Permanent Residence in Denmark
One documented route of this kind in Denmark, with its conditions, documents, official government fees and process.
Permanent residence permit
Standard permanent residence after 8 years' continuous legal residence, reduced to 4 if all supplementary requirements are met.
- Processing time
- Up to 12 months
- Validity
- Permanent
- Language requirement
- Prøve i Dansk 2 (basic); Prøve i Dansk 3 counts as a supplementary requirement
- Permanent residence
- This is the permanent residence permit itself
- Citizenship
- Permanent residence is a precondition for naturalisation
Requirements
- Age 18+
- 8 years continuous legal residence (4 with all supplementary requirements)
- Continue to meet current permit conditions
- Clean criminal record (no sentence over 6 months; outside exclusion period)
- No overdue public debt (excluding student/bank loans)
- No specified social benefits within the prior 4 years
- Employed at the time of decision (min. 15 hours/week)
- Pass Prøve i Dansk 2
- Sign the residence/self-support declaration
- Meet at least 2 of the 4 supplementary requirements
Required Documents
- Tax assessment notices (årsopgørelser) and payslips for income required
- Employment documentation required
- Language test certificates required
- Passport copy required
Official fees
- Application fee - work/study basis (2026) 7,570 DKK
- Application fee - other grounds (2026) 4,970 DKK
Process Steps
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1
Create SB-ID and pay fee
Create an SB-ID and pay the fee (DKK 7,570 on work/study basis, or DKK 4,970 other grounds).
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2
Gather documents
Gather income, employment, and language documentation.
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3
Submit form
Submit the form online (e.g., TU1).
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4
Biometrics
Record biometrics within 6 weeks.
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5
Decision
Await the decision (up to 12 months).