Internship
You have been offered a job as an intern in Denmark.
Who can be granted a residence permit as an intern?
You can be granted a residence permit as an intern in Denmark if you meet two conditions:
-You are enrolled in an educational programme in your home country or in a country in where you have been a legal resident, and
-there are specific educational reasons for your internship in Denmark.
Your internship must be within the following sectors:
-The green sector (the agricultural, veterinary, forestry or horticultural field)
-The health sector
-Architecture interns
or you can belong to the group of other interns.
Within certain sectors, you can stay in Denmark as an intern even though you have already completed your education – read more about the specific sectors below.
What are my rights if I am granted a permit?
What are you allowed to do with a Danish residence permit as an intern – and what are you not allowed to do?
Work
You can only work in the position and in the place of internship that you have been granted a permit to work in.
If you are offered a new internship, you must apply for a new permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position, e.g. as a herdsman, in the same workplace.
A Danish residence and work permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.
Residence
A residence and work permit allows you to stay in Denmark for the period of time your permit is valid.
Moreover, a permit allows you to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180 days period. However, the permit does not allow you to work in other Schengen countries.
You must not give up your Danish address or stay abroad for longer than 6 successive months. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Denmark.
If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing. Please note that a dispensation can only be granted in exceptional cases, e.g. if there is critical illness in your nearest family.
Danish lessons
With a residence permit in Denmark, you are entitled to partly user paid Danish lessons. However, you must have turned 18 years and have your Danish address registered in the Danish National Register.
Your municipality of residence is obliged to offer you Danish lessons and refer you to a language center.
If you have not been offered Danish lessons within a month after registering your address in Denmark, you can contact your municipality.
You will be taught together with other foreign nationals who have arrived in Denmark recently.
Additional information
If you are going to stay and work in Denmark, there are a number of things to acquaint yourself with. Depending on your personal situation, you might need other important information and options.
The portal lifeindenmark.dk provides you with information, links and in many cases also options concerning the most important subjects such as:
-NemID
-The CPR register
-Health card
-Tax matters
-Holiday entitlements
-School and daycare
-Housing
-Danish lessons
-Car registration and driver’s license
Public benefits
You must be able to support yourself during your stay. You are not allowed to receive benefits under the terms of the Active Social Policy Act.
If you receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Denmark.
If an authority, e.g. a municipality, disburses benefits to foreign nationals, SIRI will be notified.
How long can I stay in Denmark?
Entry
A residence permit as an intern will be valid from the day you start working.
Duration of permit
If you are an intern within the green sector, you can be granted a residence and work permit valid for up to 18 months – however, the validity period cannot exceed the contract period. If you attend a Danish agricultural school or technical school for a period of 6 to 8 months as a supplement to your internship, you can be granted a residence permit for up to 24 months in total.
If you are an intern within the health sector, within architecture or an intern within the field of ‘other interns’, you can be granted a residence and work permit valid for up to 18 months – however, the validity period cannot exceed the length of the internship.
If your internship is extended, you can apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.
If you submit your application for an extension in time, you are allowed to stay in Denmark and continue your internship even though your permit expires while we process your case.
Shorter validity because your passport expires
A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the expiry date of your passport.
If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit.
Shorter validity because the place of internship approval expires
A residence permit as an intern is only valid until the expiry of the place of internship approval, if applicable.
If your place of internship’s approval has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of residence, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When your place of internship has obtained a new approval, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit.
Can my family be granted a residence permit?
Normally, you are not allowed to bring your family with you to Denmark with a residence permit as an intern.
