Non EU/EEA citizens
Short-term stay (less than 3 months)
Whether you are employed as a researcher or only visiting the University of Copenhagen as a guest researcher (unpaid researcher without an employment contract), you can work without a residence and work permit if the stay does not exceed 90 days within 180 days.
Depending on your citizenship, you might need a short-term visa to enter Denmark. Please check the New-to-Denmark website on short-term visa.
Please note: If your stay in Denmark is less than three months, you will not be able to register as a resident in Denmark (and get a CPR number) and you will not be covered by the Danish health insurance. Please read more about the Danish CPR number.
Long-term stay (more than 3 months)
If you plan to stay longer than three months, you must have a residence and work permit in order to reside and work in Denmark.
The University of Copenhagen will initiate the application process for your residence and work permit and inform you on how to proceed. Please contact International Staff Mobility (ISM) if you have any questions.
The University of Copenhagen will initiate the application process for your residence and work permit and, based on the employment conditions, decide on the most eligible scheme for you.
Accompanying family
Accompanying family members also need a residence permit to reside in Denmark. This permit will also allow the accompanying family member to work and/or study in Denmark.
A residence permit can be granted to your spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner as well as your children under the age of 18 still living with you. To be regarded as cohabiting partners, you must have lived together for a period of at least 18-24 months. Please read more about applying for a residence permit for accompanying family members.
A guest is an unpaid researcher without an employment contract from the University of Copenhagen. If you have been invited to do research at the University of Copenhagen we can help you apply for your residence and work permit. There are different types of work permits for different types of guests.
- A guest researcher with a master’s degree, who has been invited to do research at University of Copenhagen: You need an invitation letter from your host department and you must be able to prove that you can support yourself financially during your stay in Denmark. Please read more about applying for a residence and work permit as a guest researcher.
- A guest PhD, enrolled as a PhD outside of the University of Copenhagen, who does not receive salary from the University of Copenhagen: You need an invitation letter from your host department and you must be able to prove that you can support yourself financially during your stay in Denmark. Please read more about the self-support requirement.
Accompanying family
Accompanying family members also need a residence permit to reside in Denmark. This permit will also allow the accompanying family member to work and/or study in Denmark.
A residence permit can be granted to your spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner as well as your children under the age of 18 still living with you. To be regarded as cohabiting partners, you must have lived together for a period of at least 18-24 months. Please read more about applying for a residence permit for accompanying family members.
The University of Copenhagen will initiate the application process for your residence and work permit as an enrolled PhD student.
This type of permit requires an enrolment letter from the PhD school at the University of Copenhagen. Please be aware that you have to prove that you can support yourself financially during your stay in Denmark. Please read more about the self-support requirement.
Accompanying family
Accompanying family members also need a residence permit to reside in Denmark. This permit will also allow the accompanying family member to work and/or study in Denmark.
A residence permit can be granted to your spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner as well as your children under the age of 18 still living with you. To be regarded as cohabiting partners, you must have lived together for a period of at least 18-24 months. Please read more about applying for a residence permit for accompanying family members.
International Staff Mobility will inform you once your residence and work permit has been issued.
After you have been granted a residence and work permit, you might – depending on your citizenship – be asked to visit the Danish Embassy/Consulate once again to have an entry visa sticker inserted into your passport.
You can apply for your Danish CPR number once you arrive in Denmark. Please read more about the Danish CPR number.
Please read ISM’s guide: “Good to know about your permit” to learn more about important aspects of your residence permit to Denmark.
Please contact ISM and we can support with the extension of your residence and work permit. Please note that you must always have a valid permit as long as you are employed, a guest, or enrolled at the University of Copenhagen.
Job seeking residence permit for 3 years after a completed educational programme (and full-time work permit)
If you have held a Danish residence and work permit as a PhD student (or Danish Bachelor’s or Master’s student), you are likely to be eligible for 3 years of job seeking (former 6 months job seeking) as of 1 April 2023.
If you extend your PhD enrolment, and thus the work permit, you will automatically be granted a 3-year job seeking period along with your study permit if the validity of your passport allows it (a residence permit may only be valid until 3 months prior to the expiry date of your passport).
Alternatively, you can apply for the 3-year job seeking period once you have completed your Danish degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD). Find more information on the 3 year job seeking period on the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration here.
Additionally, you may apply for a full-time work permit for the duration of your 3-year job seeking period once your Danish degree has been completed. The full-time work permit will allow you to work at any firm in Denmark. Please read more here.
Job seeking period on the Work schemes
If you have held a residence and work permit according to one of the work schemes, for example the Fast-Track scheme, you will have received a 6-month job seeking period to find a new job after your contract ends and apply for a new work permit. The job seeking period does not give you the right to work.
Please read more here about what your residence permit allows depending on which scheme you’re on.
Extension of the previous Establishment Card scheme
As of 1 April 2023, you can no longer apply for the Establishment Card scheme. However you are able to extend an existing establishment Card if:
- you were granted less than 2 years residence due to your passport, or
- you are in a relevant job and want 1-year extension on top of the initial 2-years residence and meet certain criteria.
You may only be granted a maximum stay of 3 years residence according to the Establishment Card scheme.
Persons who have held the permit according to the Establishment Card scheme cannot switch to a job seeking period of 3-years, as mentioned above.
Read more about the criteria for extending a residence and work permit according to the Establishment Card scheme here.
Permanent residence permit
If you wish to stay in Denmark permanently, there is the possibility of permanent residence.
A permanent residence permit entitles you to reside in Denmark, indefinitely, if you have maintained a temporary residence permit for a minimum of 8 years (in some cases 4 years) and you fulfill other certain criteria.
You can apply for a permanent residence permit, given that you fulfill the criteria, at any time. You do not need to wait until your residence permit expires. It is likewise the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) that process’ the application for permanent residence permit.
Click here to read more about the permanent residence permit including the application process.
For questions regarding the possibility of staying in Denmark beyond your employment at UCPH, please contact ISM at interstaff@adm.ku.dk.
Important to know about your permit
Please read ISM’s guide to better understand matters related to your residence and work permit: