Humanitarian Residence

According to the Danish Aliens Act, Section 9b, 1, a residence permit on humanitarian grounds can be granted to a foreign national who is registered by the Immigration Service as an asylum seeker in Denmark.

The Danish Parliament has decided that humanitarian residence permits should be the exception, not the rule. A humanitarian residence permit is only granted in very special cases.

A residence permit can be granted, among other reasons, if you suffer from a very serious treatment-requiring illness, or if you risk deterioration of a serious handicap by returning to your home country.

In making this assessment, the Ministry places importance on the applicant’s personal situation, including whether he or she suffers from a serious physical or psychological illness, and whether the application concerns a family with young children who come from a nation at war.

If the applicant suffers from a serious illness which can substantiate a humanitarian residence permit, the Ministry will also assess whether the applicant can receive the necessary treatment for this illness in his or her country of origin.

If the Danish Immigration Service decides to process your asylum application in Denmark, you have the possibility of applying for a humanitarian residence permit. However, this is preconditioned by the immigration authorities having information about your place of residence.

An application for a humanitarian residence permit should be submitted to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

If you wish to apply for a humanitarian residence permit please use this application form

An application for a humanitarian residence permit does not prompt any right to stay in the country while the Ministry is processing your case.

Only under very special circumstances will the Ministry grant you the right to stay in the country while your case is being processed.

However, you always have the right to stay in Denmark as long as your asylum case is being processed by the Immigration Service or the Refugee Appeals Board.

The Ministry has the right to request the information from your asylum case, and this will almost always happen if you apply for a humanitarian residence permit.

You are therefore required to provide up-to-date medical documentation for the illness.

Your application must be sent to the Ministry of Immigration, Integration and Housing, Slotsholmsgade 10, 1216 Copenhagen K or by email to uim@uim.dk

The Ministry’s ruling regarding a humanitarian residence permit is final. This means that the ruling cannot be appealed to any other administrative authority.

If you are granted a residence permit on humanitarian grounds, it will be valid for a limited period, which can be seen on your permit.

When the period is about to expire you must apply for extension of your residence permit.