Updates regarding International Guest Researchers and International Employees during the coronavirus outbreak

If you are planning to move to Denmark, different rules apply dependent on whether you arrive from an open or closed country. Please see this overview of the different countries on the Danish authorities’ website.

We strongly encourage you to bring the following documents when crossing the border to Denmark, if you are moving to Denmark, regardless of whether you come from an open or banned country:

• Employment contract if you are employed at UCPH or letter stating your affiliation with UCPH if you are a guest researcher
• A valid residence and work permit if you are a non-EU/EEA citizen
• A valid ID card if you are an EU/EEA citizen
• We strongly recommend that you also bring a copy of a lease or proof of accommodation in Denmark
• Accompanying family members must be able to prove their family relation, please read more below

If you are stopped by the border police and you need the university to verify your right to cross the border as an affiliate with the University of Copenhagen, please contact Søren Høfler, senior mobility consultant, phone +45 26140298 or Vivian Tos Lindgaard, Head of section, phone + 45 30589809.

Coming to Denmark from open countries:

The Danish Government has implemented a new model for opening the borders and easing travel advice for countries in the EU/EEA, and UK, as well as for countries from outside of the EU/Schengen and UK.

A person living in a country in the EU/EEA and UK, that meets the objective criteria can from 27^th June travel to Denmark without having to prove ‘worthy purpose’ and subsequently the advice to stay at home for 14 days no longer applies. The Danish Statens Serum Institut will prepare a weekly table of countries classified respectively as ‘open’ or ‘quarantine country’.

In terms of countries outside of the EU/Schengen and UK, it is from the 2^nd of July possible to travel as long as the country lives up to certain criteria regarding new cases and testing facilities. These countries will appear on EU’s new list of countries that meet the defined COVID-19 criteria for entry to the EU (open countries). The list is updated Thursday every 14 days. Furthermore, University of Copenhagen no longer advices a 14 day self-quarantine after arrival from third countries if the country is marked as an open country. 

The model establishes a number of objective criteria, including a low number of infected persons, which will determine the countries for which the borders will be opened.

A special mechanism is being established for the Nordic countries. If a Nordic country does not meet the objective criteria for categorisation as “open”, the country will instead be subject to a regional scheme. In these cases, the Danish borders will be open for entry by persons residing in regions of the country that meet the criterion on the number of infected persons per week.

Read the opening model fact sheet here.

Coming to Denmark from closed or banned countries

If you are travelling to Denmark from a so-called closed or banned country, you must be able to prove a worthy purpose in order to enter Denmark. That is for example if you live and work in Denmark. Please see the full list of worthy purposes.

Accompanying family members (spouse, children) who are moving to Denmark from an open country, are allowed to enter Denmark, please see more above about suggested documents to bring.

Accompanying family members (spouse, children) planning to move to Denmark from a closed country, can enter Denmark when accompanying a person, who has a worthy purpose for entering Denmark. They must bring documentation of their relationship, for example their marriage certificate, the child’s birth certificate etc. Please refer to this website for more information about what documentation is required. If you are not married, you must bring documentation that you and your partner have lived together for at least the last 18 months (i.e. a rental agreement). Please contact ISM if you have any questions.

If you plan to move to Denmark from an open country, you can do so any time.

Please be aware that if you are planning to apply for the researcher taxation scheme, you should not move to Denmark more than one month before your employment starts regardless.

If you plan  to move to Denmark from a closed country, there is no official statement from the Danish authorities as to when you can enter Denmark in relation to the start of your employment, but it is recommended not to try to enter Denmark more than 14 days before your employment begins. Please be aware that the police will ultimately make the decision at the border on who can enter Denmark but will look at each case individually. We strongly advise you to bring documents with you when you cross the border, as documentation for your reason to enter Denmark, please see above.

Yes, if you arrive from an open country.

