Working in Denmark for international professionals
Read about moving to Denmark, e.g. what are the rules for nordic, swiss and non-EU/EEA citizens. Also get useful information on unemployment funds and International Citizen Service.
Nordic citizens moving to Denmark
If you are a Nordic citizen you are free to enter, reside and work in Denmark. If you plan to stay in Denmark for more than six months, you have to apply for a civil registration number ('CPR-nummer' in Danish) at the Citizen Service in your municipality.
If you settle in the municipalities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense or Aalborg you can also apply for a civil registration number at the International Citizen Service (see 'International Citizen Service' below).
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens moving to Denmark
If you are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, you are free to enter, reside and work in Denmark. However, if you want to stay in Denmark for more than three months (six months if the purpose of your stay is to look for a job), you must apply for a registration certificate at the Regional State Administration. You are entitled to a registration certificate if you find a paying job in Denmark, set up your own business in Denmark or hold sufficient financial resources.
Subsequently, you must apply for a civil registration number ('CPR-nummer' in Danish) at the Citizen Ser-vice in your municipality, if you plan on staying in Denmark for more than six months.
If you settle in the municipalities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense or Aalborg you can also apply for both the registration certificate and the civil registration number at the International Citizen Service (see 'Interna-tional Citizen Service' below). Read more... ...and more
Unemployment funds (Nordic, EU/EEA and Swiss citizens)
If you are a Nordic, EU/EEA or Swiss citizens you may enroll in a Danish unemployment fund ('A-kasse' in Danish) and hence become entitled to benefits in case of subsequent unemployment. The unemployment in-surance is optional and you can enroll if you are between 18 to 63 years old and work and reside in Denmark or another EU/EEA country, including Switzerland.
In order to become entitled to unemployment benefits, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- You must have been employed within a profession covered by the unemployment fund.
- You must be a business-owner or a co-owner of a family run business.
- You must have completed a business-related education of at least 18 months and applied for an unem-ployment fund membership no later than two weeks after graduation.
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If you have earned unemployment rights in another EU/EEA country, your rights can be included in the cal-culation for entitlement to unemployment benefits in Denmark. The rights must be documented using the PDU1 document or the E 301 form. Special rules apply for cross-border commuters.
Moving to Denmark for non-EU/EEA citizens
If you are a citizen of any other country than the Nordic and the EU/EEA countries and Switzerland, you are generally not allowed to enter, reside and work in Denmark without a visa, residence or work permit.
When you find employment in Denmark, you must apply for a work permit in order to be able to reside in Denmark. In practice, however, it is not you but your employer who must initiate that application process. If you do not find employment but want to move to Denmark in order to look for a job, you can apply for a residence permit through the Greencard scheme.
Some of the different work and residence schemes are described here in brief:
- The Positive List scheme: Your job must be listed on the Positive List. Furthermore, you must have a written job contract or job offer which specifies salary and employment conditions. Salary and employ-ment conditions must correspond to Danish standards.
- The Pay Limit scheme: Your job must have a gross annual pay of no less than DKK 375,000. You must have a written job contract or job offer which specifies salary and employment conditions. Salary and employment conditions must correspond to Danish standards.
- The Greencard scheme: In order to be granted a residence permit under the Greencard scheme, you must attain a minimum of 100 points. Points are given for: educational level, language skills, work experience, adaptability, and age.
Subsequently, you must apply for a civil registration number ('CPR-nummer' in Danish) at the Citizen Ser-vice in your municipality, if you plan on staying in Denmark for more than six months.
If you settle in the municipalities of Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense or Aalborg you can also apply for a civil registration number at the International Citizen Service (see 'International Citizen Service' below).
International Citizen Service
International Citizen Service is a nationwide service for international students and professionals and Danish companies. In the International Citizen Service offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg all rele-vant authorities are represented. Thus, in most cases you only need to visit International Citizen Service in order to get your paperwork done and to have your questions answered.
The Danish Tax and Customs Administration ('SKAT' in Danish), the Danish Immigration Service, the Re-gional State Administrations, Workindenmark and the municipalities will all be present at International Citi-zen Service. International Citizen Service also provides information on the services provided by the Danish Agency for International Education ('Styrelsen for International Uddannelse' in Danish).
The following services are offered in the four International Citizen Services:
- Dealing with red tape: residence permit for non-EU citizens, registration certificate for EU citizens, tax card, civil registration number, medical card and a Danish driver's license.
- Personal guidance: job seeking in Denmark, finding a job for your partner, part-time jobs for interna-tional students, Danish language courses, the Danish tax system and registration of foreign vehicles.
- General information: living and working conditions in Denmark, authorisation and approval of profes-sional qualifications for regulated professions, study and career counselling, accommodation, schooling, day-care for children and network and social activities in your region.
Getting your international diploma assessed
In order to work in a number of professions in Denmark - the so-called 'regulated professions' - you must meet certain requirements regarding your professional qualifications. Access to each regulated profession is administrated by a public authority (called the 'competent authority' in Denmark). This authority will assess your qualifications in your professional field, subsequently granting or denying you permission to pursue your profession in Denmark. This permit is usually called an authorisation.
Most of the professions subject to regulation in Denmark are listed on the website of the Danish Agency for International Education ('Styrelsen for International Uddannelse' in Danish). On www.en.iu.dk you can see whether your profession requires authorisation and, if so, what you must do to work within your field.
Some regulated professions are, however, not listed at the website. Such as the professions within the field of land and air transport as well as certain maritime professions. If you are in doubt about whether your profes-sion is regulated, you can contact the competent authority or the Danish Agency for International Education.
If you are an EU/EEA or Swiss citizen certain EU rules concerning recognition of your professional qualifi-cations apply. You can find out more about these rules in the 'Guide to recognition of foreign professional qualifications' on the website of the Danish Agency for International Education.
This article is provided by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation at the Danish Agency for International Education. Also see www.studyindenmark.dk
