Working Holiday for Japanese citizens

You are a citizen of Japan and wish to spend up to a year on a working holiday in Denmark on the basis of the Working Holiday agreement between Denmark and Japan. The agreement allows you to work to a limited extent.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
No fee

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What is a Working Holiday?

Denmark has made a Working Holiday agreement with Japan.

The Working Holiday agreement has been made to give young citizens from Denmark and Japan the opportunity to learn about each other’s cultures and ways of living. The purpose is to further mutual understanding between the two countries.

The agreement means that you, as a young national from Japan, can be granted a permit to stay in Denmark for up to 1 year.

The purpose of your stay must primarily be to be on holiday for an extended period of time and secondarily to work for the purpose of  supplementing your travel funds.

With a Working Holiday residence permit you are allowed to work to a limited extent. This means that you are allowed to work a number of months during a period of 1 year. You are also allowed to attend an educational course of limited duration.

If you have been on a working holiday stay in Denmark before, it is normally not possible for you to be granted a permit for a new working holiday stay.

The agreement is reciprocal. This means that young danes can be granted a permit to stay in Japan in accordance with the rules that apply in the country.

If you are a Danish national and want a working holiday stay in Japan, you should contact the embassy of Japan.

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What are the conditions?

As a Japanese citizen you must meet certain conditions to be granted a permit for a Working Holiday in Denmark.

Age

You must be at least 18 years but must not have turned 31 at the time you submit the application.

Funds

You must document that you have sufficient funds equal to DKK 15,000. In addition, you must either hold a return ticket to your homeland or sufficient funds to buy one equal to DKK 5,000.

This means that you must show funds equal to DKK 20,000 or DKK 15,000 + a return ticket to your homeland.
Please note that if you present a return ticket as proof of additional means of support (equivalent to DKK 5,000) and the return date on the return ticket is earlier than one year from the date of your permit, your permit will be shortened accordingly.

Rights and duties

The primary purpose of your stay in Denmark must be to take a holiday for an extended period. With a residence and work permit under the Working Holiday scheme, you can carry out paid work to supplement your travel funds for up to 6 months of your stay, but you cannot take permanent employment. This means that your employment must be limited in time so that it does not exceed the 6-month period that you are allowed to work during your Working Holiday stay. You are also not allowed to work as an entrepreneur, i.e. you are not allowed to run your own business in Denmark.

You are allowed to attend language courses etc. for the purpose of learning about Danish language and culture.

Your family cannot apply for a residence permit to accompany you on your working holiday stay in Denmark.

You can submit your application in your home country or in a country where you are staying legally.

With a legal stay in Denmark, you can also submit your application here. 

You can read more about legal submission here.

Work

In addition to your Working Holiday residence permit, you will be granted a limited work permit.

Your work permit only grants you the right to carry out salaried work. This means that you are not allowed to work as an entrepreneur, i.e. you are not allowed to run your own business in Denmark.

Your limited work permit allows you to work for up to 9 months during a 12 months stay.

The number of months is calculated from the number of months in which your employer reports payment of a salary. It is therefore irrelevant for how many days or hours in any given month you have been working.

If you work more than your limited work permit allows you to or if you work as an entrepreneur, the work will be considered as illegal work. Illegal work can, among other things, mean that your residence permit will be revoked.

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

What are you allowed to do with a Danish residence permit for a Working Holiday – and what are you not allowed to do?

You must be able to support yourself during your stay. Therefore, you are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, study grants or housing benefits.

If you 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 are granted a Working Holiday residence and work permit, you are allowed to stay in Denmark for one year calculated from your date of entry. If your residence permit expires before you have stayed in Denmark for a full year, your can apply for an extension.

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.

If you have submitted a return ticket with a departure date sooner than 1 year from the validity date of your permit, your permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. If you buy a new return ticket, you can apply for extension of your residence permit with up to 1 year from your date of entry into Denmark.

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What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for a Working Holiday residence permit for a Japanese citizen is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

If you are in Denmark when submitting your application, you must be here legally. Read more about legal submission here.

You must be a citizen of Japan.

You do not have to pay a fee to submit the application. On the "How to apply" tab on the right, you have access to the relevant application form, WH1. You can choose between an online form or a paper form. 

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.

SIRI will contact you 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 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

1 person

You complete the application form yourself.

In this step you have access to the relevant application form.

You can choose between an online form and a print form. It is best to use the online form as it is both safer and more efficient.

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.

 

Online application

If you apply online, you must use the application form WH1 online:

 

Use the online form WH1

 

Printable application forms

If your choose the printable application form WH1, you can choose between Word-format and pdf-format.

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.

You must submit the necessary documentation with the application form.

Download the printable form WH1 (Word format) 

Download the printable form WH1 (Pdf format)

You have applied online

If you have applied online, your application has already been submitted. Read more about having your biometrics recorded in the next step.

 

You are submitting the application abroad

The application can be submitted to a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country where you are residing.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can hand in your application (opens in a new window)

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.

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 submitting the application in Denmark

If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to submit the application 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 submit the applicaton in one of SIRI’s branch offices.

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

You can also send the application to SIRI.

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.

SIRI can, as a rule, only begin to process your application, when your biometric features have been recorded.

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 have applied online

If you have submitted an online application form, you must have your biometric features recorded no later than 14 days after you submitted your application.

Your biometric features can be recorded at

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 by email of the appointed time you will have your biometrics recorded. This way you can avoid having your application rejected.

You are are submitting the application abroad

If you submit an printable application form, 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 (opens in a new window)

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 submitting the application 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:

  • have not yet used up your entire visa-exempt period in the Schengen area
  • 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 have submitted your application succesfully if you have:

  • 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 your employer 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 26-09-2024 - Published by: SIRI