Processing of an asylum application
When you seek asylum in Denmark, the police register your application. The Danish Immigration Service will then begin processing your application. The page below provides information about the processing of an asylum case, and the various phases of the process.
When you contact the police to apply for asylum, the police will register your application and record your biometric features (photograph and fingerprints).
The police will then forward your application to the Danish Immigration Service, which is responsible for processing asylum cases.
Read more about how to apply for asylum
Counselling
After you have applied for asylum in Denmark, you can receive free legal counselling from DRC Danish Refugee Council. DRC Danish Refugee Council is a private humanitarian organisation that works to protect the rights of asylum seekers and refugees in Denmark and offers free and independent legal counselling to asylum seekers throughout the asylum procedure. Contact DRC Asylum
After you have applied for asylum, the Danish Immigration Service must determine whether your application for asylum is to be processed in Denmark or in another country. In this connection, you may be invited to attend an initial interview (AM interview) with the Danish Immigration Service.
As a general rule, the interview will take place shortly after your application for asylum has been registered by the police. The purpose of the interview is to determine whether Denmark is responsible for examining your asylum application. The Danish Immigration Service will prepare a written record of the interview.
Based on your initial interview and the other information in your case, the Danish Immigration Service will make a decision as to whether Denmark is to process your asylum application or whether another country should be requested to process it.
As a general rule, it is still the rules of the Dublin Regulation that determine which country is responsible for examining your application for asylum. On 12 June 2026, the AM Regulation entered into force in the EU and applies in the EU Member States, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The AM Regulation replaces the Dublin Regulation and largely contains the same provisions as the Dublin Regulation.
In Denmark, the AM Regulation has not yet been implemented into Danish law. During the period from 12 June 2026 until the Regulation is implemented into Danish law, only those provisions of the AM Regulation that are already authorised under Danish legislation will, as a general rule, be applied in the processing of asylum applications. At the same time, Denmark’s parallel agreement and fundamental principles of interpretation require Denmark, during this period, to apply and interpret existing Danish law, to the greatest extent possible, in accordance with the new rules of the AM Regulation. Read more about the AM Regulation
As a general rule, at the end of the AM interview you will already be informed whether the Danish Immigration Service intends to request another country to take charge of your application for asylum or to notify another country that it must take you back.
In some cases, however, it will be necessary to obtain additional information. In such cases, the Danish Immigration Service will not be able to inform you, at the end of the AM interview, where your application will be processed.
It will also be assessed whether your application for asylum may be rejected. As a general rule, an application for asylum may be rejected if you have already been granted protection in another EU Member State, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or Liechtenstein.
If it has been decided that your application for asylum is to be processed in Denmark, your case may be processed under one of three different procedures:
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Normal asylum procedure
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Manifestly unfounded procedure
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Expedited version of manifestly unfounded procedure
You can also apply for a residence permit on humanitarian grounds. An application for a residence permit on humanitarian grounds should be submitted to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration. Read more about residence permits on humanitarian grounds
Once it has been decided that your application for asylum is to be processed in Denmark, you will be given the opportunity to complete an asylum application form describing the grounds for your asylum claim.
Normal asylum procedure
If your application is processed according to normal asylum procedure, the Immigration Service will decide whether to grant you a residence permit or refuse your application based on the criteria for granting asylum. In this connection, you will be invited to attend one or more asylum interviews, during which you can explain the grounds for your asylum claim. For example, additional asylum interviews may be necessary if the grounds for your asylum claim are of a more complex nature.
The Immigration Service decides whether to grant asylum on a case-by-case basis. The Immigration Service considers the information you provide, as well as general background information about conditions in your home country. Read more about general background information about countries
Manifestly unfounded applications
Your application will be considered manifestly unfounded if the Immigration Service finds that you have no valid grounds for seeking asylum, or if the Danish Refugee Council’s practice indicates that your grounds for seeking asylum are clearly unfounded.
If the Immigration Service finds that your application for asylum is manifestly unfounded, the Immigration Service will normally make a decision after the first asylum interview.
If the Immigration Service finds that your application for asylum is manifestly unfounded, the application will be given to the Refugee Council for review.
If the Refugee Council agrees with the Immigration Service’s decision, your application will be refused. If the Refugee Council does not agree with the Immigration Service, your application will be processed according to the normal asylum procedure. If your application is refused, it will be turned over to the Refugee Appeals Board for review.
Expedited version of manifestly unfounded application-processing
Expedited application processing has been established for asylum seekers from certain specific countries. The procedure is called ‘the expedited version of the manifestly unfounded procedure’ (ÅGH-procedure). In these cases, it is presumed that the application is manifestly unfounded and can be refused.
Download list of ÅGH-countries (PDF)
If your request for asylum is processed according to the expedited version of the manifestly unfounded procedure, you do not need to fill in an application form describing the grounds for your asylum claim, and your application will be processed under an expedited procedure. The Danish Refugee Council must provide a statement in the case after also interviewing you. If the Refugee Council agrees with the Immigration Service’s decision, a refusal will be granted after an expedited process.