Fast track scheme

As a minimum, your salary must correspond to the pay limit amount of the Pay Limit scheme. 

• It is a requirement that you have been offered a job with an annual salary of at least 448,000 DKK (2022 level). 
• The pay limit amount is adjusted every year on 1 January.
• The requirement of a minimum salary corresponding to the pay limit amount must be met even though you take holiday without pay.

Read more about the pay limit amount

Salary must be paid to a Danish bank account.

It is not required that the transfer to the Danish bank account must happen from a Danish bank account.

Your salary can only consist of:

• Salary in the form of liqiud assets
• Payments to labour market pension
• Paid holiday allowance

Only holiday allowance paid by the workplace to which you have a permit to work can be counted as a part of your salary up to and including the pay limit amount. 

If you earn holiday allowance paid in the following holiday year, the holiday allowance cannot be counted as a part the annual salary of the year in which you earned the holiday allowance. 

Your salary amount must not be paid in cash or to a foreign bank account.

Salary and employment conditions must correspond to Danish standards.

The 90 days can be divided into several stays.

Each stay must be applied for individually and the combined period must not exceed 90 days from entering Denmark the first time.

If you are granted a provisional work permit, the 3 months period will be counted from the date of the provisionary permit.

Residence in Denmark on another basis than the short-term track is not taken into account when calculating the period of a maximum of 90 days that is possible under the short-term track.

When applying for short-term stay number two (or more) within the same year, you must attach documentation for previous short-term stay in Denmark.

If you during a previous short-term stay, stayed for a shorter period than your permit allowed, then it is possible to take this into account. In that case you must attach documentation for entry and exit related to your previous stay.

This can be documented by providing the following documentation:

• Stamps in your passport
• Boarding pass or other travel documentation
• Information or data from your company’s HR department 

A residence- and work permit under the short-term track cannot be extended.

The so called job change rule does not apply between two short-term stay at the same employer.

If you are offered a position as a researcher, you are able to use the researcher track. There must be specific research-related reasons for offering you the position as a researcher. This means that the position must be closely connected to you and that the main purpose of your stay must be to do research. 

Please note, that guest researchers and PhD students are not included in the research track. 

If you are a guest researcher, you can find further information here.

If you are a PhD student, you can find further information here.

If you are invited as a researcher, scientist or speaker to teach for shorter than a 90 days period, you may not need a residence and work permit.

Read more about the rules of exemption here.

The same applies if you are going to work as a researcher at a university or a company in Denmark, and the total duration of your stay, counted from your date of entry, is 90 days or less. 

Some foreign nationals must have obtained a visa valid for the full duration of their stay before entering Denmark. 

Read more about the conditions on visa and visa-free stays and about how to apply for a visa here.

If you know beforehand that you will be staying in Denmark for longer than 90 days, you must apply for a residence permit covering the first 90 days as well.

Full time employment is not a condition for researchers, but you need to have a contract or specific employment agreement that shows that your working conditions conform to Danish standards.

With a permit as a researcher via the Fast-track scheme, your job content can change within the same university or company without you having to apply for a new work permit. For example, this applies if you are promoted or if your research project changes. Salary and employment conditions must still correspond to the Danish standards.

You must inform SIRI if your salary and employment conditions are impaired.

If it appears from your employment contract or from the description of your job content, that it is expected of you to do external examinations, you do not need to apply for a separate work permit in order to perform this task. This applies to both examinations of oral and written exams.

If you are a highly qualified foreign national with significant work experience within a certain professional field, the educational track is of relevance to you, provided that:

• the purpose of your stay in Denmark is to receive highly qualified training in the certified company, or
• the purpose is that you will be training other employees in the certified company at a highly qualified level. 

If you are applying for a permit via this track, your employer must detail the educational purpose of your stay.

As a trainee, you are not able to obtain a permit via the educational track. A trainee stay does not imply education on a sufficiently high level to meet the requirement of this track. 

You can read more about the trainee scheme here.

If you can enter into Denmark legally, e.g. if you are exempt from the visa requirement or you have a valid Schengen visa, you and your employer must do the following:  

• Your employer must submit an application for a permit via the Fast-track scheme with a power of attorney from you.

• Subsequently, your employer must make an appointment for a meeting with SIRI for you to get a provisional work permit. The appointment is made via a link on the receipt that your employer receives when submitting the application or by appointment with your employer’s contact person in SIRI.

• At last, you must appear in SIRI’s Citizen Centre at the appointed time. You must bring your passport and receipt showing that the application has been submitted. At the meeting SIRI will do a number of checks, such as identity check, check if you are registered as unwanted in the Schengen area, and a check to make sure that you have entered into a contract with the certified company. In addition, SIRI will check if the case processing fee has been paid. Your biometric data will also be recorded.

If you meet the requirements, you will immediately be granted a provisional work permit meaning that you can start working right away.

If you are required to have a visa and you cannot enter into Denmark legally to appear in SIRI, you and your employer must do the following to obtain a quick job start.

