The Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme – extension

It is a condition that you have received wages and worked in accordance with your contract during the entire validity period of your latest permit.

If you have had periods where you have not received a full salary and/or if you have not worked in accordance with your contract, your application must provide information and documentation explaining why you have not done so.

Note that the EU working time directive stipulates that over a period of 4 months you must have an average weekly working time of no more than 48 hours. If your employment is covered by a valid collective agreement, this rule may be waived.

As a rule, you are allowed to take an unpaid leave of absence or vacation without pay, within reasonable limits. In order for SIRI to assess whether your leave of absence or vacation is within reasonable limits, we need information and documentation regarding:

• the length of your unpaid leave of absence or vacation

• how often you have taken an unpaid leave of absence or vacation

• the reason why you have taken an unpaid leave of absence or vacation.

If you have been on parental leave, you are allowed to have received maternity/paternity benefits.

In order for us to extend your permit, your salary and terms of employment must correspond to the Danish standards. If we are not sure whether they correspond to the Danish standards, we can ask the Regional Labour Market Councils (RBR) to assess them.

Read SIRI’s page on Danish standards for salary and terms of employment

If your salary or terms of employment have changed for the worse, you must inform SIRI of this.

The Pay Limit Scheme’s minimum amount is absolute. It is a condition that you have received your salary in compliance with the pay limit that your permit is based on for the entire validity period of your latest permit.

The only exception from this condition is if the lower salary is due to parental leave. If you have taken parental leave, you are allowed to have received maternity/paternity benefits instead of a salary.

The same exception does not apply to sickness benefits.

When SIRI has to ensure that you have complied with the pay limit that applies to your permit, we calculate the period continuously from the date of your last permit and 12 months onwards.

Example: You received your last residence and work permit on 1 August 2020. You applied for an extension of your permit on 1 August 2023. SIRI calculates 12 months continuously from 1 August 2020, i.e. 1 August 2020 – 31 July 2021, 1 August 2021 – 31 July 2022, etc.

Please note, if you received your first residence and work permit on 1 August 2020 but did not enter the country before 1 September 2020, the 12 months are calculated continuously from 1 September 2020 onwards.

Your entire salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name.

Read more about having your salary paid into a Danish bank account

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. cash benefits (kontanthjælp). 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.

If you are granted an extension of your permit based on the Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme, your permit is still dependent on your job in Denmark.

If you lose your job, you must always notify SIRI.

You are allowed to carry out voluntary, unpaid work.

If you wish to take another job as a sideline employment, you must apply for a sideline employment permit. You can read more about sideline employment here.

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

If you find a new job, you must submit a new residence and work application.

You can start your new job on the day you submit the new application.

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

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

You must not give up your Danish address or stay abroad for more than 6 months at a time. If you do so, your permit will lapse, and you can no longer stay in Denmark.

Read more about the rules on lapses of permit here.

If you need to stay abroad for an extended period (more than 6 months), e.g. if you are stationed at a sister company, you can apply for dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

Read about how you can apply for dispensation to prevent a permit from lapsing.

With a residence permit in Denmark, you are entitled to free Danish lessons. However, you must be 18 years old 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. Please note that you will lose your deposit if you do not pass certain modules within a specific timeframe.

The municipality you live in has a duty 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 receive lessons with other foreign nationals who have arrived in Denmark recently.

If your employment contract is still valid for 5 years or more, you will normally be granted a 5-year extension of your residence permit.

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

If your employment contract is valid for less than 5 years, your residence and work permit will normally be valid for the period of your employment.

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