EU residence as a student

You are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen and have been admitted to an educational programme in Denmark.

Normal processing time
0-30 days

Processing fee
No fee

Who can get an EU residence document as a student?

You can get an EU residence document if you:

  • are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen
  • have been admitted to an educational programme in Denmark at the upper-seconday level or higher

What are the conditions?

When we process your application, we assess specifically and individually whether you are a student according to EU law. This means among other things that:

  • You must be enrolled in an educational programme in Denmark studying at the upper-secondary level or higher. The programme must be offically accredited.
  • You must be fully admitted, i.e. you no longer need to meet futher requirements in order to be accepted to the programme.
  • You must be studying actively

You are considered an active student if you are actively participating in your study programme by attending class, sitting for exams and the like. If you are enrolled but not active, you do not qualify for a residence certificate as a student.

You need to be able to support yourself financially while you are studying in Denmark.

You must therefore sign a declaration on financial self-support

If you have not yet turned 18, one of your parents must give their written consent that you are allowed to study in Denmark.

The parent who signs the written consent must have custody of you.

If you have not yet turned 18, one of your parents must give you permission to study in Denmark.

If your parents are not present when you submit the application, they can instead give you permission in writing. This means that they must sign a declaration of consent. 

If only one of your parents have custody of you, it is this parent, who must sign the declaration of consent. 
You must attach documentation of who your custody holders are, e.g. by submitting a copy of your birth certificate along with a copy of the data page in your parent’s passport.

You can read more about what documentation you need to submit, under the tab How to apply.

What are my rights as an EU citizen?

As an EU citizen you have the right to reside, study and work in Denmark with or without an EU residence document.

You may freely enter Denmark and you may begin to study and work in Denmark upon arrival. You do not need a permit to work in Denmark.

In Denmark a Civil Registration System (CPR) number is necessary in many situations, e.g. in relation to getting a health card and choosing a doctor, tax and Danish lessons.

To get a CPR number you must show an EU residence document to the municipality in which you reside.

On the website lifeindenmark.dk you can read more about how to get a CPR number and other important matters such as

  • MitID
  • Tax matters
  • Holiday entitlements
  • School and daycare
  • Housing
  • Danish lessons
  • Car registration and driver’s license

Read more on lifeindenmark.dk (links opens in a new window)

You must be able to support yourself financially, while studying in Denmark.

This means that you cannot receive public benefits regulated by the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik), e.g. cash benefits.

If you receive such benefits while living in Denmark, your right of residence can be terminated and you can lose your right to be in Denmark.

Benefit payments paid to a foreign national by the municipality or another public authority are reported to SIRI. SIRI will then assess whether this affects your grounds for residence.

If you receive support such as state study grants (SU) or unemployment benefits (arbejdsløshedsdagpenge), you can still be considered to be self-supporting.

Working while studying

If you have a job while you are studying, you can also have simultaneous grounds for residence as a worker, if you meet the conditions for this.

Read about the conditions for residence as a worker

If you

  • meet the conditions for being a worker according to EU regulations
  • have kept your status as a worker after stopping working

you have the same rights to public benefits as a Danish citizen. Therefore, receiving public benefits regulated by the Active Social Policy Act, e.g. cash benefits, will normally not lead to termination of your right to reside in Denmark.

Read more about which public benefits you are allowed to receive and which you are not when you have an EU residence document from SIRI

During your stay in Denmark under EU rules, you must normally be able to support yourself and your family financially. Depending on your grounds for residence, that means you, amongst other things, may not receive cash benefits or other forms of public assistance regulated by the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik).

If you or a family member receive such benefits while living in Denmark, your right of residence can be terminated and you can lose your right to be in Denmark.

Benefit payments from the municipality or any other public authority to a foreign national are reported to SIRI. SIRI will then assess whether this affects your grounds for residence. 

