Folk high schools

You will be following  a course at a folk high school in Denmark.

Normal processing time
2 months

Processing fee
DKK 2,490,-

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Who can apply for a residence permit?

If you are enrolled in a course at a folk high school, you can be granted a permit for a folk high school stay in Denmark.

If you are a citizen of a EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you do not need to apply for a residence permit, but must instead apply for a EU residence document.

Read more about EU residence here

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What are the conditions?

It is a requirement that you have been admitted to an approved folk high school.

You can see a list of approved folk high schools at the webpage of the Danish folk high schools.

You must be able to speak and understand the language of instruction. You must be able to understand either Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German with a reasonable level of proficiency.

In addition, it is a requirement that the fee for staying at the folk high school have been paid, and that the payment covers tuition as well as food and accomodation.

If the payment does not cover food and accomodation, you must provide documentation showing that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay at the folk high school.

You have sufficient funds if your disposable amount corresponds to DKK 6,820 (2024 level) per month. You should multiply the amount with the number of months you will be staying at the folk high school.

Documentation of your ability to support yourself can be in the form of a bank statement.

It is required that the documentation for your support shows the date of the statement and your name.

A bank statement must also show the balance of the account and must not be more than 30 days old. If it is not evident what currency the account is in, the currency must also appear of the statement. Should you choose to enclose more than one bank statement, all statements must be issued on the same day.

Read more about the requirement for self-support here.

The folk high school must be covered by Danish legislation concerning folk high schools, continuation schools, housekeeping schools and needlecraft schools.

The folk high school must be state approved and monitored. The Danish Ministry of Culture approves and monitors folk high schools.

The school principal must sign a statement confirming that the course is eligible for state subsidies. If the course is not eligible for state subsidies, the school must provide an informative statement from the Danish Evaluation Institute regarding the course.

If you have not yet turned 18, both of your parents must sign a declaration of consent to allow you to study in Denmark.

You must provide 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 parents' passport  .

The school must declare that it will ensure that you will have proper residence and study conditions in Denmark.

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What are my rights, if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a Danish residence permit as a course participant at a folk high school? – And what are you not allowed to do?

A residence permit allows you to stay at a folk high school in Denmark for the period when your permit is valid.

In addition, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180 days period. However, the permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

You must not give up your Danish address or stay abroad for longer than 6 successive months. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Denmark.

If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, you can apply for dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

You can read more about permit lapse and dispensation options here.

 As a rule, you must not work in Denmark as a folk high school student.

If you work without a permit, it is regarded as illegal work. If you work illegally you can receive a fine or be imprisoned and your residence permit as a student can be revoked.

However, you are permitted to take unpaid voluntary work for an organisation or association, if the work is a benefit to society. You do not need to apply for a work permit to take unpaid voluntary work. Read more about unpaid voluntary work here.

You must be able to support yourself during your stay. You are not allowed to receive public benefits, e.g. benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, state study grants and housing benefits.

If you receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Denmark.

If an authority, e.g. a municipality, disburses benefits to foreign nationals, SIRI will be notified.

 You can see a list of benefits that you are not allowed to receive here.

With a residence permit in Denmark, you are entitled to free Danish lessons. However, you must have turned 18 years and have your Danish address registered in the Danish National Register.

If you have a residence permit in Denmark based on work, study, etc. you have to pay a deposit before you can start receiving lessons. Be aware that you can lose your deposit if you do not pass the different modules within a specific timeframe.

Your municipality of residence is obliged to offer you Danish lessons and refer you to a language centre. If you have not been offered Danish lessons within a month after registering your address in Denmark, you can contact your municipality. 

You will (typically) be taught together with other foreign nationals who have arrived in Denmark recently.

If you are going to stay in Denmark, there are a number of things to acquaint yourself with. Depending on your personal situation, you might need other important information and options.

The portal lifeindenmark.dk provides you with information, links and in many cases also options concerning the most important subjects such as:

  • MitID
  • The CPR register
  • Health card
  • Housing
  • Danish lessons
  • Car registration and driver’s license

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How long can I stay in Denmark?

You can stay in Denmark for the duration of your stay at the folk high school, provided that you participate actively in the course.

You can stay as a course participant at a folk high school in Denmark for a maximum duration of 18 months in total. This can either be at the same folk high school or at different folk high schools.

If you change your folk high school or if you wish to change your course at the folk high school for which your residence permit was granted, you must apply for a new residence permit based on the new course.  You are allowed to start your new course while you wait for our decision to your application.

A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the expiry date of your passport.

If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit – however, this can only be done 3 months before your permit expires at the earliest.

Read more about the passport requirements.

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Can my family be granted a residence permit?

A residence and work permit based on a stay at a folk high school in Denmark does not allow your family to come with you to Denmark.

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What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for a residence permit on the basis of a stay at folk high school is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). If you are in Denmark when submitting the application, you must be here legally. More about submission here.

You must be admitted to a Danish folk high school to be able to apply.

Before submitting your application, you must create a case order ID for your application and pay a fee to cover SIRI’s case processing expenses. You can do this on the “How to apply” tab to the right. Here you also find the relevant application form, ST1. You can choose between an online form and a paper form.

The folk high school must complete one of two parts of the form.

If you use the paper form, the application process is generally initiated by the folk high school. 

If you use the online form, the folk high school must complete its part first. When the folk high school has completed its part, it will receive a reference number and a password for the second part of the form. The folk high school will pass on this information in order for you to be able to open the application and complete your part. 

