Denmark - Work Skills & Ancestry - Researchers

There must be particular reasons why the research should be carried out by you. Normally, research work is considered to be so closely linked to the individual researcher that the general employment situation in Denmark is not decisive for whether or not you can be granted a residence and work permit.

You must have a written job contract or job offer which specifies salary and employment conditions. Salary and employment conditions must correspond to Danish standards.

Researchers on short-term stays may be exempt from the regulations
If you have been invited as a researcher to teach or give lectures, you may do so without a residence and work permit, provided your stay does not exceed three consecutive months, calculated from the day of arrival in Denmark.

If you are a citizen of a country with a visa requirement to enter Denmark, you must have obtained a visa valid for the entire stay before entering Denmark.

If you expect to stay in Denmark for longer than three months, you must have a residence and work permit covering the entire period, including the first three months. You must have obtained the permit prior to arriving in Denmark.

Research trainees
You can be granted a residence and work if you need to conduct research as part of your education or career development and need to do so at a Danish research institute or company which makes facilities available, but does not hire you. As you will not be receiving pay from the Danish organisation, you must be able to support yourself or continue to receive pay from your research institute or employer in your country of origin while in Denmark.

Duration
As a researcher, you can be granted a residence and work permit for up to three years with a possibility for extension of up to four years, provided that you still meet the conditions. However, a permit is never granted for longer than the period specified in your job contract.

If your job contract expires, or you lose your job through no fault of your own, e.g., due to cutbacks, and you find a new job, you must apply for a new residence and work permit. The same applies generally if you change jobs.

If you are a research trainee, you can be granted a residence and work permit for up to one year with a possibility for extension.

Your residence permit can only be granted or extended up to three months before your passport expires. This means that if your passport expires in 12 months, you can only be granted a permit for nine months, or your permit can only be extended by nine months.