Establishment card - extension

You want to extend your establishment card, either because you were granted less than 2 years residence or because you are employed in a job relevant to your educational programme which forms the basis for your establishment card.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
DKK 2,490,-

What do you want to print?

Can I extend my permit?

Your residence permit can be extended

  • if the duration of your current establishment card is less than 2 years, or
  • if you have had your current establishment card for a period of at least 1 year and 9 months and you are employed in a job relevant to your Danish educational programme.

It is very important that you apply for 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 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 apply for an extension of your residence permit no earlier than 3 months before your permit expires.

What do you want to print?

What are the conditions for extending a permit?

Your residence permit can be extended

  • if the duration of your current establishment card is less than 2 years, or
  • if you have had your current establishment card for a period of at least 1 year and 9 months and you are employed in a job relevant to your Danish educational programme.

The conditions for an extension depend on the reason you are applying for an extension.

If your permit has been shortened due to the expiry date in your passport, you can have your permit extended for up to 2 years on the following conditions:

You must be able to support yourself financially

If you permit has been granted for a shorter period than one year, it is a requirement that you have enough money to support yourself financially during the remaining period of the first year of your stay.

You have enough money, if you have an amount corresponding to DKK 7,945 (2024 level) per month.

Documentation that you can support yourself (and any accompanying family members) can for example be a bank statement or an employment contract stating your monthly income in Denmark, if you are working or have been offered a job.

Read more about financial self support here

You must hold a valid passport

In order to have your permit extended up to 2 years, it is a condition that you have had your passport extended or have been issued a new passport.

A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the expiry date in 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. 

Read more about the passport requirements here

It is a requirement that you are employed in a job relevant to your completed educational programme in Denmark.

Your employment must be characterized as main occupation and for a minimum of 20 hours per week.

Owning and running your own business cannot form the basis for an extension of an establishment card.

What do you want to print?

What are my rights if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a Danish residence permit based on establishment card? – and what are you not allowed to do?

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

You are allowed to work full-time as an employee or start your own business. You do not need to apply for a new residence permit if you change your job.

Moreover, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within the past 180 days. 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 a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

You must be able to provide for yourself and your family during your stay. For example, you are not allowed to receive graduate allowances (dimmitenddagpenge) and benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act – and there might be other benefits that you cannot receive.

If you or your family members 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.

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

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
  • Housing
  • Danish lessons
  • Car registration and driver’s license  

What do you want to print?

How long can I stay in Denmark?

An establishment card is initially granted for a 2 year period. Subsequently the residence permit can be extended for an additional year, granting a total length of stay of up to 3 years.

If you wish to continue to stay in Denmark as an employee or a student aften 2 or 3 years, you must apply for a new residence permit based on another scheme.

What do you want to print?

Can my family's residence permits be extended?

An extension of your establishment card in Denmark allows any accompanying family members to extend their residence permits as well.

The extension of their permits 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, civil or cohabiting partner as well as your children living at home under the age of 18 years.

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 establishment card is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

Before submitting your application, you must create an SB-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, EK1.

SIRI will contact you or your employer (if applicable) 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 documentation before you start to complete the application form. You can use the checklist below.

If you submit documentation not written in English, German, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, you must also submit a certified translation in either Danish or English.

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 EK1.

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.

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

 

Use the form EK1

 

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

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 SB-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

Contact SIRI
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Last updated 10-07-2024 - Published by: SIRI

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