Citizens of certain countries who wish to visit Denmark are required to apply for a proper type of visa. It is important to note that this requirement applies based on the nationality of the individual as well as any bilateral visa-facilitation agreements that may be in place between Denmark and the applicant’s country of origin.
Obtaining a visa for Denmark can be an option for those who may require short-term stays in the country for various purposes or as a first step for those who are interested in moving to Denmark. Knowing the applicable visa requirements, as well as the residence requirements further on for those who are willing to stay in the country longer is important when deciding to come to the country. This is why we recommend getting in touch with one of our Denmark immigration agents. We can evaluate your particular situation and the purpose of the stay and then guide you on the next few steps that will be required to enter and stay in the country.
If staying in the country for short-term purposes is not your goal, you can discuss your options with our team. According to the purpose of your stay, our agents can help you apply for a Danish residence permit that is suitable for study, employment, or business. We remind those interested that Nordic citizens are subject to special entry and stay conditions.
In this article, we answer some of the most commonly asked questions about the types of visas in Denmark. For more details, as well as for questions about the residence permit in Denmark, please feel free to reach out to us.
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Who needs a visa to enter Denmark?
Not all citizens are required to apply for a visa to enter Denmark. In fact, this is not required for EU citizens as well as citizens of countries with which Denmark has signed bilateral visa-facilitation agreements (such as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia or Moldova). There is also an exemption from visa application for Turkish citizens, in some cases.
Citizens from the following countries are required to apply for a visa before coming to Denmark: Algeria, Armenia, Bahrain, Belize, Botswana, Cambodia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Kosovo, Laos, Libya, Maldives, Nepal, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.
Please keep in mind that this is not an exhaustive list of the countries subject to visa requirements. Please reach out to our Denmark immigration specialists for more details.
What are the types of visas in Denmark?
The types of short-stay visas in Denmark are the following:
- tourist visas: these apply for private tourist visits in the country; it should be duly noted that most foreign nationals are not required to apply for a tourist visa;
- business visits: needed for short-term business trips in the country; it is issued for companies that are actually in a business relationship with a registered Danish legal entity;
- cultural visits: short-term visits for various cultural purposes in Denmark; it can be issued to athletes participating in sporting events and in other cases;
- other cases: in some situations, companies that host foreign nationals in case of events may receive prior approval for hosting them if they are included in a category that requires a visa.
An immigration lawyer in Denmark from our team can provide more details about these types of visas used for short-term purposes.
Individuals who are interested in staying in the country for long-term purposes are required to apply for different types of permits. These can include the residence permit in Denmark for study or family reunification purposes as well as the work permit in Denmark. Please note that these permits are different from the aforementioned visas for Denmark. Visas grant the ability to stay in the country for a 90-day period in most cases, however, they do not include residence. Please feel free to reach out to our agents if you are interested in issues related to long-term stays as well as if you want to migrate to Denmark.
Our team provides complete immigration services, from counsel during the pre-visa application phase to assistance for this process, followed by guidance for effectively moving to the country and making a smooth transition. Apart from the visa arrangements, individuals who are interested in staying in the country long-term will also need to resolve issues like employment and accommodation, subscribing for health insurance, and a number of other steps. We can provide guidance as needed during this initial phase. After having lived in the country for a number of years, foreign nationals can begin to consider the process to obtain Danish citizenship.
Regardless of the type of visa you need to apply for, moving to Denmark for medium to long-term purposes, and sometimes even short-term purposes like a year or less will involve many different steps. Foreign nationals who relocate to Copenhagen, Aarhus, or other cities, will need to mind several issues, both before and after their arrival in the country. Our team can help you with these.
We also provide complete services to those interested in applying for a Denmark investment visa.
Denmark immigration statistics
The Danish Immigration Service publishes regular updates on the latest numbers of individuals who arrive in the country for different purposes. The statistics used by our team are divided according to the immigrant’s country of origin to reflect the western or non-western provenance. Our Denmark immigration agents present some of these below:
- there were 262,968 immigrants from western countries and 357,201 immigrants from non-western countries in Q4 2019;
- in the second quarter of 2019, the number of non-western countries immigrants was 353,152 while that of western-countries immigrants was 259,752;
- according to the same source, Statistics Denmark, in 2019, there were 1,781 foreign nationals who changed to Danish citizenship; their number was higher in 2018, at 2,836 individuals.
Foreign nationals from non-EU countries who are interested in knowing more about the types of visas in Denmark can contact us for more details. We provide complete services to those interested in relocating to the country and an immigration lawyer in Denmark from our team assists our clients during the entire application process.
