EU residence as a posted worker of a company in the EU which is to provide a service in Denmark

You are to provide a service in Denmark on behalf of a company in the EU. As a posted service provider you can be either an EU citizen or citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.

Normal procesing time
0-30 days

Due to an increase in applications, you can expect a processing time of up to
4 months

Processing fee
No fee

Who can get an EU residence document as a posted service provider?

You can get an EU residence document as a posted service provider if you are permanently employed by a company in another EU country and will be carrying out work in Denmark because your employer for a limited period of time is providing a service to a recipient of services established in Denmark

As a posted service provider you can be either an EU citizen or citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.

What are the conditions?

When processing your application, we will carry out a specific and individual assessment of your grounds for residence as a posted service provider for a company in the EU which is to provide a service in Denmark.

Read below about the circumstances which normally will be considered in the assessment.

You must be permanently employed by a company in the EU

You must already be employed permanently by the EU company before the posting.

Permanent employment means that you for a certain period before your posting have been carrying out actual and real work for the EU company in the EU country in which the company is established.

The EU company must be established and have an office in an EU country other than Denmark. This is also the case if the company is owned by a company outside the EU.

The EU company must have actual and real business activities in the home country. Consequently, the main activity must not exclusively be internal management or administration.

If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you must be able to document that you have had the right to reside in the country in which the EU company is established. You must also be able to document that you have had the right to work in the company.

A service contract, i.e. a contract on providing a service between the EU company and a Danish company or private individual, must exist

You must be employed by the EU company that has concluded a contract on providing a service in Denmark. The contract can be made with a Danish company or a private individual.

A service is a clearly defined and limited work task that the EU company for a limited period of time carry out for the Danish service recipient in return for payment.

Information about the work task, period of time, payment etc. must be stated in the service contract.

A contract covering your posting to Denmark between the EU company and you must exist

The EU company must conclude a contract on your posting in Denmark with you. The posting contract must specify your work tasks and the duration of your posting. It must also include a reference to the service contract under which the work is to be carried out. Finally the contract must state which company and employee has the power of instruction over you.

The contract must not be older than 60 days when you submit your application for EU residence.

Your posting must be temporary

You can be granted residence as a posted service provider for the period it takes to provide the service.

Your stay as a posted service provider cannot last longer than two years.

If the posting is to last longer than two years, there must be specific reasons for this. This might be, for example, if it can be documented that a project has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.

You are not required to reside in Denmark for the entire duration of your posting. The periods you will be working in Denmark must be stated in the posting contract.

You must apply for residence for the entire period during which you will be posted to Denmark and working to provide the service.

You cannot be posted for a period of time which exceeds the period in which your employer is providing a service in Denmark.

Your work must be actual and real

An assessment of whether your work is actual and real can consider your salary, information about the extent of your work tasks and additional terms of employment.

When you apply, you must attach your employment contract with the EU company in addition to your posting contract. It might also be a good idea to attach pay slips and/or other documentation of the work you have carried out for the EU company just before the posting.

You must also attach the service contract concluded between the EU company and the recipient in Denmark.

If other companies take part – e.g. as intermediary or subcontractor – in providing the service to the Danish recipient, the contracts with these other companies must also be attached.

An intra-corporate posting does normally not give you the right to residence under EU regulations

If, for a period of time, an employee is posted internally within a corporation in order to work for that corporation's branch office in Denmark, it will be considered a way to organise the company's operations rather than a matter of providing a service.

This applies if the employee is posted internally to a Danish branch office in order to cover a maternity leave for or to temporarily take care of one of the company’s usual operational or management tasks.

A citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland who is to be posted to a company within the same corporation must apply for a residence and work permit under the regulations of the Danish Aliens Act.

If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you must, after finishing your posting, be able to return to your home country or to the country from which you have been posted

As a citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, you must be able to leave Denmark after finishing your posting. This means that you must hold a valid passport.

What are my rights with an EU residence document?

As a posted EU citizen you have the right to reside and work in Denmark with or without an EU residence document.

You are free to enter Denmark and you can work in Denmark upon arrival. You do not need a permit to work in Denmark. There is no limit as to how many hours you are allowed to work.

As a third-country citizen, i.e. a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, your right to work during your stay in Denmark is limited to work connected to providing the service that forms the basis for your grounds for residence.

Whether you as a third-country citizen have the right to work while your application is being processed, depends on whether you meet the condtions for residence as a posted service provider.

If you are a third-country citizen this means that it is at your own risk, if you work in Denmark before we have made a decision in your case. In some instances, you may be subject to criminal liability for illegal work, if it turns out that the conditions have not been met and you have been refused residence under EU regulations.

