Studies and PhD - waiting for an answer
You have applied for a residence permit to study in Denmark
Once you have submitted your application online, to a Danish representation abroad or in another manner, SIRI will receive your application and begin to process it.
Below you will find relevant information which you might need while you wait for an answer:
If you have submitted your application in person to an application centre or to a Danish representation abroad or in one of SIRI's branch offices, your biometric features (fingerprints, photo and signature) were recorded at the same time as you submitted the application.
If you instead have submitted your application directly to SIRI or online, you must have your biometric features recorded no later than 14 days after you submitted the application.
If a person holding power of attorney have submitted the application on your behalf, you must likewise have you biometric features recorded no later than 14 days after the application was submitted.
In certain countries Denmark does not have a Danish representation or an agreement with an application centre. If this is the case, you can be referred to a Norwegian representation, with which Denmark has an representation agreement.
If you have submitted your application to a Norwegian representation, you have at the same time also submitted 2 passport photos. If you have applied online, you must submit 2 passport photos to the Norwegian representation no later than 14 days after you submitted the application. If you are later granted a residence permit based on your application, you must within a specific time frame after your entry to Denmark have your biometric features recorded.
Read more about biometrics here
If your biometric features are not recorded within 14 days, your application can be rejected. A rejection means that SIRI will not be processing your application.
If you are unable to have your biometric features recorded within the time limit of 14 days, because you are unable to book an appointment at a Danish diplomatic mission, you can inform us using our contact form of the appointed time you will have your biometrics recorded. This way you can avoid having your application rejected.
If you are outside Denmark when you submit your application, you must normally have been granted a permit before you travel to Denmark.
If you wish to travel to Denmark before SIRI has processed your application, you can only do so if you:
- are a citizen of a country that allows you the opportunity to travel to Denmark without a visa,
- are a citizen of a country from which a visa is necessary, but you have already been granted a visa for Denmark or another Schengen country, or
- have a residence permit for another Schengen country.
In any case, you must comply with the visa regulations in force. If you, for instance, have traveled to Denmark with or without a visa, and the period of time for which you are allowed to stay legally in Denmark expires before SIRI reaches a decision in your case, you must leave and await the decision abroad.
You can read more about travelling to Denmark with or without a visa here.
If you have submitted an application for a residence permit, you will normally not be able to be issued with a visa during the period of time we are processing you application.
If you need a visa in order to be able to travel to Denmark, you must wait until you have received your permit before you travel to Denmark. You will be granted a visa allowing you to enter Denmark with your permit.
Regardless of your location after you have submitted your application, it is important that SIRI has correct information about your address and phone number making it possible for us to contact your regarding your application.
If you reside legally in Denmark, you are allowed to begin your studies before you have been granted a permit. However, you must be prepared to abandon your studies and return home if you receive a refusal on your application.
If you have applied for a permit as a PhD employed at a university or at a company associated with your PhD programme, you must not begin at the university or the company before you have been granted a permit.
You must not begin to work before you have been granted a permit.
Only students at a higher educational programme or PhDs will be granted a work permit in addition to their residence permit.
If you have applied for a residence permit under the Educational Attachment scheme, special rules apply to you regarding your right to work.
Read more about your right to work on the Educational Attachment scheme
If you submitted the application while staying legally in Denmark, you can remain in Denmark and wait for an answer to your application, even though your visa or the period for which you are exempt for a visa expires while you wait. You are allowed to stay because you are granted the right to a procedural stay.
If you leave Denmark after having submitted an application in Denmark, the submission in Denmark will not grant you the right to re-enter Denmark again before a decision is made. Unless you can re-enter based on other grounds (e.g. a visa or if you are visa exempt), you must wait for our answer abroad.
If you wish to add new information to your application, you can send these to SIRI by email or by regular post. You can find SIRI's contact information here.
If you, for instance, have your passport renewed while we are processing your application, you must submit a copy of all pages of your new passport, including the cover.
If you move from the address stated in your application, you must inform SIRI of this as quickly as possible, so we are able to contact you when a decision has been made or if we need more information from you regarding your application.
If you have submitted all relevant documentation when you submitted your application, you can expect to receive an answer to your application:
- within 2 months if you have applied for a residence permit as a student at a folk high school, at a basic or youth study programme or at a higher educational programme.
- within 1 month if you have applied for a residence permit as a PhD with and without salary.
SIRI has established service goals for most case types, i.e. maximum time limits on how long time processing an application will take.
Read more about service goals and case processing times here
If SIRI has to ask you to send more information, you can expect an answer within 2 months (1 month for PhDs) after we have received all the information necessary to process your application.
Many applicants would like to have their application processed faster.
SIRI normally processes applications in the order they are received. It is therefore not possible to jump to the front of the queue.
You will be notified if any information is missing in your case or if your application has been processed.
Yes, it can. Your family can submit their applications at the same time as you or after you have submitted your application.
Your family members can, however, receive their answers to their application no sooner than at the same time as you.
If you are already in Denmark and have obtained NemID, you can follow your case on My Page.
If you are abroad and have not obtained NemID, you can contact our Call Center.
If you have not applied online, it might take some time from you submit the application until it appears in our system.
The guidance you will receive if you call us is meant as a supplement to the information available on newtodenmark.dk.
If we need more information, we will contact you.
If you are in Denmark, we will send you a letter by ordinary post or, if you have registered yourself in the CPR registry, to your e-Boks. In some cases we might also call you.
If you are abroad, we will write to by way of the Danish diplomatic mission where you submitted your application or which is closest to your location.
If we write to you, we must use secure mail.
