Working in Denmark

It is very easy to take up a job in Denmark due to few bureaucratic obstacles.The specific requirements in connection with living and working in Denmark depend, first and foremost, on a person's nationality and qualifications.

Nordic Citizens
Nordic citizens are free to reside, study and work in Denmark.

Other EU Citizens
Citizens from EC/EEA  countries may live and take up employment in Denmark without visa, residence permit or work permit. Only after a period of three months of having stayed in Denmark a residence permit must be applied for, which is easy to obtain due to the existing binding EU laws.

Non-Eu Citizens
People, who are not citizens of one of the Member States of the EU require a visa as well as a work permit for any job related period of residence in Denmark. If the stay exceeds a period of three months, a residence permit must be applied for.

Visa
It is necessary to be in possession of a visa in order to enter Denmark. A visa needs to be applied for at the Danish embassy of the respective home country of the non- EU citizen and is valid for three months at the most.

Residence permit
If it is your intention to reside in Denmark for a  period in excess of three months, a residence permit will have to be applied for within the first three months of your stay. The only exception to this rule is valid for citizens of Finland and Sweden since these are subject to the Nordic Agreement. The application may be submitted at the corresponding Danish State County (Statsamt) or at the respective Danish embassy of the applicant's home country.

For a foreigner the residence permit constitutes the most important of all documents. It is absolutely necessary to carry it with you at all times in order to be able to present it upon demand.

Work permit
Already prior to entering Denmark, a work permit must be applied for. This is to be done at the corresponding Danish embassy in the applicant's home country. In order to apply, only two passport photos are required apart from the application form itself. Once the embassy has received the application, it is transferred to the Danish Immigration Service in Copenhagen, which in turn waits for a statement by the Danish Ministry of Employment. The processing time can be expected to be in the order of 3 to 6 weeks. It is absolutely necessary to fill in the form correctly, since granting the request for a work permit would otherwise be considerably delayed. On collecting the work permit a valid identification card or passport must be presented to prove one's identity. This is to say that the application may also be filed in writing whereby identification becomes necessary only upon collection of the documents.

Facts about labour law in Denmark
There does not exist any particular legislation concerning labour law in Denmark. On the contrary, the individual areas of work are regulated by many different kinds of framework law.

Vacation entitlement
If the employee is able to render proof of permanent employment for all of the previous year, five weeks of paid vacation will be granted. If this is not the case, vacation days will be granted in proportion to the actual period of time of employment within the previous year.

Continued payment of wages
The continued payment of wages in case of illness and during vacation time is established to be 100 per cent of the employee's net wages. During the first forthight of leave due to medical condition the employer is obliged to pay. From the third week on until the 28th week the employee receives sick pay out of the funds of the national insurance scheme.

Social security
The National Social Security is divided into separate insurance branches for employees and self-employed persons. Insurance for employees entails a voluntary insurance against unemployment as well as medical insurance and insurance against occupational disability. For self-employed persons  voluntary insurance against unemployment as well as medical insurance and maternity insurance are available. Old age insurance, disability benefits and family assistance are available to all people living in Denmark. An application for social security is necessary for some occupational groups in Denmark although it is not statutory in general.