Spouse or Partner of a Refugee in Denmark

If your spouse/partner has been granted a Danish residence permit as a refugee, you may also qualify for a residence permit under the rules for family reunification.

The Immigration Service defines ‘permanent cohabitation’ as living together at the same address for a minimum of 18 months.

You and your spouse/partner normally need to be at least 24 in order for you to qualify for family reunification. This is known as the 24-year requirement.

Your spouse/partner holds refugee status. He/she has been granted a residence permit in Denmark on the grounds of asylum.

If your spouse/partner has been granted temporary protected status in Denmark in accordance with the Aliens Act section 7 (3), he/she will normally need to have his/her residence permit extended beyond the initial two-year period.

Because your spouse/partner is a refugee, you might not have to meet some of the requirements. This would be the case if your spouse/partner still risks persecution in his/her home country.

If you are married, your marriage needs to be legal under Danish law.

Both you and your spouse need to have been present during the wedding ceremony

Neither you nor your spouse can have been represented by someone else during the wedding ceremony

You and your spouse need to have turned 18 at the time of the wedding

The Immigration Service will not grant you a residence permit if it is doubtful that either you or your spouse/partner entered into your marriage/relationship voluntarily.

A marriage or relationship that has the primary goal of qualifying you for a residence permit will be considered a ‘marriage of convenience’.

If you are not married, or if your marriage can’t be validated in Denmark, the Immigration Service will instead assess whether you have been permanent cohabitants, and if this can be used as grounds for qualifying for a residence permit.

as living together at the same address for a minimum of 18 months.

Normally, you, the applicant’s spouse/partner in Denmark, need to be able to support yourself.

This requirement means that if you have received certain forms of social benefits at any time in the past three years, your spouse/partner can’t be approved for family reunification.

Normally, you, the spouse/partner of the applicant, will need to have DKK 61,709.34 (2026 level) set aside.

You, the spouse/partner of the applicant, need to live in Denmark and have an independent, reasonably sized residence at your disposal. This is known as the housing requirement.

You, the applicant’s spouse/partner, will normally be required to reside in an area that is not mentioned in the current regulation about housing requirement list.

The Immigration Service can suspend the self-support requirement in special situations, such as if you: still risk persecution in your home country

You and your spouse/partner each need to fill in part of the application form. You will also need to enclose documentation.

If your application for family reunification is approved, you will be granted a temporary residence permit, typically valid for two years. If you still meet the requirements for residency, your residence permit can be extended.

If you are granted a residence permit, you can work while your permit is valid.

You must pass a language test in Danish at the A1 level within 6 months of being granted a residence permit. Within 9 months of being granted a residence permit, you must pass a language test in Danish at the A2 level.

If you do not pass the langauge tests within the deadlines, your may lose your residence permit.

In special situations, the Immigration Service can suspend the requirement that you pass a test in Danish, such as if your spouse/partner in Denmark: still risks persecution in his/her home country

Certain Turkish citizens do not need to take the tests in Danish.