Work permit for accompanying family

You hold (or apply for) a residence permit as an accompanying family member to a person who is working or will be working in Denmark and need a work permit because you wish to take up employment with the same employer as your sponsor or with a company closely related to it.

Normal processing time
2 months

Processing fee
No fee

Need to know
How to apply

Do I have to apply for work permit?

You must apply for a work permit if you hold or apply for a residence permit as an accompanying family member to a person with a residence permit under one of the schemes mentioned below (i.e your sponsor) and wish to take up employment at the same company as your sponsor or with a company closely related to it.

The Fast-Track Scheme's pay limit track, supplementary pay limit track, educational track and short-term track
The Pay Limit Scheme
The Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme
The Positive List for People with a Higher Education
The Positive List for Skilled Work
Trainees
Special individual qualifications
Employees on drilling vessels or the like
Herdsmen and farm managers
Labour market attachment
Change of job within the same industry which formed the grounds for the original residence permit due to labour market attachment

The condition about work permit were implemented as of 1 January 2021. You are only comprised by the condition if it is stated in your decision letter from SIRI.

If you find a new job within the same company as your sponsor or at a company closely related to the company your sponsor works for, you must submit a new application for a work permit with information on your new employment.

You must not begin that kind of job or new job before you have been granted a new permit.

If your sponsor is granted a permanent residence permit, then you no longer need a work permit not even if you work for the same employer.

What are the conditions?

You must hold a residence permit as an accompanying family member

To apply for a work permit as an accompanying family member you must hold (or apply for) a residence permit as an accompanying family member to a person who is working or will be working in Denmark.

The condition that you must hold a specific work permit in certain situations applies to you if you apply/has applied for a residence permit after 1 January 2021.

Salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards

Salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards. This means that your salary, holiday entitlements, terms of notice etc. must not be inferior to the standards within the professional field where you are going to work.

When you apply, you must attach a copy of your employment contract or job offer. All terms of employment must be stated on the contract or the job offer.

You can see which information the employment contract must, at least, include here

If SIRI has any doubts whether your salary and terms of employment correspond to Danish standards, we can ask experts in the field, e.g. one of the regional labour market councils, to assess your terms of employment.

Are there requirements on my weekly working hours?

You must have a contract or a specific job offer showing that your salary and work conditions correspond to Danish standards and that your working hours will be at least 30 hours a week.

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

You are only allowed to work in the position and in the company that you have been granted a permit to work in.

Please note that your work permit can expire before your residence permit.

If you are offered a new employment or another new job, you must apply for a new permit if the new job is at the same company as the company where your sponsor is employed or at a company closely linked to that company. You must not begin working before you have been granted a new permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position in the company.

What is the maximum duration of a work permit?

You can be granted a work permit valid for the period of your employment – however, the duration cannot exceed the validity of your residence permit.

What do I do if my sponsor is granted a permit to work for my employer?

If your sponsor is granted a new residence permit in order to work for your employer or for a company closely related to the company you work for, then you must apply for a work permit within 14 days.

If you apply for a work permit within 14 days of your sponsor starting the new job, then you are alloved to work whilst SIRI assesses whether you meet the conditions for a work permit.

Hereby you are ensured that you do not have to stop your employment as a consequence of your sponsors change of job.

The condition about work permit were implemented as of 1 January 2021. You are only comprised by the condition if it is stated in your decision letter from SIRI.

If your sponsor is granted a permanent residence permit, then you no longer need a work permit not even if you both work for the same employer.

What should I do if I lose my job or find a new one?

If you change job

If you find a new job within the same company as your spouse or at a company closely related to the company your spouse works for, you must submit a new application for a work permit with information on your new employment.

You must not begin that kind of new job before you have been granted a new permit.

If you loose your residence permit

Your work permit lapses if your residence permit as an accompanying family member lapses or is revoked.

What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for 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 granted your employer power of attorney to handle the application on your behalf, the form must be completed by the employer only.

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

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

What are the consequenses of non-complicance?

Your residence permit may be revoked

If your residence permit is conditioned by you not working for the same company as your sponsor, or a company closely related to that company, without a specific permit, but you abstain from applying for a work permit or work after having an application for work permit rejected, your residence permit can be revoked and you will lose your rigth to reside in Denmark.

Your sponsor's residence permit may be revoked

Your sponsor's residence permit is conditioned by an accompanying family member not having their residence permit revoked more than once due to lack of a required work permit.

If you have your residence permit revoked more than once due to lack of obligatory work permit, your sponsor's residence permit can be revoked.

You and your employer can be punished

An employer who employs a foreign national without the necessary permit or divergent to the terms of the permit, may be subject to a fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years.

If you work without the necessary work permit, you risk being subject to a fine or imprisonment for up to 1 year.

Subject to control

SIRI continuously carries out initiatives to ensure compliance with the legislation concerning foreign nationals. Among other things, these initiatives focus on illegal work and on conditions of residence and work permits being upheld.

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.

Gather documentation

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:

Copy of all pages of your passport – including all empty pages and the passport’s front and back cover

Employment contract or job offer, with information about salary and terms of employment and a job description

Documentation of authorisation, if the job requires a Danish authorisation

If you have had previous employments which are relevant for your offered job position, you must state these in the application form. You can also choose to attach your CV.

You can see which information the employment contract must include here

Complete the application form

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.

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)

Submit the application

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

You are not required to have your biometrics recorded, but you must have your photo and signature obtained

When you apply for a work permit as an accompanying family member, you are not required to have your biometric features recorded.

Instead, you must have your photo and signature recorded which will be used to issue documentation of your work permit.

If you submit your application in one of SIRI’s branches, you will have your photo and signature obtained at the same time.

If you submit your application online, you will have to book an appointment to obtain your photo and signature. Book an appointment here.