In Denmark a Civil Registration System (CPR) number is necessary in many situations, e.g. in relation to getting a health card and choosing a doctor, tax and Danish lessons.

To get a CPR number you must show an EU residence document to the municipality in which you reside.

On the website lifeindenmark.dk you can read more about how to get a CPR number and other important matters such as

May I receive public benefits?

During your stay in Denmark under EU regulations, you must normally be able to support yourself and your family financially. This means that you, amongst other things, may not receive public assistance regulated by the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik) such as cash benefits.

If you or a family member receive such benefits while living in Denmark, your grounds for residence can be terminated and you can lose your right to reside in Denmark.

Benefits paid to a foreign national by the municipality or any other public authority are reported to SIRI. SIRI will then assess whether this affects your grounds for residence.

Read about what you are allowed to receive and what you are not allowed to receive in public benefits when you have been granted an EU residence document by SIRI

How long can I stay in Denmark?

You can stay in Denmark as a posted service provider as long as your grounds for residence continue to be met. However, your stay cannot exceed 2 years

As a posted service provider you can be given a residence document for a maximum of 2 years in total.

If your posting is linked to a project that is delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, you can apply to have the duration extended beyond 2 years. You must document the unforeseen delay when applying for the extension.

If you are to stay in Denmark for less than 3 months and meet the conditions for EU residence as a posted service provider, you do not need to submit an application for an EU residence document.

If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland and your stay will last longer than 3 months, you must apply for a residence document no later than 3 months after entering Denmark.

What happens if I lose my employment with the EU company?

If you have been granted a residence document based on your status as a posted service provider and you lose your job with the EU company, regardless of whether you were fired or resigned yourself, your grounds for residence will normally have ended.

Be aware that your rights depend on whether you are an EU citizen or citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland.

What should I do if I am an EU citizen?

If you leave Denmark in connection with losing your job, you do not need to do anything about your grounds for residence. All you need to do is inform the Civil Registration System that you will be leaving Denmark. You can do this online on lifeindenmark.dk.

If you wish to stay in Denmark, you must contact SIRI for clarification of your grounds for residence.

If you believe that you meet the requirements for other grounds for residence, for example, as an employee or self-supporting person, you must submit an application for change of grounds for residence to these grounds.

Read about changing your EU grounds for residence

What should I do if I am a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland?

If you wish to stay in Denmark, you must contact SIRI for clarification of your grounds for residence.

As a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you are not covered by the EU regulations and must apply for residence on different grounds (the Danish Aliens Act).

As a citizen of a country outside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland you are not allowed to work before you have received a residence and work permit from SIRI.

Read about the different schemes for citizens of countries outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland

Can my family qualify for an EU residency document?

As a posted service provider and citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland your family cannot be granted the right to residence in Denmark according to EU regulations.

If you are a posted EU citizen, your closest family can apply for residence in Denmark according to EU regulations.

What more do I need to know before I apply?

The ‘How to Apply’ tab on the right provides more information about the application process. Here your also find the application form, you must complete.

SIRI makes its decision based on the information and documents you submit with the application form. SIRI will contact you if we need more information when we process your application.

If you wish for SIRI to be able to give information regarding your case to others than yourself while we process your application, you must grant power of attorney to the person you wish to be able to access the information. The power of attorney must be submitted to SIRI preferably as part of your application.

15 minutes

to complete the application form

1 person

You complete the application form yourself

In this step you have access to the relevant application form OD1A.

The form contain instructions on how to complete the form and what kind of documents you must submit along with the form.

You can book an appointment at SIRI using the link in the receipt, you receive once you have completed and submitted the form.

Use the online form OD1A (opens in a new window)

We recommend that you apply online, since digital applications often can be processed faster.

You can also choose to send a physical application – find a printable form and read more about the process

Find application

You can find your ongoing and completed applications for 30 days from your last login.

Appear at SIRI

You must appear in person in one of SIRI’s branch offices within 30 days.

You must bring:

The receipt for the online application
Your passport or national ID card

Only when you have identified yourself this way and been linked to your application, will we consider your application to be fully submitted.

If you do not appear no later than 30 days after submitting your online application, SIRI will consider your application as withdrawn and close the case.

Addresses and opening hours of SIRI's branch offices

Receive an answer

If you attach all necessary documents to the application, and if you meet the conditions for your grounds for residence, SIRI can issue a residence document for you immediately when you appear.

If any documentation is missing the case will take longer to process. When you appear at SIRI, you will normally be informed if any further documentation is needed.

You have the right to reside and work in Denmark while you wait for an answer.