The Fast-track Scheme – extension

You want to extend your residence permit based on the Fast-track Scheme. You continue to be employed by the same certified employer.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
DKK 6,055,-

When applying for a residence and work permit under the Fast-track Scheme, your employer will handle the application procedure with a power of attorney from you.

However, it is important that you are familiar with the conditions for getting an extension of your residence and work permit as well as the possibilities that extension grants you. You can read more about this below.

Can I extend my permit?

You can extend your residence permit based on the Fast-track Scheme if you still are employed by the same employer and the company still has a certification.

When you hold a permit based on the Fast-track Scheme, your job content can change within the same university or company without you having to apply for a new work permit. For example, this applies if you are promoted or if your place of work changes within the company. However, you must notify SIRI if your salary and terms of employment change for the worse.

It is very important that you apply for an extension before your current residence and work permit expires. An application for an extension can be submitted no more than 3 months before the expiry date of your permit.

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

A job seeking permit does not allow you to work.

If you, in addition to your current permit, has been granted an extra 6 month job seeking permit, but your job contract has been extended and you no longer need to look for a new job in Denmark, it is very important that you apply for an extension before your current work permit expires – that is, before your job seeking period starts.

If you continue to work during your job seeking period without having applied for an extension first, you will be working illegally.

If you apply for an extension in time, you can stay in Denmark and continue to work while SIRI processes your application for extension even though your permit is expiring .

What are the general conditions for extending a permit based on the Fast-track scheme?

It is condition for extending your permit that you have met the conditions of your residence permit during all your employment periods in Denmark.

You can apply for an extension of your residence and work permit if you are still employed by the same employer. You must also have both worked and received your salary in accordance with your contract for the entire validity period of your latest permit.

If you have had periods where you have not received a full salary and/or if you have not worked in accordance with your contract, your application must provide information and documentation explaining why you have not done so.

Note that the EU working time directive stipulates that over a period of 4 months you must have an average weekly working time of no more than 48 hours. If your employment is covered by a valid collective agreement, this rule may be waived.

 As a rule, you are allowed to take an unpaid leave of absence or vacation without pay, within reasonable limits. In order for SIRI to assess whether your leave of absence or vacation is within reasonable limits, we need information and documentation regarding:

  • the length of your unpaid leave of absence or vacation
  • how often you have taken an unpaid leave of absence or vacation
  • the reason why you have taken an unpaid leave of absence or vacation.

If you have been on maternity or patnerity leave, you are allowed to have received maternity/paternity benefits.

In order for us to extend your permit, your salary and terms of employment must correspond to the Danish standards. If we are not sure whether they correspond to the Danish standards, we can ask the Regional Labour Market Councils (RBR) to assess them.

Read SIRI’s page on Danish standards for salary and terms of employment.

If your salary or terms of employment have changed for the worse, you must inform SIRI of this.

Please note that by having a permit obtained via the the fast-track scheme (all tracks), the nature of your employment is allowed to change within the same company or university, without you having to apply for a new work permit. This applies to changes such as a promotion, a change of workplace or a change of research project. However, your terms of employment must continue to correspond to the Danish standards. If you have a permit based on the pay limit track or the supplementary pay limit track, you must also be in compliance with the track’s pay limit.

You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. You are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, e.g. cash benefits (kontanthjælp). 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 foreign nationals receive benefits from an authority, e.g. a municicpality, SIRI will be notified.

Here is a list of public benefits you are not allowed to receive

What are the specific conditions for extending a permit based on the Pay Limit Track?

The pay limit is adjusted every year in January. As long as your terms of employment are unchanged and you receive your salary in accordance with your contract, you can apply for an extension even though your annual income might be below the present minimum amount.

The Pay Limit Track's minimum amount is absolute. It is a condition that, in all working periods in Denmark, you have received your salary in accordance with the pay limit that applies to your permit, during the entire validity period of your permit

The only exception from this condition is if the lower salary is due to parental leave. If you have taken parental leave, you are allowed to have received childcare benefits instead of salary.

The same exception does not apply to sickness benefits.

When SIRI has to ensure that you have complied with the pay limit, we calculate the period continuously from the date of your last permit and 12 months onwards.

Example: You received your last residence and work permit on 1 August 2020. You applied for an extension of your permit on 1 August 2023. SIRI calculates 12 months continuously from 1 August 2020, i.e. 1 August 2020 – 31 July 2021, 1 August 2021 – 31 July 2022, etc.