If you arrive from a closed country, you can enter Denmark if you are going on a necessary business travel. It will be up to the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) as a workplace to assess whether a trip is deemed necessary, including whether the trip can be postponed or held via a virtual platform. If the business trip is deemed necessary, the traveler must be able to present documentation at the Danish border, showing the work relationship and the time and place where the meeting/work is to take place. Please be aware that job interviews are not included as part of necessary business travel. Please see more below.

Required documentation:

The documentation must contain practical reason(s) why the meeting cannot be postponed or held via a virtual platform. Furthermore, the documentation must contain contact information for a relevant contact person in connection with the meeting/work in Denmark that, if necessary, is able to confirm to the Danish border police that the business trip to Denmark is a necessity. The documentation can be in the form of an e-mail or an invitation letter issued by UCPH.

Other requirements for entry to Denmark:

• If the business traveler is an EU/EEA citizen, the business traveler must be able to produce/show proof of their EU citizenship in the form of a passport or other photo identification valid for travelling.
• If the business traveler is a citizen from a country outside the EU/EEA with a visa requirement for entry to Denmark, the business traveler must be able to present a valid short-stay visa for Denmark upon entry. The application for a visamust be made via the Danish representation abroad. Please contact ISM if you have any questions.

Do I need to stay at home for 14 days after arriving in Denmark?

Business travelers are viewed by the Danish police as workers, crossing the border in order to work. Business travel is therefore exempt from the Danish Health Authorities recommendations on home quarantine upon entry, unless you have COVID-19 symptoms.

You can only visit Denmark and the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) for a job interview, if you are a resident in an open country. If you are a resident of a closed country, certain rules apply.

From 15^th June 2020 onwards it is a requirement that you wear a medical face mask, when entering a Danish airport. If you do not have a face mask, you will be able to buy one when entering the airport. Please contact the relevant Danish airport if you have any questions. Read more here about CPH Airport.

If you arrive to Denmark from an open country, you are not required to stay at home.

The University of Copenhagen is following the guidelines of the Danish Health authorities if you arrive to Denmark from one of the closed countries. The guidelines state that you are strongly advised to stay at home for 14 days after either returning to, or arriving in Denmark. The advice applies to both Danes and foreigners. Please contact your manager to arrange for the possibility of working from home, if possible. If you do not have a place, which allows you to stay isolated for 14 days, please contact ISM: interstaff@adm.ku.dk.

If you are commuting back and forth for work from e.g. Sweden or Germany, or you are visiting Denmark on a business trip, you are exempt from the Danish Health Authorities recommendations on home quarantine upon entry, unless you have COVID-19 symptoms. 

If you have travelled to Germany, Norway or Iceland and you adhere to the MFA’s new travel advice during corona times, you do not have to stay home for 14 days. 

If you experience symptoms of COVID-19, you are advised to follow the recommendations of the Danish Health Authority

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) Copenhagen branch is open again for personal appearances. You must book an appointment in order to visit SIRI.   

If your employment contract with the University of Copenhagen or your employer declaration (OD1-Appendix A) is dated more than 30 days prior to your appointment with SIRI, please contact ISM at interstaff@adm.ku.dk and ask for a verified contract or a new employer declaration before your appointment with SIRI. Your application will be rejected by SIRI without a document that is less than 30 days old at the time of the appointment.   

When you have to apply for or renew your residence and work permit, you must among others have you biometric features (fingerprints and facial photo) recorded. In Denmark, you must book an appointment with one of the branch offices at the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). 

Normally, biometric features must be recorded within 14 days of having submitted an application for a residence and work permit to SIRI. Otherwise, the application will be rejected. Due to the current situation in Denmark, SIRI has extended this deadline to 1^st July, 2020. SIRI is also able to start processing applications for residence and work permits, but will not be able to make a final decision on your case until you have had your biometric features recorded.

Recording biometric features abroad:

Some representations outside Denmark have started to open up, which makes it possible to record biometric features abroad, if you are close to an open representation. Find the nearest representation to you here.

When you move to Denmark, you need to apply for a CPR number in order to be covered by the Danish public healthcare system. If you move to the Copenhagen area, you must apply for the CPR number online and collect it in International Citizen Service (ICS) when your application has been processed. You need to show up in person, as you need to undergo an ID-check. 

