Retired employee of an international organisation

You would like to apply for a residence permit after retiring from a position in Denmark with international organisation or the like. You are over 60 years old and have lived in Denmark for more than 12 years.

The fee is
DKK 3,565,-

The expected maximum processing time is
7 months

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Who can be granted a residence permit?

Special rules for residency apply if you as a foreigner held a position in Denmark with an international organisation, EU institution or the like. In order to qualify, you need to have a residence permit under the terms of Aliens Act section 47 (1). That is granted by the Danish Foreign Ministry.

You need to meet a number of requirements in order to qualify for a residence permit as a retired employee of an international organisation. Read more below.

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What are the requirements?

In order to qualify for a residence permit as a retired employee of an international organisation or the like, you need to meet certain requirements.

You need to be over 60 years old. In addition, you need to have reached the pensionable age established by the organisation you work for. Read more below.

You can submit your application 6 months prior to turning 60.

You cannot be granted an exemption from this requirement.

You need to have retired after having reached the pensionable age established by the organisation you work for. Please be aware that the pensionable age established by an individual international organisation may differ from the pensionable age in Denmark. Your employer can tell you what the pensionable age is at your organisation.

You cannot be granted an exemption from this requirement.

Once you retire, you may only perform work that is unpaid and voluntary. If you are granted a residence permit as a retired employee of an international organisation and perform paid work, your residence permit can be revoked.

You cannot be granted an exemption from this requirement. 

You need to have held a legal, uninterrupted residence in Denmark for the past 12 years. During this entire period, you need to have held a residence permit issued under the terms of Aliens Act section 47 (1).

If you have lived in your home country for an extended period, it is considered as an interruption of your residence in Denmark. This means that the period you resided in Denmark prior to the interruption cannot be counted towards the 12-year requirement.

Short stays in your home country, for the purpose of holiday or work, is not considered an interruption of your residence in Denmark.

You cannot be granted an exemption from the requirement about 12 years legal stay. 

During your residence, you need to have formed an attachment to Denmark beyond your employment. This includes things like establishing familial ties or making friends in Denmark. You may meet this requirement if you have children who attend or have attended Danish schools.

You cannot be granted an exemption from the requirement about attachment to Denmark. 

You need to have DKK 63,029.96 (2024 level) set aside to repay your municipality should it pay you social benefits.

The money can be posted as a demand guarantee (anfordringsgaranti) or placed in an escrow account (deponeringskonto). Read more about posting the financial guarantee. The procedure for posting collateral is the same as the procedure for posting collateral for a family-reunified spouse.

You cannot be granted an exemption from the requirement about posting collateral.

You need to have passed Prøve i Dansk 1 or another Danish test of an equivalent or higher level. See the full list of tests that meet this requirement

You cannot be granted an exemption from the requirement about passing a Danish test.

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Which type of residence permit will you be granted?

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Does your family also qualify for residence permit?

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The information below explains how to apply for a residence permit as a retired employee of an international organisation.

We recommend that you make sure you know the requirements for obtaining a residence permit before paying the application fee. Read more about the requirements in the ‘Need to know’ tab.

You will need to include various forms of documentation when submitting your application. It is a good idea to gather the documentation before you start. Your application can be rejected if you do not submit all required documentation. 

You may need:

Set aside

20 to 30 minutes

to fill in the application form.

1 person

You, who are applying for a residence permit, need to fill in the application form.

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 IP1 for print:

Download form IP1 (Word)

Download form IP1 (pdf)

 

Your application can normally only be submitted in Denmark, if you hold a residence permit issued by the Danish Foreign Ministry under the terms of Aliens Act section 47 (1). For this reason, you normally need to apply before your current residence permit expires. You can submit your application to the Immigration Service at Citizen Service. If you live outside Greater Copenhagen you can also submit your application at a police station that is capable of recording biometric features. 

You can also send your application to the Immigration Service.

Your application can be rejected if it is obvious that you do not meet the requirements. Among the reasons for rejecting an application is if you’re 50 years old when you apply.

 

When you submit your application, you will normally need to provide us with your fingerprints and a picture of your face (biometric features) within 14 days. Your biometric features are required in order for you to get a new residence card.

You can have your biometric features recorded at the Immigration Service’s Citizen Service. If you live outside Greater Copenhagen, you can also have your biometric features recorded at certain police stations. See the list of police stations capable of recording biometric features 

Read more about residence cards with fingerprints and facial pictures

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Last updated 14-06-2018 - Published by: The Danish Immigration Service

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