Processing time
The overwhelming majority of visa applications are processed and decided on by Danish diplomatic missions abroad. These cases will usually be decided within a few days. Some cases, however, may take 10-12 days.
Decisions about visa applications must normally be made within 15 days. In some cases applications will require further enquiry. Other applications will take longer time to process because they have been submitted at a third country's diplomatic mission. In these situations, the maximum processing time is 30 days. In some cases further documentation is required. In these cases the processing time can be up to 60 days.
Application processing time counts from the time an admissible application is submitted at a diplomatic mission. 'Admissible' means that the mission has decided that the Schengen conditions for submitting an application have been met.
Citizens of certain countries or categories of certain citizens are subject to prior consultation in one or more Schengen countries before a visa may be issued. The processing time in these cases will usually be
10-12 days as a minimum.
See list of these nationalities and categories of persons in annex 16 to the Visa code Handbook.
Annex 16, English version.
Annex 16, Danish version.
The Danish immigration authorities have introduced an online invitation form which the host is advised to use to invite the visa applicant. If the host has a digital signature or NemID, he/she can fill in the online invitation form and submit it directly to the Danish diplomatic mission where the visa applicant is to submit his/her application. After submitting the form the host will receive an invitation ID which should be forwarded to the applicant to be used when submitting the visa application. The advantage of using the online invitation form is that once submitted, it will be received immediately by the Danish diplomatic mission. Furthermore, the host in Denmark can follow the status of the invitation on
My Page.
If the applicant is to submit the visa application at another country's diplomatic mission (such as a Norwegian or Swedish embassy) which represents Denmark in the applicant's country of residence, the host in Denmark can fill in the online invitation form via My Page, download a PDF copy, print it, sign it by hand and subsequently send it to the applicant. The foreign diplomatic missions cannot see the online invitation as they cannot access the systems of the Danish authorities.
If the host in Denmark does not have a digital signatur or NemID, the invitation form is also available in a printable version which the host can fill in by hand or on a computer and subsequently send to the applicant.
See
invitation forms.
The forms are intended as a way to reduce the amount of time it takes to process most visa applications by ensuring that immigration authorities have all the necessary information at the time the application is submitted, eliminating the need to obtain further information from the Danish host.
If the completed invitation form or the invitation ID is submitted by the applicant together with the visa application and any other relevant documentation, this will normally shorten case processing time considerably. The reason is that it will normally not be necessary to obtain any further information from the host in Denmark.
However, if the invitation is not submitted together with the application, the Immigration Service will need to obtain the required information from the Danish host, extending the amount of time it will take to issue a decision.
It may take some time to get an appointment to submit an application. You are recommended to contact the diplomatic mission where you are to submit your application, so you can make an appointment well in advance of your scheduled entry into Denmark.
If the diplomatic mission cannot immediately issue a visa, your application will be forwarded to the Immigration Service in Denmark through an electronic case processing system. The Immigration Service will then process your application.
If you submit your application in a country where Denmark is represented by another Schengen country, and if that country's diplomatic mission cannot immediately issue a visa, your application will be forwarded to the Immigration Service in Denmark. In some cases, this will happen through diplomatic mail or similar, as the other Nordic countries do not have access to Denmark's electronic case processing system. As a result, this procedure will take longer than the electronic forwarding.
If an application is forwarded to the Immigration Service, processing times will depend on the steps the Immigration Service deems necessary in order to issue a decision, and in some cases can take longer than normal.
For instance, it may be necessary to obtain documentation of the applicant's relation to the host in Denmark or documentation of previous stays in the Schengen region.
The rules covering all Schengen countries require that immigration authorities must issue a decision within the time limits. This means that all decisions will be made based on the information submitted by the applicant, the host or any involved third parties before the deadline, even if the information is incomplete. If relevant information is received after the deadline for issuing a decision has passed, the case can be re-opened in some cases. In other cases, the applicant must re-apply.