Accompanying family member to an employee - extension

You want to extend your stay in Denmark as an accompanying family member to a person working in Denmark.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
DKK 2,880,-

You can also apply here, if your family member is a

  • greencard holder
  • establisment card holder
  • guest researcher

or has a

  • residence permit under the Start-up Denmark Scheme
  • residence permit in Denmark based on work at ESS in Sweden

What do you want to print?

Can I extend my permit?

You can apply for an extension of your residence permit as an accompanying family member, if you continue to be the

  • spouse,
  • registered partner,
  • cohabiting partner
  • child - living at home and, as a rule, have not yet turned 18 or
  • other family member

of an foreign national residing in Denmark in order to work.  In the following we use the term ‘sponsor’ for this foreign national.

It is very important that you apply for an extension before your current residence permit expires.

You can, at the earliest, apply for an extension of your permit 3 months before it expires.

If you do not apply for an extension before your permit expires, you no longer have the right to stay in Denmark – and an application submitted in Denmark will, in principle, be rejected.

If you submit your application for an extension in time, you can stay in Denmark while SIRI is assessing you application for an extension – even if your permit expires.

You are allowed to continue working while you wait for an answer to your application. If SIRI extends your residence permit, you also keep your right to work. Your rights are described in detail in the section "What are my rights, if I am granted a permit?" on this page.

See what affects it can have for you if your sponsor changes job within the same scheme or to a new scheme. 

If your sponsor changes job within the same scheme, e.g. the Pay Limit scheme, and therefore applies for a new residence and work permit, you do not need to submit a new application.

You do not need to submit a new application either if the sponsor changes from the Pay Limit scheme to the Positive list, for example.

If the sponsor changes to the Fast-track scheme, and you already hold a valid residence permit, you only need submit a new application as an accompanying family member if you want to be exempted from the rules that can cause your permit to lapse.

If the sponsor changes from the Fast-track scheme to the Pay Limit scheme, for example, you must submit a new application for a residence permit and pay the fee for the application. This is because you cannot keep the exemption from the rules that can cause your permit to lapse, as it is a condition that the sponsor holds a residence permit under the Fast-track scheme.

If the sponsor applies for a residence permit as e.g. a student or a guest researcher you must submit a new application for a residence permit.

What do you want to print?

What are the conditions?

You must continue to meet the conditions that applies to your current residence permit as an accompanying family member of an employee.

You must also continue to be the:

  • spouse
  • registered partner
  • tcohabiting partner 
  • child - living at home and, as a rule, have not yet turned 18 or
  • other family member

of an foreign national residing in Denmark in order to work.

You must have a valid passport. This also applies to infants born in Denmark.

During your entire stay in Denmark you must live at the same address as the sponsor who is here to work. This also applies to children – regardless of their age.

If you are an accompanying child, and you were granted your first residence permit before you turned 18, you can have your permit extended, even if you have turned 18 years old in the meantime. However, you must still live at the same address as the sponsor.

If you have moved away from home you cannot recreate the possibility to have your permit extended after turning 18, by moving back into your parents’ home. You will have to apply for a new permit of your own based on new grounds for residence, e.g. as a student.

If the child’s parents have joint custody and if it is the sponsor only that resides in Denmark with the child, a new declaration of consent from the other parent is needed in case the previously submitted declaration of consent was limited to a specific period of time.

As a declaration of consent you can use this form

The sponsor, who is in Denmark to work, must have sufficient funds to support you.

You are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act.

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

What do you want to print?

Financial support

We do not require documentation of the sponsor’s ability to support you, if he or she holds a residence and work permit based on salaried employment.

Below, you can see when we require specific documentation that the sponsor can support you.

An Establishment Card cannot be granted for more than a period of 2 years. An extension is therefore only possible if you or your sponsor were granted a permit for less than 2 years due to the expiry date of your passports.

In this situation the sponsor must document sufficient funds to support you for the remaining period in Denmark. 

If you both apply at the same time the sponsor must have disposable funds corresponding to DKK 15,890 (2024 level) per month.

Read more about the self-support requirement here.

If the sponsor has applied or is applying for an extension of his or her permit as a guest researcher the sponsor must document that he or she has sufficient funds during your entire stay in Denmark.

A residence permit as a guest researcher can only be granted for a maximum of 3 years. Extension is therefore only possible if you or the sponsor were granted a permit for less than 3 years due to the expiry date of your passports.

If you both apply at the same time the sponsor must have disposable funds corresponding to DKK 24,652 (2024 level) per month.

Read more about the requirement for self-support here.

If the sponsor has applied or is applying for an extension of his or her permit based on the Start-Up Denmark Scheme the sponsor must document that he or she has sufficient funds to support you for the first year in Denmark.

If you are applying for an extension after the first year, the sponsor is no longer required to document that he or she has sufficient funds to support you.

