Non EU/EEA citizens must apply for a residence and work permit
If you are a non EU/EEA citizen, you must apply for a residence and work permit at the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration.
How to apply for a residence and work permit
The International Staff Office at SDU will start the application process for your residence and work permit when your contract has been issued.
You will then be asked to fill in part two of the application online, and submit your biometric features.
The application can be submitted at the Danish diplomatic mission in the country of origin of the applicant (or the country where you have resided legally for the past three month). The mission will then forward the application to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration in Denmark, where it will be processed.
If you are a legal resident of Denmark, the application may be submitted at the Citizen Centre of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration at one of SIRI's branch offices.
If a visa is required
If you need a visa to enter Denmark, this must be optained before travelling to Denmark.
The processing time is 30 days after the application has been completed
The expected processing time is 30 days. The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration will start processing your application when you have paid the fee and submitted the completed application and your biometric features.
The processing time can sometimes be longer than expected and we do not recommend that you buy plane tickets before receiving the decision letter.
Please check the expiration date on your passport
The residence and work permit can only be valid up to 3 months before your passport expires.It is therefore very important that you check the expiration date on your passport.
You can do research at SDU as a guest researcher
As a guest researcher you do not get hired and will therefore not get salary from SDU during your stay.
The university makes facilities available for you, but you have to pay for your stay in Denmark with your own means or funding.
Do you need a visa or a residence and work permit?
You must either apply for a residence and work permit or a visa to Denmark depending on how long time you are going to stay.
If you are a non EU-citizen of a country where a visa for Denmark is required, and you are going to stay in Denmark for a maximum of 90 days, you must apply for a visa.
If your stay is longer than 90 days, and you are a non EU-citizen, you have to apply for a residence and work permit.
Requirements for residence and work permit as a guest
As you will not be receiving a salary from SDU, you must be able to support yourself with your own means or continue to receive pay from your research institute or employer in your country of origin while in Denmark.
You must document your ability to support yourself for the entire duration of your stay.
Read more about financial requirements here.
You cannot stay in Denmark as a guest researcher for a longer period than 3 years, and it is not possible to get an extension after you have been in Denmark for 3 years.
You can be granted a residence permit in order to follow a PhD-programme at SDU in Denmark, while supporting yourself with your own means during your stay.
Nordic citizens or citizens from an EU/EEA country can work in Denmark without a residence and work permit, but if you are a non EU-citizen you must apply for a residence and work permit to Denmark.
Conditions for a residence and work permit as a guest PhD student
- Full degree PhD students must be enrolled in the PhD programme here at SDU.
- If you are only going to do part of your programme in Denmark as a visiting PhD student, it is a requirement that you are enrolled in a PhD programme abroad and that you are associated with an educational institution in Denmark.
- The PhD programme must be a full-time study.
- You must be able to speak and understand the language of instruction, and you must be able to understand either Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German with a reasonable level of proficiency.
- You must be able to support yourself
Find the current financial requirements here.
The application process must be initiated by the International Staff Office at SDU, so please contact us at iso@sdu.dk for more information.
Read more about how to apply for a residence permit as a PhD student at newtodenmark.dk
Are you staying for less than 90 days?
If you are staying in Denmark for less than 90 days, you may do so without a residence and work permit.
Your stay cannot exceed three consecutive months, calculated from the day of arrival in Denmark.
Requirements for short term stays
- Your passport or other form of valid travel document must be valid for three months past the visa expiration date.
- The passport or travel document must have been issued within the past 10 years.
- You must have the necessary means to pay for your stay and return trip.
What will be considered as necessary funds will be determined by the Danish diplomatic mission and depends on the length of your stay, and whether you will stay at a hotel or with friends or family. - You must hold a travel insurance policy to cover possible expenses in connection with a return for health reasons or death, indispensable medical treatment or acute hospitalization during your stay.
The insurance policy must cover all Schengen countries, and the minimum policy coverage is €30.000.
The insurance policy must be valid for the same period as the visa.
The validity of the visa may be shortened if the insurance policy does not cover the entire period.
You can read more about the general conditions for a visa at the Danish Immigration Service.
How to apply for a visa for a short term stay
Citizens of a country with a visa requirement to enter Denmark must obtain a visa valid for the entire stay before arriving in Denmark.
The visa application must be submitted at a Danish Diplomatic Misson. To apply, you need a VF2 invitation, which is completed by SDU and an official invitation signed by your host at SDU.
Please contact iso@sdu.dk to start the application process.
Are you bringing your family?
Any accompanying family members will have to apply for a residence permit by using the MF1-application form. One form must be filled out for each person, including children and infants.