Published 16-02-2018

Denmark issues record number of visas

2017 was a record year when it comes to issuing of short term visas for tourism and other visits to Denmark.

Denmark’s diplomatic missions and the Immigration Service issued a combined total of 141,494 visas in 2017, an increase of 5 % on the previous year and more than ever before.

Tourism visas accounted for most of the increase. After issuing a record 54,000 tourist visas in 2016, Danish authorities issued 68,000 visas last year, an increase of 25 %. The largest tourism countries with a visa requirement were China, India, Thailand and Russia. The largest single group were visitors from China, who received four out of ten tourist visas. The largest increase was in the number of visitors from India. Some 11,000 Indians visited Denmark last year, an increase of 50 % on 2016.

The number of visas issued for personal visits and for business fell slightly, while the number issued for cultural and sport events remained unchanged. More than 5,000 people were issued a visa to attend a cultural event in Denmark.

About 95 % of visa applications are approved. The vast majority of the approvals and refusals are made by diplomatic missions.