Denmark

Work Assignment

(rather short-term, ie some months to three years, contract and social security as far as possible abroad and intended return to origin)

Foreign nationals will in most case need to have a residence and work permit before they are allow to begin working in Denmark. Having that said, in certain cases foreign nationals can perform work-related activities while in Denmark on a visa (or a visa-free stay), without holding a residence and work permit.

If the stay is shorter than three months, foreign nationals are allowed to perform certain types of work-related activities even if they do not have a residence and work permit. Such activities include teaching or attending a course or participating in meetings, negotiations, briefings and training.

However, foreign nationals will need a residence and work permit if he/she takes part in creating a product or changing a product, or if he/she contributes to the output of a company in any way.

Employment Immigration

(rather long-term or indefinite, local contract and social security)

There are different ways for foreign nationals to apply for work and residence permit in Denmark. The most common lists to apply under is the Danish Pay Limit Scheme or the Positive List.

To apply under the Pay Limit Scheme, foreign nationals must receive an annual salary corresponding to minimum DKK 487,000 (2024 level). Furthermore, the foreign national must be employed on terms corresponding to Danish standard employment terms and the salary must be paid to a Danish bank account. In some cases, it is a requirement that the foreign national has a Danish authorisation. To apply under the pay limit scheme, there are no specific requirement to specific educational background or that the job offered is within a specific professional field.

Since the Spring of 2023, it has also been possible to apply under the Supplementary pay limit scheme. Here, the minim salary level is DKK 393,000 (2024), but the scheme is only available for vacant positions that have neem posted on Jobnet and the EURES portal for at least 2 weeks prior to the application. 

To apply under the Positive List, foreign nationals must comply with special requirements to educational background or be considered as a so-called “skilled worker“, where the foreign worker is offered a job included on the list of professions experiencing a shortage of skilled labour.

Additionally, there are other types of schemes to apply under. For example, it is possible to apply under the Start-up Denmark scheme, if foreign national is to run his/her own business in Denmark, based on an innovative business idea. And to apply as a trainee, if a foreign national is offered an employment in a company for a limited periods of time for educational or training purposes.