If you or the sponsor were granted a permit for less than 1 year due to the expiry date of your passports the sponsor must document that he or she has sufficient funds to support you for the remaining part of the first year.

If you both apply for an extension before the first year has passed, the sponsor must have disposable funds corresponding to DKK 24,652 (2024 level) per month.

Read more about the requirement for self-support here.

If the sponsor has applied or is applying for an extension of his or her permit as an unpaid PhD-student at the ESS the sponsor must document that he or she has sufficient funds to support you for the first year in Denmark.

If you are applying for an extension after the first year, the sponsor is no longer required to document that he or she has sufficient funds to support you.

If you or the sponsor were granted a permit for less than 1 year due to the expiry date of your passports the sponsor must document that he or she has sufficient funds to support you for the remaining part of the first year.

If you both apply for an extension before the first year has passed the sponsor must have disposable funds corresponding to DKK 13,640 (2024 level) per month.

Read more about the requirement for self-support here.

What do you want to print?

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

What are you allowed do with a Danish residence permit as an accompanying family member to an employee? – and what are you not allowed to do?

Holding a permit as an accompanying family member to an employee in general grants you the right to work in Denmark. Therefore, you generally do not need to apply for a separate work permit if you get a job.

You are also allowed to run your own business or study.

However, you must apply for a work permit if you wish to work at the same company as your sponsor, or at a company closely related to it.
If you already hold a separate work permit, you must remember to apply for an extension of this permit before the expiry date.

The condition of a separate work permit in some situations applies when it is stated in your residence permit. If you were granted, or applied for, your residence permit before 1 January 2021, the condition will not apply to you until your residence permit is extended.

If you are in doubt about whether you need to apply for a work permit, please contact us via our contact form.

You can find further information on the conditions and how to apply for a work permit here.

If you are under 18 years of age, special rules apply to how much you are allowed to work. You can read more about these rules on the website of the Danish Working Environment Authority (Arbejdstilsynet).

 A Danish residence permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

A residence permit allows you to stay in Denmark for the period of time your permit is valid.

In addition, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. The permit, however, 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, e.g. if you wish to take parental leave in your home country, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing. 

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

If the sponsor holds a residence permit based on the Researchers Scheme or the Fast Track Scheme, you are exempt from the rules that can cause your permit to lapse.

You and the sponsor must support yourselves during your stay. You are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act. 

If you or the sponsor receives 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 and possibly work 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
  • Tax matters
  • Holiday entitlements
  • School and daycare
  • Housing
  • Danish lessons
  • Car registration and driver’s license

What do you want to print?

How long can I stay in Denmark?

You will normally be granted a permit valid for the same period as the family member who is in Denmark to work (the sponsor) – however, the period cannot exceed 4 years.

If you have had a residence permit on the same grounds for 8 years, your permit can be extended for up to 5 years if your sponsor has permanent residence.

If the sponsor’s employment is extended, and you want to stay in Denmark, you must apply for an extension of your residence permit.

It is very important that you apply for an extension before your permit expires.

If you submit your application for an extension in time, you can stay in Denmark even though your permit expires.

If you are an accompanying child and you were granted your first residence permit before you have turned, you can extend your permit even though you have turned 18 in the meantime. However, you must still be living at the same address as the sponsor.

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 requirement.

What do you want to print?

What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for an extension of a residence permit as an accompanying family member to an employee is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

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, MF2.

Each accompanying family member must submit an individual application. For example, if a spouse and two children are applying for residence permits as accompanying family members, 3 case order IDs must be created, 3 fees must be paid and 3 application forms must be submitted.

You can be represented by a third party. It can be a family member, attorney or relocation agency. If you choose to be represented, you must give the third party representing you power of attorney to handle the application on your behalf.

You can find an approved template of a power of attorney here

SIRI will contact you or the sponsor in Denmark if we need further information to process your case.

What do you want to print?

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 below.

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

You must submit:

If you are an accompanying family member to a guest researcher, you must also submit:

If you are a child, you must submit

Expect to use

30 minutes

completing the application

1 person

You complete the application form by yourself.

In this step you have access to the relevant application form MF2.

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 on which documents you must submit along with the form.

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

If you do not have a MitID, you must sign, scan and attach to the application the document 'Sworn declarations and information'.

You can download the document 'Sworn declarations and information' here (also available in the form)

You can download the form for the declaration of consent here (also available in the form)

 

Use the form MF2

 

Please note that it is mandatory to use this application form. Under special circumstances, you can be exempted from the requirement to use an online application form. You can read more here.

Please note that it is mandatory to fill in your passport number in this application form. If you are not in possession of a valid passport, you can contact us for guidance. You can find our contact information here.

When you apply for an extension of your 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.

SIRI can, as a rule, only start processing your application once you have had your biometric features recorded. This must happen  no later than 14 days after you submitted your application.

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 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.

What do you want to print?

Responsible agency

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Last updated 05-11-2024 - Published by: SIRI