EU Residence as a Worker

You are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen and work in Denmark.

You may freely enter Denmark and you may begin to work in Denmark upon arrival. You do not need a permit to work in Denmark.

You have a job in Denmark for which you are paid

You have an employment contract or a declaration from your employer

When we process your application, we assess specifically and individually whether you are a worker according to EU law. This means among other things that:

Your work must be actual and real – i.e. you must carry out work for which you are paid

You must normally work for at least 10-12 hours a week.

Your employment must normally be for at least 10-12 weeks

If you are not guaranteed a certain number of hours for a certain period, you can only get a residence document as a worker, if you can document when you apply that you have already been working as a temporary worker for 10-12 weeks for at least 10-12 hours a week.

If you will be staying in Denmark for longer than 3 months, you need to apply for an EU residence document. You may then remain in Denmark as long as you continue to meet the conditions for grounds for residence under EU regulations. Your residence document does not have a date of expiry.

To get a CPR number you must show an EU residence document to the municipality in which you reside.

Copy of the data page in your passport and/or your national ID card

Employment contract or declaration by employer

The contract or declaration must be dated and signed by hand or digitally using e.g. MitID or Penneo by your employer less than 60 days before being received by SIRI. SIRI does not recognize signatures inserted as an image file.

In this step you have access to the relevant application form OD1A.

You must appear in person in one of SIRI’s branch offices within 30 days.

You must bring: The receipt for the online application Your passport or national ID card

You are a family member of a (non-Danish) EU citizen living in Denmark who has independent grounds for residence in Denmark under EU regulations. As a family member you can either be an EU citizen or a citizen of a country outside EU, EEA or Switzerland.

You must be the spouse, cohabiting partner or a child under the age of 21 of either the sponsor or the sponsor’s spouse or partner.

Other family members - e.g. children over the age of 21 and parents - can in certain circumstances get an EU residence document, provided that a number of specific conditions are met.

If you are a third-country citizen, i.e. a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland, and you meet the conditions for residence as a family member of an EU citizen, you have the same rights to reside and work in Denmark as the EU citizen.

If you are a third-country citizen this means that it is at your own risk, if you work in Denmark before we have made a decision in your case. In some instances you may be subject to criminal liability for illegal work, if it turns out that the conditions have not been met and you have been refused residence under EU regulations.

You have the right to permanent residence when you have had actual and real residence in Denmark under EU regulations for a period of at least 5 years.

The years must be consecutive and for the entire period you must continuously have met the conditions for residence under EU regulations.

Temporary residence abroad for a total of less than 6 months per year, however, will not in and of itself prevent you from getting permanent residence under EU regulations.

The same applies to absences of up to 12 months due to weighty reasons such as pregnancy and birth, serious illness, educational activities or vocational training or being stationed abroad.

Time spent abroad for more than 12 months due to compulsory military service, will also not in and of itself prevent you from getting permanent residence under EU regulations.

You do, however, no longer have to meet the conditions of your previous grounds for EU residence.

If you have been granted permanent residence and will be staying outside Denmark for more than 2 years and you then intend to return to Denmark, you may in special cases get a dispensation, so that you do not lose your right to residence.