Higher educational programmes - extension

You wish to extend your stay in Denmark as a student. You continue to be enrolled at the same higher educational programme.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
DKK 2,490,-

What do you want to print?

Can I extend my permit?

You can apply for an extension of your residence permit as a student on a higher educational programme, if you have been delayed in your studies, or if you were granted a shorter permit due to the expiry date of your passport.

It is very important that you apply for an extension before your current permit 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 usually 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 can also continue to work.

You can apply for an extension at the earliest 4 months before your study permit expires (usually 30 June or 31 January).

What do you want to print?

What are the conditions for an extension?

It is a requirement that you are still enrolled in the same educational programme that your current residence permit is based upon.

It is a requirement that you are participating actively in the study programme. The place of study must assess if you are still an active student in your programme. If you are not an active student the educational institution must report this to SIRI.

You may not be delayed more than 1 year.

If your residence permit has been granted for less than 1 year, it is a condition that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during the remaining period of the first year of your studies in Denmark.

You have sufficient funds if your disposable amount corresponds to DKK 6,820 (2024 level) for each month - for a maximum of 12 months only, however.

Documentation for your ability to support yourself and any accompanying family members can be a bank statement, for example.

Read more about the requirement for self-support here.

If you are to pay tuition for your studies by yourself, and if you have already paid tuition for the first semester, it is regarded as proof of having sufficient funds. In this case you do not need to provide additional documentation.

You are not allowed to receive public benefits. If you have received public benefits you might not be able to have your residence permit extended.

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

What do you want to print?

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

What are you allowed to do with a residence permit as a student on a higher educational programme – and what are you not allowed to do?

A residence permit allows you to stay and study in Denmark in 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 more 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 a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing. 

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

In addition to your residence permit as a student, you are granted a limited work permit.

You are allowed to work:

  • for up to 90 hours per month during the normal period of study from September to May, and
  • full-time through June, July and August.

The limited work permit is also valid during the 6 month job seeking period normally granted to you if you expect to complete a full education in Denmark.

It will be regarded as illegal work if you work more than you are allowed to. Illegal work can entail a warning, a fine or a revocation of your residence permit as a student.

You can read more about warning of illegal work here.

If you are granted a residence permit to study in an educational programme that features a mandatory internship and the educational institution in the application form has informed us, that the internship is mandatory, you will automatically be granted a permit to work full-time during your internship. 

If you have not been granted a permit to work full time during an internship, you can apply for a permit here.

The internship must be relevant to your educational programme (e.g. award you ECTS points), and the place of internship must be approved by your educational institution.

You must not begin working full-time during the internship before you have been granted a permit.

You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. Therefore, 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 the 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.

When living 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.

You might already have done what is necessary, but if you still have any questions, 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?

If you do not finish your education within the standard (nominal) time limit, your residence permit can be extended for up to 1 year beyond the standard (nominal) time limit.

If you have been on parental leave during your studies, the leave (for up to 1 year) will not be included in the allowed period of delay. 

If you change your educational programme, you must apply for a new residence permit based on the new education.  You are allowed to start your new studies while you wait for our decision. However, you are not allowed to work before a new residence permit has been granted.

If you have completed a higher educational programme in Denmark, you can either be granted a 6-month or a 3-year residence permit to look for employment in Denmark.

If you are granted a permit to complete a full higher educational programme, you will generally be granted the 6-month or 3-year job seeking permit along with your residence permit.  

A residence permit for job seeking gives you the same work rights as during your studies: 20 hours per week (15 hours per week if you were granted your permit before 1 January 2015) and full-time through June, July and August.

The job seeking period gives you the opportunity to find employment in Denmark when you have completed your studies. If you are offered a job during the job seeking period, you must apply for a new residence and work permit.

If you have been granted a 3-year job seeking permit, you can apply for a work permit without limitations, once you have completed your educational programme.

Read more about work permit under the jo seeking period here

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. 

What do you want to print?

Can my family be granted an extension of their residence permit?

An extension of your residence and work permit based on studies in Denmark allows any accompanying family members to extend their residence permits as well.

The extension of their permit will be for the same period as your extension.

Read more about extension of a permit as an accompanying family member here.

If you do not already have your family with you in Denmark, we can inform you that a permit can be granted to your spouse, registered or cohabiting partner as well as children under the age of 18 living at home.

Read more about first-time permits for accompanying family members here.

What do you want to print?

What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for a residence permit on the basis of studies is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).  

You must continue to be admitted to an education or course in Denmark 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, ST3.

Your educational institution must complete their part first. When your place of study has completed their part, they will receive a reference number and a password for the second part of the form. The educational institution will pass on this information in order for you to be able to open the application and complete your part. 

SIRI will contact you or your place of study 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, German, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, you must also submit certified translations into Danish or English.

You must submit:

Expect to use

30 minutes

completing the application

2 persons

You and your educational institution are each required to complete a part of the form.

In this step you and your educational institution have access to the relevant application form ST3.

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.

In the ST3 form your educational institution must complete the first of the two parts of the form. When your educational institution has completed their part, a reference number and password will be shown, which the educational institution must pass on to you. You are then able to open the 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.

Use the form ST3

 

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.

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Last updated 08-07-2024 - Published by: SIRI

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