Apply for a short term visa to private visits and tourist visits
You want to apply for a short term visa because you are going for a private visit or tourist visit in Denmark for up to 90 days.
Who needs a visa?
If you wish to visit Denmark for a short period of time and you are a citizen of a country with a visa requirement, you must have a visa.
Special regulations apply to certain groups of people:
-Denmark has concluded bilateral visa-facilitation agreements with a number of countries: Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Russia, and Moldova.
-Turkish citizens who are to perform a service in Denmark do not need a visa.
-People holding certain types of residence permits in another Schengen country do not need a visa.
-People holding certain types of residence permits issued by Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus or Rumania are permitted to travel through Denmark to the country that has issued the residence permit, but may not stop over without reason. The journey through Denmark may last no longer than five days.
-People holding a EU residence card issued under the EU regulations on free movement issued by a Schengen country do not need a visa. People holding an EU residence card issued by an EU country which is not a Schengen country, can enter Denmark without a visa only if they are accompanied by, or will join, an EU citizen. This applies to both residence cards issued in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC and residence cards issued before this directive took effect. Residence cards are in the form of a plastic card the size of a credit card or a residence sticker placed in the passport.
-Family members of an EU/EEA citizen or Swiss citizen who is exercising his/her right to free movement in Denmark, as well as family members of a Danish citizen who is exercising or who has exercised his/her right to free movement to relocate to another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, have the right to have a visa application processed in accordance with EU regulations.
Who can be granted a visa to private visits and tourist visits?
You can normally get a visa if the authorities assess that you undoubtedly intend to return home before your visa expires and that you will also comply with the conditions for your visa. This applies regardless of which country with a visa requirement you come from.
However, if the authorities assess that there is doubt whether you will travel home or leave the Schengen countries before your visa expires – or whether you will otherwise comply with the conditions for your visa – the authorities will investigate your case further. When the authorities then decide whether you can get a visa, the authorities will emphasize which of the 5 main groups of countries with a visa requirement, you belong to.
Countries whose citizens must hold visas in order to enter Denmark are divided into five main groups.
Different guideline requirements for obtaining a visa apply to each group.
Different countries are grouped based on the overall risk of a citizen remaining within the Schengen countries after the individual’s visa expires.
The division of countries into 5 main groups serves only as a rough guideline. All applications are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For instance, it will be taken into consideration whether you have previously been issued a Schengen visa and you have complied with the terms of the visa. Other special situations that may be considered include: whether you are seeking to visit an individual suffering from a terminal illness, or if the purpose of the trip is to attend the funeral of a close friend or relative.
Regardless of which group of countries you belong to, the immigration authorities will refuse a visa if there is a risk that you:
-will seek to reside in Denmark or another Schengen country permanently or for an extended period, or
-pose a security risk.
Decisions on visas are taken in accordance with the rules of the EU Visa Code and the rules in the Visa Executive Order and the Visa Guideline.
Travel agency and tourist arrangements
Denmark has for a number of years had special travel agency and tourist arrangements for tourists from Russia, China, Ukraine and India. The so-called ADS arrangement in China is only applicable to tourist groups. The extended travel agency arrangement in China does also include tourists travelling alone.
These arrangements make it easier for citizens of those countries to visit Denmark as tourists.
What are the conditions?
You must normally meet the following basic conditions in order to be granted a visa:
-Your passport or other form of valid travel document must be valid for three months past the visa expiration date.
-Your 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. As a general rule, you must have at your disposal approx. DKK 350 per day. If you are staying at a hotel, the amount must be greater, approx. DKK 500 per day.
-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 hospitalisation 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 may not be registered as an undesirable in the Schengen Information System (SIS II).
-You may not have been deported from Denmark and given an entry ban.
-You may not be listed on UN or EU sanction lists.
-You may not be listed on the national sanction list of religious preachers with entry ban.
These conditions apply at the time your visa is issued, as well as when you enter and stay in the Schengen region. It is therefore important that you are able to document at all times that you have the necessary funds to pay for your stay and return trip, and that you hold a valid travel insurance policy. If you do not meet these conditions, your visa can be confiscated and revoked, in which case you will be required to leave the Schengen region immediately.
If the Immigration Service suspects that you intend to seek permanent or long-term residency in Denmark, or that you may pose threat to national security or public safety, your visa application will be refused.
Qualifying as a host – group 2, 3, 4 and 5
If you are a citizen of a country places in group 2, 3, 4 or 5, you can normally only be granted a visa, if you have a host in Denmark. The host in Denmark must meet certain requirements:
-The host must confirm that your visit is expected. The Danish Immigration Service recommends using invitation form VU2, but this it is not a requirement.
-The host must have a permanent place to live in Denmark. This requirement can be waived in certain cases, such as if you are a spouse, a cohabiting partner, a boyfriend or girlfriend or minor child of a Danish national who has settled down permanently abroad and if the Danish national wishes to spend a vacation in Denmark with his immediate family.
-The host must normally be either a citizen or resident of Denmark. If the host holds an expired residence permit, but has applied for renewal, the Danish Immigration Service will make a decision based on the specific details of the situation. One of the Danish Immigration Service’s considerations will be whether the host will be permitted to apply for permanent residence at some point.
How long is a visa valid?
A visa allows you to stay a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period in Denmark and is normally valid for the entire Schengen region.
If you wish to stay in Denmark for longer than 90 days, for example, because you are married to a person living in Denmark, you can apply for family reunification instead of a visa.
If you remain in Denmark after your visa expires or if you attempt to use your visa stay to obtain permanent or long-term residency in Denmark, you can be given a penalty period of 3 or 5 years. In the penalty period you will generally not be able to get a visa to visit Denmark.
Multiple-entry and long-term visas
If you need to travel to Denmark and the other Schengen countries on a regular basis you can apply for a long-term visa that is valid for multiple entries.
What does a visa entitle you to?
A visa normally grants you the right to stay in the entire Schengen region. The Schengen countries are: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
A visa does not allow you to work
A visa does not allow you to work in Denmark unless the Immigration Service has explicitly granted you this right.
However, during visits of less than 90 days you may carry out certain work-related activities without holding a work permit.
