Accompanying family to Greencard holders

It is a condition that the sponsor

• is working in Denmark
• has an employment contract valid for at least 1 year from the time you submit your application as an accompanying family member
• has been paid at least 1 monthly salary based on their employment
• has a guaranteed income of at least:
  - DKK 12,770 (2025 level) per month if you are a spouse/cohabiting partner/registered partner or
  - DKK 16,972 (2025 level) per month if you are either one or more children under 18 or a spouse/cohabiting partner/registered partner and one or more children under 18
• meets the conditions by being employed in a single job. The conditions cannot be met by combining several different jobs.

The sponsor’s salary must derive from ordinary employment and reported to the Danish Customs and Tax Administration, SKAT. The sponsor's employer must be established in Denmark.

Your marriage must be recognised under Danish law. This means that the marriage can be recognised if the marriage is legal in the country where it took place and that  

• you were both physically present at the wedding
• you had both turned 18 years old at the time of the wedding
• the marriage is not a marriage of convenience
• the marriage does not violate fundamental legal principles.

If you are not married or if the marriage cannot be recognised under Danish law, we will instead assess if you can be considered as cohabiting partners.

A registered partnership can be recognised in Denmark if the partnership is equivalent to a marriage under Danish law. This means that the registered partnership must be legal in the country where the registration took place and that:

• you were both physically present at the registration

• you had both turned 18 years old at the time of the registration

• the registration is not a registration of convenience

• the registration does not violate fundamental legal principles.

If we assess that your registered partnership cannot be recognised under Danish law, we will instead assess if you can be considered as cohabiting partners.

Cohabiting partners over the age of 18 are equivalent to spouses. Cohabiting partners are people that live together in a committed relationship of longer duration. You must have lived together with the sponsor for at least 1.5-2 years prior to the application date.

Your committed cohabitation can, for instance, be documented by:

• registration papers showing joint tenancy or rental agreements
• shared bank accounts
• shared loans
• shared insurances and bills
• official letters/documents sent to you both at your shared address during that period of time.

You can be granted a residence permit as an accompanying child if you are under the age of 18. You must document your family relation to the sponsor. For instance, documentation can be:

• a copy of birth certificate
• a Certificate of Personal Data
• adoption papers.

If your parents have joint custody and only one of your parents is to stay with you in Denmark, you must get consent from your other parent that you can stay in Denmark. If one of your parents has full custody, you must document this. 

Declaration of consent (PDF) 

For the consent to be valid, you must either enclose a copy of the data page of the passport or a copy of another valid photo ID with a signature and a birth certificate of the other parent.

As a rule, a consent is valid until it is withdrawn.

If we give you a residence permit, it is optional whether you want a residence card as proof of your residence permit. Therefore, you will only get a residence card if you agree to it in your application for a residence permit. However, when you turn 18 years of age, you must be able to document that you have a valid residence permit. The documentation can be a residence card, your passport or the decision you received from SIRI. If you therefore need a residence card when you turn 18 years of age, you can later apply for it on our page about residence cards. 

Read more and apply for a residence card

If you have or will get a residence card when you turn 18 years of age, you cannot use your passport or the decision you received from SIRI to document your residence permit. This means that you must always carry your residence card on you after you turn 18 years of age.

When you are granted a residence permit as an accompanying family member, it is a condition that you reside at the same address in Denmark as the sponsor who is in Denmark on a Greencard.

This also applies to children over the age of 18. You must still reside at the same address as the sponsor, even if you turn 18 years old after you are granted a residence permit as an accompanying family member in Denmark.

The sponsor who is in Denmark on a Greencard must be able to support you. Read more under the headline ’Your sponsor must be working in Denmark’.

You are not allowed to receive certain public benefits. As a rule, you are not allowed to receive any benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, e.g. social security benefits.

Read about public benefits when you have been granted a residence permit

A residence and work permit allows you to stay in Denmark for the period of time your permit is valid.

In addition, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within the last 180 days. The permit, however, does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

You must not give up your Danish address or stay abroad for longer than 6 successive months. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Denmark.

If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, e.g. if you wish to take parental leave in your home country, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing. 

Read more about lapse of permit

Read more about and apply for a dispensation to prevent a permit from lapsing

Holding a permit as an accompanying family member to a Greencard holder grants you the right to work in Denmark. Therefore, you do not need to apply for a separate work permit if you get a job.

You are also allowed to run your own business.

If you are under 18 years of age, special rules apply to how much you are allowed to work. You can read more about these rules on the website of the Danish Working Environment Authority (Arbejdstilsynet).

A Danish residence permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

You and your family must support yourselves during your stay. You are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act.

If you or your sponsor receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Denmark. Your sponsor also risks losing their residence permit, even if only you receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act.

If you are unsure whether a benefit is disbursed under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, your local municipality can provide you with the information.

If an authority, e.g. a municipality, disburses benefits to foreign nationals, SIRI will be notified.

See the list of benefits that you are not allowed to receive

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 star