If you meet the requirements to be a worker as defined by EU law – or if you have retained worker status despite no longer working – receiving the above-mentioned benefits will normally not in and of itself lead to termination of your right of residence. The same applies if you have grounds for residence as the family member to a worker.

Read more about what you are allowed to receive and what you are not allowed to receive in public benefits when you have been granted an EU residence document by SIRI.

If you plan to live and work in Denmark, there are several things you need to consider. Depending on your situation, there may be more important information you need to be aware of.

The website lifeindenmark.dk contains information about:

  • MitID
  • The CPR register
  • Health card
  • Tax matters
  • Holiday entitlements
  • School and daycare
  • Housing
  • Danish lessons
  • Car registration and driver’s license

How long can I stay in Denmark?

If you plan on remaining in Denmark for less than 3 months, you do not need to apply for an EU residence document. If you are seeking employment, you may remain in Denmark for up to 6 months before obtaining a residence document.

If you plan on being in Denmark for longer than 3 months or 6 months, you need to apply for an EU residence document. Then you may remain in Denmark as long as you meet the conditions for grounds for residence according to EU regulations. There is no date of expiry of your residence document.

If you have had grounds for residence according to EU regulations in Denmark for five years, you have the right to permanent residence according to EU regulations.

Read about how to apply for permanent residence according to EU regulations

What should I do, if I am no longer studying?

Read more about what to do, if you stop or complete your education

Can my family qualify for an EU residency document?

Yes, your closest family can apply for residence in Denmark according to EU regulations.

Read more about EU residence as a family member to an EU citizen

What more do I need to know before I apply?

The ‘How to Apply’ tab on the right provides more information about the application process. Here your also find the application form, you must complete.

SIRI makes its decision based on the information and documents you submit with the application form. SIRI will contact you if we need more information when we process your application.

If you wish for SIRI to be able to give information regarding your case to others than yourself while we process your application, you must grant power of attorney to the person you wish to be able to access the information. The power of attorney must be submitted to SIRI preferably as part of your application.

If you state in your application that you are being represented by a solicitor, you do not need to submit a power of attorney. Solicitors, due to their profession, are automatically granted power of attorney. If you are being represented by a solicitor, SIRI will send all correspondence about your application to your solicitor.

Your application will be submitted to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

Make sure you have all documents ready in a digital format so you can attach them to the online application.

You must attach:

Download declaration on financial self-support

If you are under the age of 18, you must also attach:

Expect to use

15 minutes

to complete the application form

1 person

You complete the application form yourself

In this step you have access to the relevant application form OD1A.

The form contain instructions on how to complete the form and what kind of documents you must submit along with the form.

You can book an appointment at SIRI using the link in the receipt, you receive once you have completed and submitted the form.

 

Use the online form OD1A (opens in a new window)

If you have started an application before 15 May 2025 that you want to complete, use the previous form OD1. The previous OD1 form will not be available after 1 June 2025. Link to previous OD1 form

You can read more about how we process your personal data here

We recommend that you apply online, since digital applications often can be processed faster.

You can also choose to send a physical application – find a printable form and read more about the process

You can find your ongoing and completed applications for 30 days from your last login.

Log in to see your applications (opens in a new window)

You must appear in person in one of SIRI’s branch offices within 30 days.

You must bring:

  • The receipt for the online application
  • Your passport or national ID card

Only when you have identified yourself this way and been linked to your application, will we consider your application to be fully submitted. 

If you do not appear no later than 30 days after submitting your online application, SIRI will consider your application as withdrawn and close the case.

Addresses and opening hours of SIRI's branch offices

If you attach all necessary documents to the application, and if you meet the conditions for your grounds for residence, SIRI can issue a residence document for you immediately when you appear.

If any documentation is missing the case will take longer to process. Whwn you appear at SIRI, you will normally be informed if any further documentation is needed.

You have the right to reside and work in Denmark while you wait for an answer.

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Last updated 19-05-2025 - Published by: SIRI