Sideline employment - extension

You want to extend your work permit for sideline employment, and you are employed in the same position and for the same employer.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
No fee

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Can I extend my work permit?

You can extend your permit for sideline employment if you still have the same job.

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 continue the job – and you must wait for a new permit for sideline employment before you can start to work in your sideline job again.

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

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What are the conditions for extending a work permit?

You can apply for an extension of your residence and work permit if you are still employed in the same position 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 paternity 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 (RAR) to assess them.

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

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

Your permit for sideline employment can only be extended if you still meet the conditions of your residence permit for your main employment.

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What are my rights if I am granted a permit?

You can only hold the sideline job that you have been granted a permit for.

You must not work more hours than you have been granted a permit for.

If you are offered a new sideline job, you must apply for a new permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position within the same company. You must not begin your new sideline job before you have been granted a new permit.

What do you want to print?

For how long can I work?

Your permit can be extended for the same period as your permit for your main employment – however, the duration cannot exceed the validity of your job contract. 

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What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for extension of a permit for sideline employment is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

On the “How to apply” tab to the right, you find the relevant application form, AR8.

Your employer must fill in part 2 of the form.

If you have given your employer a power of attorney to handle the application on your behalf, the form must be filled in by the employer. 

You can find an approved template for power of attorney here.

SIRI will contact you or your employer 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

2 persons

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

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

In the printable application form AR8 your employer must complete part 2 of the form. When your employer has completed his or her 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 AR8 (Word format) 

Download the printable form AR8 (Pdf format)

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

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

You can also send the application to SIRI using our contact form.

You can find SIRI's contact form here

When you apply for an extension of your work permit, you must have your biometric features (facial photo and signature) recorded. You facial photo will be stored on a microchip on the work card, which will be issued to you if you are granted a permit.

If you submit your application in one of SIRI's branch offices, your biomtric features will be recorded when you submit the application.

If you submit your application to SIRI using our contact form, you must also book an appointment to have your biometrics recorded.

You must remember to book an appointment before you appear in person in one of SIRI's branch offices.

You can book an appointment here

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.

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Last updated 01-05-2024 - Published by: SIRI