Guest researcher

You have been invited to conduct research in Denmark, but you will not be employed in Denmark.

Normal processing time
1 month

Processing fee
DKK 6,290,-

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What is a guest researcher?

As a guest researcher, you are not employed in Denmark, but will conduct your research at a Danish research institution or company putting their research facilities at your disposal. 

Separate regulations apply to employed researchers and Ph.D. students. If you are an employed researcher or a Ph.D. student, you must use another application page:

Employed and paid researchers

Employed and paid researchers via the Fast Track scheme

Ph.D. students

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What are the conditions?

You must meet certain conditions to be granted a permit to stay and work in Denmark as a guest researcher.

 

You must have completed an educational programme at the level of a Master’s degree.

If you have completed an education at the required level and have been invited to conduct research at a Danish research institution or company as a part of your continuing education or career, you can apply for a residence permit as a guest researcher.

To host you as a guest researcher, the research institution or company must invite you and put research facilities at your disposal. 

As a guest researcher, you will not be paid a salary by the research institution or company in Denmark. Therefore, you must be able to support yourself and any of your family members accompanying you to Denmark.

This can be by done through your own funds or through payments from your employer in your home country.

You must provide documentation of your ability to support yourself and your family for the entire period you are applying for. 

Read more about supporting yourself here.

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Do I have to be able to support myself during my stay in Denmark?

In order to be granted a residence permit as a guest researcher, it is a condition that you can support yourself.

 

You must document that you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the entire period you are applying for. If any family members are accompanying you to Denmark, you must provide documentation of your ability to provide for them as well.

For each month you are in Denmark, you must document that you have:

  • DKK 12,326 (2024 level) if you are in Denmark without any family

  • DKK 24,652 (2024 level) if your spouse is accompanying you to Denmark

  • DKK 28,708 (2024 level) if your spouse and one or more children are accompanying you.

  • DKK 16,382 (2024 level) if one or more of your children, but not your spouse, are accompanying you.

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

You can read more about the self-support requirement here.

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Do I need a residence permit if I only stay in Denmark briefly?

If you are invited as a researcher, scientist or speaker to teach for a period shorter than 90 days, you may not need a residence and work permit, since you might be covered by the rules for work permit exemption. Read more about the rules of exemption here.

The same applies if you are going to work as a researcher at a university or company in Denmark, and the total duration of your stay is 90 days or less counted from your date of entry. 

If you are required to have a visa in order to enter Denmark, you must obtain a visa valid for the full duration of your stay before you travel to Denmark.

You must always comply with the visa conditions in general regarding for example the validity of your passport and travel insurance.

You can read more about visa for short stay here.

If you know beforehand that you will be staying in Denmark for longer than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit covering the first 90 days as well.

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

What are you allowed do with a Danish residence and work permit as a guest researcher? – and what are you not allowed to do?

 

You can only work as a guest researcher at the research institution or company that you have been granted a permit to work at. 

As a researcher you are exempt for work permit for sideline employment. This means that the residence permit also allows you to take up sideline employment with other employers without applying for a specific work permit.

You can read more about sideline employment here.

Furthermore you are allowed to carry out unpaid voluntary work.

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

Being an examiner or doing other examination tasks can be so closely linked to being a guest researcher at a Danish University that it may come naturally to seek appointment as an examiner.

As a guest researcher you may therefore be allocated as an examiner or do examination tasks at another university than the one having invited you as guest researcher, without needing to apply for a work permit for sideline employment.

This applies to both written and oral examinations.

SIRI suggests that you send a copy of your appointment from the corps of censors so there is no doubt that you have been appointed examiner or other examination tasks.

A residence and work permit as a researcher allows you to stay in Denmark for the period of time your permit is valid.

In addition, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within the last 180 days. The permit, however, 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 can read more about permit lapse and dispensation options here.

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. social security benefits. 

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.

 You can see a 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.

If you are going to stay and work 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.

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

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How long can I stay in Denmark?

If you apply from abroad, you can be granted a residence permit valid for 1 month before you start working. It will give you the time to settle in Denmark. When you apply, you must declare that you can support yourself and any accompanying family members during the period.  If you do not declare this, your residence permit will be valid for 14 days before you start working.

If you apply in Denmark, your residence permit will be valid from the day you start working.

As a guest researcher, you can be granted a residence permit for a maximum of 3 years.

If your invitation is for a shorter period than 3 years, your permit will expire 14 days after your invitation as a guest researcher in Denmark expires. 