Please note, if you received your first residence and work permit on 1 August 2020 but did not enter the country before 1 September 2020, the 12 months are calculated continuously from 1 September 2020 onwards.

What are the specific conditions for extending a permit based on the Supplementary Pay Limit Track?

The pay limit is adjusted each year in January. As long as your salary and terms of employment continue to correspond to your contract, you are still able to apply for an extension of your permit, even though your annual income might be below the current pay limit.

The Supplementary Pay Limit Track's minimum amount is absolute. It is a condition that you have received wages in accordance with the pay limit that applies to your permit, during the entire validity period of your permit.

The only exception from this condition is if the lower salary is due to parental leave. If you have taken parental leave, you are allowed to have received childcare benefits instead of salary.

The same exception does not apply to sickness benefits.

When SIRI has to ensure that you have complied with the pay limit that applies to your permit, we calculate the period continuously from the date of your last permit and 12 months onwards.

Example: You received your last residence and work permit on 1 August 2020. You applied for an extension of your permit on 1 August 2023. SIRI calculates 12 months continuously from 1 August 2020, i.e. 1 August 2020 – 31 July 2021, 1 August 2021 – 31 July 2022, etc.

Please note, if you received your first residence and work permit on 1 August 2020 but did not enter the country before 1 September 2020, the 12 months are calculated continuously from 1 September 2020 onwards.

In the validity period of your latest permit, you must not have been fined DKK 3,000 or more according to the Aliens Act, the Act on Weapons and Explosives etc. or the Act on Euphoriant Substances.

You must also not be fined after you have submitted your application for an extension.

If you have received a fine of DKK 3,000 or more after you have submitted your extension application or after you have had your residence and work permit extended, SIRI can withdraw your permit and you will lose the right to stay in Denmark.

You must declare that you meet the above-mentioned conditions, and the declaration must be attached to your application.

Download a template for a declaration

Your entire salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name.

Read more about having your salary paid into a Danish bank account

What are the specific conditions for extending a permit based on the short-term track?

At any given time, you may only have had a maximum of 90 days’ residency on the short-term track within the last 365 days. This is an ongoing calculation where only the number of days you have stayed in Denmark within a 365-day period counts. If you have been granted a temporary work permit, the period of your stay is counted from the first day of the temporary permit. A short-term stay may not last more than 90 consecutive days, and both entry and exit days count towards the calculation.

When applying for an extension of your short-term stay, you must include documentation of any previous short-term stays.

Download a form for documenting previous short-term stays

If you, during a previous short-term stay, stayed for a shorter period than your permit allowed, it is only the actual length of your stay in Denmark that will count towards the calculation of 90 days of residency within the last 365 days.

It is important that you attach an overview of your previous short-term stays in Denmark within the last 365 days. You must also include a new copy of all pages of your passport, including front and back, with all the latest passport stamps.

When applying for an extension of a residence and work permit based on the short-term track, you are not required to have your biometric features recorded again. Therefore, you should not book an appointment to have your biometric features recorded. Once you have paid the processing fee and submitted your application to extend your residence and work permit, you can continue working. A prerequisite for you to continue working is that you have submitted your extension application on time. This means that you must have submitted your application for extension before your current residence and work permit expires.

Staying and receiving salary outside of Denmark?

When holding a residence permit based on the Fast-track Scheme, you can, within the period your work permit is valid for, alternate between working in Denmark and abroad without causing your permit to lapse. 

With a residence permit based on the fast-track scheme, you are exempt from the rules on lapses of permits. This means that you may give up your Danish address if you leave Denmark for a period of time. 

Read more about the rules on lapses of permits

If you have periodically resided abroad and have not received the salary that was stated when you were granted a residence and work permit, you or your employer must be able to provide documentation that you have not been residing in Denmark during the periods in question. 

This can be documented by providing and of the following documentation:

  • Deregistration from the CPR registry if you have been residing outside of Denmark for more than 90 days
  • Boarding passes
  • Stamps in your passport
  • Information or data from your company’s HR department – e.g. a statement of leave
  • Documentation of received salary abroad

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

What are you allowed to do with a residence and work permit based on the Fast-track Scheme? – and what are you not allowed to do?

You can only work for the company that you have been granted a permit to work for.

Your work permit can expire before your residence permit. This happens if you have been granted a permit to stay in Denmark for a period of time while looking for a new job. 

If you lose your job, you must always notify SIRI. If you have lost your job through no fault of your own and you have a permit based on the fast-track scheme's supplementary pay limit, researcher track or the educational track, you can apply for a job seeking permit.