It is only possible to get a CPR number if you have uploaded all the required documents online, are already in Denmark, have received the invitation letter from ICS and have booked a personal appointment. Please read more on the ICS website.  

If you do not have all the required documents for the online application for the CPR number (for example a valid rental contract or an EU certificate), you will unfortunately not be able to obtain your CPR number yet. In this event, please read more below about health care. 

If you are not able to obtain a CPR number because of the current lockdown and you are in need of medical assistance, you may be able to get your financial medical expenses covered retrospectively. You must fulfill the criteria to obtain a CPR number in Denmark at the time of becoming ill. The criteria are:

• A valid residence permit to Denmark
• A valid residence in Denmark (you must be able to register at the given residence)
• You have already arrived in Denmark

You would have to contact the Capital Region of Denmark to see if you are eligible for reimbursement of your medical expenses. You cannot apply for reimbursement before you have received your CPR number.

For EU citizens: you may be covered by the European health card (called "the blue health card" in Denmark). Please contact the authority in your home country to clarify.

We strongly encourage you to take up private health insurance if you are not covered by the Danish public health insurance.

Please follow the health and safety precautions as set out by the Danish Health Authorities to avoid further spread of the virus. Please do not visit a doctor’s office or hospital without an appointment. Call your doctor or the emergency phone number outside of office hours. If you live in the Copenhagen area, dial 1813 on your phone.

Coronatest with a CPR number and NemID

As part of the Danish government’s aim to increase testing of the general population for the coronavirus, all adults can book a COVID-19 test using their Nem-ID logins at www.coronaprover.dk.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you must ALWAYS contact your doctor before booking a test appointment. Your doctor will then create a referral for you for testing at a hospital testing clinic. You can subsequently return to coronaprover.dk and book an appointment.

Coronatest without a CPR number

Since 15th June it has been possible to get a coronatest when you arrive at Kastrup Airport in Copenhagen.

If you have just moved to Denmark, and do not yet have your activated CPR number or Nem-ID but you wish to be tested for COVID-19, you may contact the hospitals in the Copenhagen area. If you have activated your Danish CPR number, but do not yet have Nem-ID, you can contact your own doctor to schedule a test.

If you arrive in Denmark from a closed country, you are strongly advised to stay in self-quarantine for 14 days following your arrival. This is also the case even if you have tested negative for COVID-19 in your own country, as you may contract the virus on your transit to Denmark. Please read more about quarantine above.

If you are a non-Danish citizen, you are only allowed entry into Denmark if you are resident in an open country or you have a ‘worthy purpose’. If you are a non-EU/EEA citizen, proof of a worthy purpose will be your employment contract and your valid Danish work permit. Please refer to the Danish authorities’ website for more information.

The police will ultimately make the decision at the border, on who can enter Denmark.

If you are stopped by the border police and you need the university to verify your right to cross the border as an affiliate with the University of Copenhagen, please contact Søren Høfler, senior mobility consultant, phone +45 26140298 or Vivian Tos Lindgaard, Head of section, phone + 45 30589809.

If you commute to/from work in Denmark from for example Sweden or Germany (or vice versa), you will not have to stay at home for 14 days between commutes, unless you have COVID-19 symptoms. 

If you are already employed by the UCPH and not currently in Denmark, please follow the guidelines as set out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. Please also refer to the internal UCPH page for more information and guidelines about travelling and staying abroad.

Residents returning to Denmark from a closed country from traveling abroad are strongly advised to stay at home for 14 days upon arrival in Denmark.

Under normal conditions, you must leave Denmark before your residence permit expires. If you are unable to leave before the expiry date of your residence permit due to the coronavirus situation, you must leave Denmark as soon as it becomes possible.

The Danish immigration authorities has stated that they will disregard whether you have stayed beyond the duration of your residence permit, if you have been unable to leave Denmark due to closure of flight routes etc. caused by the coronavirus pandemic.