If you find a new job, you have to submit a new application based on the new job. You can only apply as a guest researcher, if you start on a new research project – otherwise, you can apply based one of our other work schemes. When you have submitted your application based on the new job, you do not have to wait for your permit before you start working. You can start your new job on the day you submit the new application.

If a research project shorter than 3 years is extended, you can apply for an extension of your residence and work permit as a guest researcher. The total duration of your permit can, however, not exceed 3 years.

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

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

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

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What should I do if the research project ends before time or I get a job?

If you are granted a permit as a guest researcher, your residence permit is linked to the research institution or company inviting you to be a guest researcher. Your invitation is the basis for your permit.

You must always inform SIRI if the research project ends before time or if you change your job.

Your work permit is limited to the invitation that your permit is granted for.  You must not work as a guest researcher in other places than the one stated on your permit. This also applies if you are offered employment at the same research institution or company.

 

If you find a job in Denmark while working here as a guest researcher, you must submit a new application for a residence and work permit based on the new employment. When you have submitted your new application, you can start working even though you have not been granted a new permit yet.

Read more about the job change rule

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Can my family be granted a residence permit?

A residence and work permit based on a stay as a guest researcher in Denmark allows your family to come with you to Denmark.

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 accompanying family members here.

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What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for a residence permit as a guest researcher is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). If you are in Denmark when submitting the application, you must be here legally. More about submission here.

As a guest researcher, you must be invited by a Danish research institution or company putting their research facilities at your disposal without employing you. 

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, AR1.

Your research institution must fill in one of two parts of the form. Your research institution must be the first to fill in their part. When your research institution has completed their part, a reference number and password will be shown, which your research institution must pass on to you. You are then able to open the online application and complete your part.

If you have granted your research institution power of attorney to handle the application on your behalf, your research institution must use the AR6 online form. This form is only filled in by the research insititution.  

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

Please note that, as a rule, SIRI will refuse your application for a residence permit on new grounds, if the application is submitted prematurely in relation to the wished for start date for your stay in Denmark. 

If you submit such an application earlier than 6 months before your stay in Denmark will begin, you can expect a refusal to your application. If you have paid SIRI's case processing fee, you will not receive a refund of the fee.

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

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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 and will not be residing in Denmark and for this reason will only apply for a work permit, you do not need to create a case order ID or pay a fee. Instead you kan go directly to step 3. Read more about commuting here.

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 research facility are each required to complete a part of the form.

In this step you and your research facility have access to the relevant application forms.

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.

You can choose between these two online application forms:

  • AR1, in which you and the research facility each are required to complete separate parts of the form
  • AR6, in which you grant the research facility power of attorney to apply on your behalf

In the AR1 form the research facility must complete the first of the two parts of the form. When the research facility has completed its part, a reference number and password will be shown, which the research facility must pass on to you. You are then able to open the online application and complete your part.

In the AR6 form only the research facility must complete the form

Read more about power of attorney and download an approved power of attorney standard here

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

If you do not have a MitID, you must sign, scan and attach to the application the document 'Sworn declarations and information'.

You can download the document 'Sworn declarations and information' here (also available in the form)

 

Use the form AR1                    Use the form AR6

 

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 you apply for a 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.

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 must have your biometric features recorded no later than 14 days after you submitted 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 of the appointed time you will have your biometrics recorded. This way you can avoid having your application rejected.

You are abroad

You can have your biometric features recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country, where you reside.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can have your biometric features recorded

In certain countries Denmark does not have a diplomatic mission or application centre. In these instances the list will refer you to one of the Norwegian missions with which Denmark has made an agreement or to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in the region.

If you submit your application to a Norwegian diplomatic mission, you must also submit one passport photo. If you are granted a residence permit based on your application, you must within a specific time frame afte you entry to Denmark have your biometric features recorded.

We recommend that you visit the local diplomatic mission’s webpage to get more information before you submit the application. The individual diplomatic mission can have additional requirements regarding payment of additional fees, submission of additional passport photos or additional copies of the application.

You are in Denmark

If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to have your biometric features recorded in Denmark. This is the case, if you:

  • hold a valid visa
  • are exempt from the visa requirement or
  • already hold a valid residence permit.

Read more about the legal residence requirement and submission of your application in Denmark. 

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 can also send the application to SIRI.

If you are a commuter and does not reside in Denmark and for this reason will only apply for a work permit, you do not need to have your biometrics recorded. 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 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 the research facility 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 31-10-2024 - Published by: SIRI

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