It is important that you do not work during this job-seeking period as it is only intended for searching for jobs in Denmark. However, when you have applied for an extension of your permit, before your current permit expires, you are allowed to continue working.

You can read more about the jobseeking permit here

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

If you have been offered a new job, you must apply for a new residence and work permit. Note that this does not apply if you are offered a new position within the same company, e.g. a promotion.

You must notify SIRI if your salary and terms of employment change for the worse.

You can start your new job the same day you have applied for a new residence and work permit.

If you wish to take a sideline job, you have to obtain a separate permit. You can read more about sideline employment here.

However, a permit under the researchers track includes the right to sideline employment if the sideline job is naturally related to the job that forms the basis of the residence and work permit.

A residence and work permit allows you to stay 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 the past 180 days. However, the permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

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 are my rights while I wait for a decision?

While you are waiting for a decision to your application for an extension, you are allowed to stay in Denmark with the same rights as granted by your original permit.

If you have any questions while you wait for an answer, you can find more information here.

How long can I stay in Denmark?

You can be granted a residence and work permit valid for up to 4 years at a time (except for the supplementary pay limit track where it is up to 5 years), and after 8 years it can be valid for up to 5 years at a time – however, the validity cannot exceed the duration of your job contract.

Please note, via the fast-track scheme’s supplementary pay limit track, you can be granted a residence and work permit that lasts up to 5 years at a time.

If your employment contract is for a shorter period than 4 years, or 5 years on the supplementary pay limit track, your residence and work permit will normally be valid for the period of your employment. If you wish to continue working in Denmark after this time, you must apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.

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

If your employment contract is temporary and you have a permit based on the pay limit track, researcher track or the education track, you will automatically get a jobseeking permit for a period of up to 6 months, allowing you to look for a new job in Denmark.

You are not allowed to work during your job search period. 

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.

Can my family’s residence permits be extended?

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

If you hold a job seeking permit, your family’s permits might be valid for your job seeking period as well. If this is the case, your family will apply for extension later than you.

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 more do I need to know before I apply for an extension?

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

You can apply for an extension of your permit no earlier than 3 months before it expires.

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 right.

You must grant your employer power of attorney to handle the application on your behalf.

On the “How to apply” tab to the right, you and your employer can also find the application form that your employer must complete – AR7.

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

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.

If you are a commuter who does not reside in Denmark, you should only apply for a work permit. You do not need to create a case order ID or pay a fee. Instead, you can go directly to step 3. Read more about commuting here

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.

The applicant must give the employer authorisation to submit the application. You can find an approved standard for power of attorney here.

You must submit:

If you apply for an extension using the Supplementary Pay Limit Track:

If you apply for an extension using the short-term track

Download the sworn declaration that you have not received a fine of DKK 3,000 or more under the Criminal Code or the Aliens Act

Download the form for documenting any previous short-term stays

Expect to use

30 minutes

completing the application

1 person

The employer completes the application form.

In this step you and your employer have access to the relevant application form AR7.

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.

If you hold a permit based on the Supplementary Pay Limit Track, your employer must download, complete and attach the declaration below concerning the continued payment of salary into your Danish bank account.

Download declaration on continued payment of salary into a Danish bank account (Pdf-format)

Download declaration on continued payment of salary into a Danish bank account (Word-format)

 

Use the form AR7

 

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.

When an application for an extension of the residence permit has been submitted, the applicant must have his or her biometric features recorded.

This means that the applicant's facial photo must be taken and fingerprints recorded. The facial photo and fingerprints will be stored on a microchip embedded in the residence card, which will be issued to the applicant if he or she is granted a permit.

SIRI can, as a rule, only start processing the application once the applicant has had his or her biometric features recorded. This must happen  no later than 14 days after the application has been submitted.

If the applicant does not agree to have his or her biometric features recorded, the application will be rejected. This means that the application will not be processed.

Read more about biometrics here.

The applicant can have his or her biometric features recorded in one of SIRI’s branch offices.

If the applicant plans to have biometrics recorded in one of SIRI’s branch offices, he or she must remember to book an appointment. 

The applicant does not need to have their biometric features recorded if they are applying for an extension based on the fast-track scheme's short-term track or if the applicant is a commuter and does not reside in Denmark and for this reason will only apply for a work permit. 

Read more about commuters here.

You have submitted your application succesfully if you have:

  • created a case order ID
  • paid the fee
  • submitted the application
  • had the applicant's 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 (the employer) if we need further information to process your case.

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Last updated 01-02-2025 - Published by: SIRI

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