• Your employer must submit an application for a permit via the Fast-track scheme with a power of attorney form you. You can find a template for a power of attorney here
• Subsequently, your employer must send a message to SIRI stating that you need a quick job start. This is done by using SIRI's contact form (choose the option "I wish to submit documentation or new information regarding a case at SIRI"). The Case Order ID (SB-ID) and the reference number mentioned on the submission receipt must be stated in the message. 
• No later than 14 days after submitting the application, you must have your biometric data recorded at the nearest Danish diplomatic mission.
• When the biometric data has been recorded, SIRI will grant you a residence and work permit provided that you meet the conditions.
• SIRI authorises the Danish diplomatic mission to issue a long-term visa (visa type D) to enable you to travel to Denmark. 

You are only allowed to work in the job and in the company that you have been granted a permit to work in.

With a permit under the Fast Track Scheme, your job content can change within the same university or company without you having to apply for a new work permit. For example, this applies if you are promoted or if your place of work changes. Salary and employment conditions must still correspond to the Danish standards.

If you are granted a permit on the Pay Limit Track then your salary must continue to correspond at least to the pay limit.

Please note that your work permit can expire before your residence permit. This happens if you have been granted a permit to stay in Denmark for a period of time while looking for a new job.

It is important that you do not work during this so called job seeking period as it is only intended for job seeking in Denmark.

If you wish to take a sideline job, you have to obtain a separate permit. With a residence permit on the researcher track you are exempt for the requirement for a work permit for sideline employment with other employers; as a result you do not apply for a specific permit for sideline employment.

You can read more about sideline employment here.

Furthermore you are allowed to take up unpaid voluntary work.

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

You can read more about working conditions in Denmark and 'The Danish labour market model' here.

A residence and work permit based on the Fast-track Scheme 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 latest 180 days period. The permit, however, does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.

Normally, with a Danish residence permit, 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. 

With a permit based on the Fast-track scheme, you are exempt from these rules that can cause your permit to lapse. Hence, you are allowed to give up your Danish address if you stay abroad for a period of time.

If you are granted a job seeking permit after the expiry of your employment contract, the exemption from the rules that can cause your permit to lapse does not apply during the job seeking period.  

If you periodically reside abroad and do not receive the salary stated when you applied for a residence and work permit, you and your employer must be able to provide documentation that you have not been residing in Denmark during the periods in question. 

This can be documented by providing the following documentation:

• Deregistration from the CPR registry if you are residing outside of Denmark for more than 90 days

• Boarding pass

• Stamps in your passport

• Information or data from your company’s HR department – e.g. a statement of leave

• Documentation of received salary abroad

Your employer can be requested to provide this documentation if you apply for extension of your permit or as a part of our verification and spot-check procedures.

You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. You are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act, e.g. social security benefits.

If you or your family members receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Denmark.

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

 You can see a list of benefits that you are not allowed to receive here.

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 start receiving lessons. Be aware that you can lose your deposit if you do not pass the different modules within a specific timeframe.

Your municipality of residence is obliged to offer you Danish lessons and refer you to a language centre. If you have not been offered Danish lessons within a month after registering your address in Denmark, you can contact your municipality. 

You will (typically) be taught together with other foreign nationals who have arrived in Denmark recently.

If you apply from abroad, you can be granted a residence permit valid for 1 month before you start working. It will give you the time to settle in Denmark. When you apply, you must declare that you can support yourself and any accompanying family members during this time.  If you do not declare this, your residence permit will be valid for 14 days before you start working.

If you apply in Denmark, your residence permit will be valid from the day you start working.

If you are employed for a shorter period than 4 years, your residence and work permit will normally be valid for the period of your employment. If you wish to continue working in Denmark after this time, you must apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.

In addition, you will automatically be granted a 6 month job seeking permit allowing you to look for a new job in Denmark.

You are not allowed to work during your job seeking period. 

If you find a new job, you must submit a new application based on the new job – it can either be based on the Fast-track scheme or it can be based on another of our work schemes. When you have submitted your application based on the new job, you do not have to wait for your permit before you start working. You can start your new job on the day you submit the new application.

If your employment contract is extended, you must apply for an extension of your residence and work permit. 

It is very important that you apply for an extension before your permit expires.

If you submit your application for an extension in time, you can stay in Denmark and continue to work even though your permit is expiring.

A residence permit can only be valid until 90 days before the expiry date of your passport.

If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit – however, this can only be done 90 days before your permit expires at the earliest. 

Read more about the passport requirements.

A permit for a short-term stay can have a maximum duration of 90 days within a period of 1 year.

The permit cannot be extended, but the 90 days can be divided into several stays.

Each stay must be applied for individually and the combined period must not exceed 90 days from entering Denmark the first time.

The 3 months are counted from your date of entry into Denmark.

If the duration of your employment contract is shorter than 90 days, your permit will expire 14 days later than the expiry of your contract – if possible within the limit of 90 days in total.

You must inform SIRI if you lose your job. Your residence and work permit will be revoked as it is based on this exact job. 

However, if you become unemployed through no fault of your own, e.g. due to cutbacks, you can apply for an extra 6 month residence permit allowing you to look for a new job in Denmark. 

You must apply for a job seeking permit no later than 2 days after your employment ends.

Please note that you cannot be granted a job seeking permit if your permit is based on track 4 – the short-term stay.

You are not allowed to work while you have a job seeking permit.

If you find a new job, you must apply for a new residence and work permit based on one of our work schemes. When you have submitted your new application, you can start working even though you have not been granted a permit yet. More about this job change rule here.