centre) if you no longer qualify, or the other requirements specified in the contract are no longer met. Situations that would result in your approval being revoked include failing to co-operate with the Immigration Service seeking to process your application for asylum or no longer assisting with the deportation process if you have received a final refusal of your application, or if you are expelled or incarcerated.
If your application is refused
If the Immigration Service refuses your request to live in a private residence, you can appeal the decision to the Immigration Appeals Board within 8 weeks of receiving the decision. However, refusals based on the residence’s geographical location cannot be appealed.