Destination · European Union

Working in Denmark,
permit by permit.

Denmark is in the European Union. If you qualified inside the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, free movement replaces this half of the answer entirely and no work permit is involved. Everything below is for a qualification obtained outside that area.

Permits sourced
3
Professions answered
1
Official sources
5
Last checked
2026-08-03

Recognition

Whether Denmark has to
approve your qualification.

Only some professions are regulated, and the difference is not a detail: a regulated one needs a decision from a named authority before you may hold the job at all. These are the professions we can answer for Denmark today, and no others.

No licence decision

Software developer

Not regulated · no recognition decision required

No authority approves this qualification before you take the job in Denmark. That is a sourced finding, not an absence of research.

All destinations for this profession →

Work authorisation

Every permit we can source
for Denmark.

Every permit we source →

Fast-track Scheme

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI)

Checklist
Salary floor
DKK 552,000 a year (2026 figure)SIRI states the pay limit amount for 2026 as DKK 552,000, regulated every year on 1 January. The supplementary pay limit track carries a lower floor, DKK 446,000 for 2026 on the same annual mechanism, but adds conditions the pay limit track does not: the vacancy must have been posted on Jobnet and the EURES portal for at least two weeks before you apply, the seasonally adjusted gross unemployment rate must not have exceeded 3.75 per cent on average over the three months before you apply, and you must not have received a fine of DKK 3,000 or more in the two years before applying. Only liquid salary — including fixed, guaranteed supplements — labour market pension contributions from both employer and employee, and paid holiday allowance count toward either figure; benefits such as canteen meals, a car, a phone or housing do not. Confirm the figure in force on the date you apply.
Qualification
A job with a SIRI-certified employer that fits one of five tracks: the pay limit track, the supplementary pay limit track, a short-term track of up to 90 days, a track for researchers, or a track for structured advanced training. SIRI's guidance sets no separate education requirement for the pay limit or supplementary pay limit tracks: the salary itself is the qualifying condition.
Provisional work permit, pay limit or supplementary pay limit track, applicant exempt from the visa requirement
The same day your employer submits the application, at the earliest
Decision, applicant who needs a visa to enter Denmark
About 10 days, as a rule
Application fee
DKK 6,810
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 3 possible outcomes · 2 official sources

Pay Limit Scheme

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI)

Checklist
Salary floor
DKK 552,000 a year (2026 figure)SIRI states the minimum amount for 2026 as DKK 552,000, regulated every year on 1 January. Only liquid salary — including fixed, guaranteed supplements — labour market pension contributions from both employer and employee, and paid holiday allowance count toward it; benefits such as canteen meals, a car, a phone, internet or housing do not. Confirm the figure in force on the date you apply.
Qualification
None tied to a particular occupation or education level. SIRI's stated conditions are working hours of at least 30 hours a week, a salary and terms of employment not inferior to the standards within your professional field, and the salary floor below.
Processing
Normally 1 month, up to 3 months if SIRI needs more information
Application fee
DKK 6,810
The procedure, step by step →

3 steps · 2 possible outcomes · 1 official source

Positive List for People with a Higher Education

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI)

Checklist
Qualification
A job offer for a role that is on the current Positive List, with documentation of your education relevant to that job. Each list entry sets its own required level — SIRI states some entries require at least three years' education at bachelor level, others a Professional Bachelor's or Master's degree, and some require Danish authorisation on top where the role itself is separately regulated.
Processing
Normally 1 month, up to 3 months if SIRI needs more information
Application fee
DKK 6,810
The procedure, step by step →

4 steps · 2 possible outcomes · 2 official sources

Written out in full

Guides for Denmark.

Each of these takes one profession into Denmark and runs both branches end to end, including the paperwork your country of qualification adds.

Verified route

Denmark Work Visa for Software Developers

Denmark Pay Limit Scheme amount

Read this one →

Evidence

Every claim on this page, and where it came from.

5 official pages, each with the jurisdiction it speaks for and the date a human last opened it. The oldest of them is 2026-08-03, and that is the date this page is only as fresh as.

Your case, not the general case

What Denmark asks of you specifically.

Which permit fits and what your country of qualification adds to it both depend on where you qualified. The planner only offers combinations it can answer.

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