Special groups
Residence under EU rules
If you are covered by the EU rules on freedom of movement (either as an EU citizen or as a family member of an EU citizen), and you are entitled to reside in Denmark under the EU Residence Order, you may be entitled to permanent residence after having resided in Denmark for five years. Read more about EU residence on the website of the Regional State Administration.
Applicants between the ages of 18 and 19
You cannot obtain a permanent residence permit before you turn 18. Therefore, you must remember to apply for a permanent residence permit shortly before turning 18.
If you apply for a permanent residence permit before turning 19, and you have been studying or working full-time since completing primary school, you are exempt from the 2.5 year employment requirement and the supplementary requirements.
The exemption applies if - after completing primary school (9th or 10th grade) - you have completed a secondary education and are employed at the time of applying, if you have worked temporarily after completing primary school, but are studying at the time of applying, and if you have been employed or studying for the entire period after completing primary school.
The decisive factor is whether you have been active on a full-time basis since completing primary school, not the length of time you have been working or studying.
The Immigration Service has produced a folder describing the rules for young foreign nationals applying for a permanent residence permit. Read folder for young foreigners.
Pensioners
Pensioners are exempt from the 2.5 year employment requirement and the supplementary requirements.
If you are a pensioner, you need not be eligible for a full state pension. You need only document that you have earned the right to a state pension (folkepension).
Denmark's international obligations
To the extent that Denmark's international obligations, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, require it, an applicant may be exempt from one or more of the requirements.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines persons with disabilities as individuals who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
If you have a disability which prevents you from meeting one or more of the requirements for a permanent residence permit, the requirement will be waived. Only requirements which your disability prevents you from meeting will be waived. All other requirements must be met in the same way as all other applicants.
Regardless of the nature of your disability, you must have resided legally in Denmark for at least four years, and you may not have committed a serious crime as described on the page about this requirement.
If you are on early retirement (førtidspension) you will need to meet all requirements, including the 2.5 year employment requirement, in the same way as all other applicants.
The 2.5 year employment requirement will only be waived if Denmark's international obligations, including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, require it.
Applicants with strong ties to Denmark
If you have strong ties to Denmark, you may qualify for a permanent residence permit even if you do not meet all the requirements. This applies to the following groups:
- applicants who belong to the Danish minority in South Schleswig
- applicants who have previously held Danish citizenship
- applicants who have Danish parents
- Argentinean citizens with Danish parents or grandparents
If you belong to the Danish minority in South Schleswig and have been granted a residence permit according to the terms of the Danish Aliens Act, section 9c, you qualify for a permanent residence permit after living in Denmark for 12 months, if you have not committed a serious crime, have no public debts, and have passed Prøve i Dansk 2 or a similar test.
If you have previously held Danish citizenship and have been granted a residence permit according to the terms of the Danish Aliens Act, section 9d, you qualify for a permanent residence permit after living in Denmark for 12 months, if you have not committed a serious crime, have no public debts, and have passed Prøve i Dansk 2 or a similar test.
If you have Danish parents and have been granted a residence permit according to the terms of the Danish Aliens Act, section 9c, you qualify for a permanent residence permit after living in Denmark for two years, if you have not committed a serious crime, have no public debts, and have passed Prøve i Dansk 2 or a similar test, and you have strong ties to Denmark.
If you are an Argentinean citizen with Danish parents or grandparents, and have been granted a residence permit according to the terms of the Danish Aliens Act, section 9c, you qualify for a permanent residence permit after living in Denmark for 12 months, if you have not committed a serious crime, have no public debts, and have passed Prøve i Dansk 2 or a similar test. If your residence permit was issued after 1 July 2006, you also need to meet the 2.5 year full-time employment requirement.