Volunteer

If you will be doing voluntary, unpaid work of a social or humanitarian character, you can be granted a permit to stay and work as a volunteer in Denmark.

Your work in Denmark should be of benefit to frail or marginalised people, and it should contribute to the Danish society.

The work can also be with children and young people where you are responsible for activities, instruction or for acting as a role model.

You must be between 18 and 30 years old to be granted a permit. You must not have turned 31 years old at the time of application.

As a volunteer you must participate in full-time activities, i.e. 37 hours per week.

The work cannot be ordinary salaried work, e.g. cleaning, although you are employed by a social or humanitarian organisation. Neither can you be granted a residence permit as a volunteer if your job in Denmark aims to prepare for social or humanitarian work conducted abroad.

You must have made an agreement about voluntary, unpaid work with a Danish organisation or with the place of volunteering to be able to apply.

The organisation arranging the stay or your volunteer work place must take out both a health and a liability insurance that cover you during your full stay in Denmark. If you are staying in Denmark for more than 3 months, a health insurance is not needed.

Your volunteer organisation must take out insurance for you that covers your expenses if you accidentally cause damage to others or their property and you are held liable for compensation. The documentation must state that

you are insured both for business purposes and as a private individual. This means that you must be insured both when performing your volunteer work and in your free time.

Documentation from the volunteer organisation in the form of an agreement on work tasks and weekly working hours

Agreement on allowance, board and lodging, if any

Documentation of your ability to support yourself financially, if applicable

Documentation that your volunteer organisation has taken out insurance (or several policies) covering your liability when you work as a volunteer and in your free time

You are only allowed to work voluntarily and without pay in the exact organisation that you have been granted a permit to work in.

It will be regarded as illegal work if you work elsewhere or if you take a paid job without having a permit.

If you are not provided with room and board by the organization where you will be working as a volunteer or by the organization organizing your stay as a volunteer, you must have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in Denmark.

You have sufficient funds if you have disposable funds of DKK 7,426 (2026 level) per month. You must multiply this amount with the number of months you are going to work as a volunteer.

You can be granted a residence permit for the period you are employed as a volunteer. However, the period cannot be longer than 18 months.

A residence and work permit on the basis of voluntary, unpaid work as a volunteer does not allow your family to come to Denmark with you.

You are only allowed to work voluntarily and without pay in the exact organisation that you have been granted a permit to work in.

If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit – however, this can only be done 3 months before your permit expires at the earliest.