Please note that, as a rule, SIRI will refuse your application for a residence permit on new grounds, if the application is submitted prematurely in relation to the wished for start date for your stay in Denmark.

If you submit such an application earlier than 6 months before your stay in Denmark will begin, you can expect a refusal to your application. If you have paid SIRI's case processing fee, you will not receive a refund of the fee.

SIRI will contact you or the folk high school if we need further information to process your case.

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Below you will find a step-by-step guide to submitting an application to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

It is important that you have carefully read the conditions for being granted a residence permit before you begin step 1. You can do this on the tab “Need to know” on the left.

It is a good idea to gather the necessary documents before you start to complete the application form.

You can use the check list and download declarations below.

If you submit documents not written in English, German, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, you must also submit certified translations into Danish or English.

You must submit:

If you have not paid for food and accommodation during your stay at the folk high school, you must also submit:

If you are below the age of 18, you must also submit:

Download declarations:

Download Sworn declaration and information by the head of the school

Download Sworn declaration and information (must be signed and attached if you do not sign the application with MitID)

Expect to use

30-40 minutes

per person to complete the application

2 persons

You and your folk high school are each required to complete a part of the form.

In this step you and your folk high school have access to the relevant application forms. You can choose between an online form and a print form.

Make sure that you have completed all the preceeding steps before you begin.

All our application forms contain careful instructions on how to complete the form and what kind of documents you must submit along with the form.

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

 

Online applications

If you apply online, you must choose the application form ST1 online.

In the ST1 online form the folk high school must complete the first of the two parts of the form. When they have completed their part, a reference number and password will be shown, which the folk high school must pass on to you. You are then able to open the online application and complete your part.

Make sure you have all documents ready in digital form, in order to attach them as you complete the application form.

Before you begin completing the online application, you must download the sworn declaration to be signed by the folk high school's principal. The declaration must be attached to the application. You can download the declaration here.

Use the online form ST1

 

Printable application forms

In the printable application form ST1 your folk high school must complete part 2 of the form. When they have completed their part, you must complete your part. Once parts 1 and 2 have been completed, they must be submitted together – read more in the next step.

You must submit the necessary documents with the application.

The printable application form in Word format can be completed on screen before you print. The application form in pdf format must be printed first and then completed by hand.

Download the printable form ST1 (Word format) 

Download the printable form ST1 (Pdf format)

You have applied online

If you have applied online, your application has already been submitted. Read more about having your biometrics recorded in the next step.

 

You are submitting the application abroad

The application can be submitted to a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country where you are residing.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can hand in your application (opens in a new window)

In certain countries Denmark does not have a diplomatic mission or application centre. In these instances the list will refer you to one of the Norwegian missions with which Denmark has made an agreement or to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in the region.

We recommend that you visit the local diplomatic mission’s webpage to get more information before you submit the application. The individual diplomatic mission can have additional requirements regarding payment of additional fees, submission of additional passport photos or additional copies of the application.

 

You are submitting the application in Denmark

If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to submit the application in Denmark. This is the case, if you:

  • hold a valid visa
  • are exempt from the visa requirement or
  • already hold a valid residence permit.

Read more about the legal residence requirement and submission of your application in Denmark. 

You can submit the applicaton in one of SIRI’s branch offices.

If you plan to submit your application in one of SIRI’s branch offices, you must remember to book an appointment. 

You can also send the application to SIRI.

When you apply for a residence permit, you must have your biometric features recorded. This means that you must have a facial photo taken and your fingerprints recorded. The facial photo and your fingerprints will be stored on a microchip embedded in the residence card, which will be issued to you if you are granted a permit.

If you do not agree to have your biometric features recorded, your application will be rejected. This means that your application will not be processed.

Read more about biometrics here

 

You have applied online

If you have submitted an online application form, you must have your biometric features recorded no later than 14 days after you submitted your application.

Your biometric features can be recorded at

If you are unable to have your biometric features recorded within the time limit of 14 days, because you are unable to book an appointment at a Danish diplomatic mission, you can inform us by email of the appointed time you will have your biometrics recorded. This way you can avoid having your application rejected.

 

You are are submitting the application abroad

If you submit an printable application form, you can have your biometric features recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country, where you reside.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can have your biometric features recorded (opens in a new window)

In certain countries Denmark does not have a diplomatic mission or application centre. In these instances the list will refer you to one of the Norwegian missions with which Denmark has made an agreement or to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in the region.

If you submit your application to a Norwegian diplomatic mission, you must also submit one passport photo. If you are granted a residence permit based on your application, you must within a specific time frame afte you entry to Denmark have your biometric features recorded.

We recommend that you visit the local diplomatic mission’s webpage to get more information before you submit the application. The individual diplomatic mission can have additional requirements regarding payment of additional fees, submission of additional passport photos or additional copies of the application.

 

You are submitting the application in Denmark

If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to have your biometric features recorded in Denmark. This is the case, if you:

  • hold a valid visa

  • are exempt from the visa requirement or

  • already hold a valid residence permit.

Read more about the legal residence requirement and submission of your application in Denmark. 

You can have your biometric features recorded in one of SIRI’s branch offices. 

If you plan to have your biometrics recorded in one of SIRI’s branch offices, you must remember to book an appointment.

You have submitted your application succesfully if you have:

  • created a case order ID
  • paid the fee
  • submitted the application
  • had your biometric features recorded

You can see the normal case processing time to the right on this page. When we make a decision in your case, you will receive an answer.

SIRI will contact you or your employer if we need further information to process your case.

Read more about what you can expect while you are waiting for an answer.

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Last updated 05-07-2024 - Published by: SIRI