Permanent Residence Permit

You can be granted a permanent residence permit in Denmark once you have had a temporary residence permit for eight years. In some cases the requirement is four years.

One of the basic requirements for permanent residence is that you have been a legal resident in Denmark for at least 8 years uninterrupted at the time the Immigration Service reaches a decision about your application for permanent residence.

If, in addition to the basic requirements for a permanent residence permit, you also meet all 4 supplementary requirements, you can qualify for a permanent residence permit after having lived legally in Denmark for 4 years

During the entire period, you must have had a residence permit issued under the terms of Aliens Act sections 7-9 f, sections 9 i-9 n, section 9 p or

If you have a residence permit under the law on temporary residence permits for displaced persons from Ukraine, or the law on temporary residence permits for persons who have assisted Danish authorities, etc. in Afghanistan, you do not meet the residence requirement

You can also meet the requirement if you have had multiple residence permits during your period of residence. This would be the case if you were initially granted a residence permit as an au pair, and then as a family-reunified spouse.

However, you are not permitted to combine periods of residence based on multiple relationships (spouses and/or cohabiting partners).

You should be aware that your legal stay may be assessed as interrupted if you apply for either a time-limited extension or a permanent residence permit

If you apply for a residence permit

your previous residence permit has expired, you risk that the calculation of your stay in relation to the rules on permanent residence permits will start over. It is your responsibility to apply in time.

You must be aware that normally it is a condition in order to get a permanent residence permit that you reside in Denmark, when the Immigration Service makes a decision in your case.

You must be over the age of 18 to qualify for a permanent residence permit.

However, if you have been sentenced to more than six months of incarceration, you are permanently ineligible for a permanent residence permit.

You may not have any overdue public debts.

In order to qualify for a permanent residence permit you may not have received certain social benefits within four years of applying for a permanent residence permit.

The decisive factor when evaluating whether you have received social benefits is whether they have been awarded under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act (lov om aktiv socialpolitik) or the Integration Act (integrationsloven).

You must pass the Danish language test 2 (Prøve i Dansk 2), or a Danish exam of an equivalent or higher level.

You must accept a declaration of residence and self-support

In order to qualify for a permanent residence permit, you must have had regular, full-time employment or been self-employed in Denmark for at least 3 years and 6 months during the 4 years prior to the date the Immigration Service reaches a decision about your application for permanent residence.

In order to qualify for a permanent residence permit, you need to meet at least 2 of 4 supplementary requirements.

You can meet one of the supplementary requirements by passing the Danish language test 3 (Prøve i Dansk 3), or a Danish exam of an equivalent or higher level.

You can meet one of the 4 supplementary requirements by having regular, full-time employment or being self-employed in Denmark for at least 4 years during the 4 years and 6 months prior to the date the Immigration Service reaches a decision

You can meet 1 of the 4 supplementary requirements by passing the active citizen exam or having displayed active citizenship in Denmark for at least a year by doing things like serving on a board or being a member of an association.

You can meet 1 of the 4 supplementary requirements by having an annual taxable income of DKK 346,155.57 (2026 level) or more for the 2 years prior to the Immigration Service reaching a decision about your application for a permanent residence permit.

The fee (work or study) is: DKK 7,570,- The fee (family reunification or asylum) is: DKK 4,970,-

You permanent residence permit can lapse if: no longer maintain a residence and leave Denmark, or stay outside Denmark for more than 12 months in a row.