Processing time Denmark

The overwhelming majority of visa applications are processed and decided on by Danish diplomatic missions abroad. These cases will usually be decided within a few days. Some cases, however, may take 10-12 days.


It may take some time to get an appointment to submit an application. You are recommended to contact the diplomatic mission where you are to submit your application, so you can make an appointment well in advance of your scheduled entry into Denmark.

If the diplomatic mission cannot immediately issue a visa, your application will be forwarded to the Immigration Service in Denmark through an electronic case processing system. The Immigration Service will then process your application.

If you submit your application in a country where Denmark is represented by another Nordic country, and if that country's diplomatic mission cannot immediately issue a visa, your application will be forwarded to the Immigration Service in Denmark through diplomatic mail or similar. The other Nordic countries do not have access to Denmark's electronic case processing system, and as a result, this procedure will take longer than the electronic forwarding.

Unfortunately, the Immigration Service has an extraordinarily high number of pending visa applications at present, and this could result in a longer period than normal before you receive your decision.

Applications for visas for visiting family and friends have a processing time of up to 12 weeks. The processing time is calculated from the time the Immigration Service receives a correctly completed questionnaire from your host/contact person in Denmark, and to the time the decision is sent to the diplomatic mission. The Immigration Service sends out questionnaires to the host/contact person in Denmark regularly. Questionnaires are normally sent out in the order that cases are received. The processing time is also affected by which type of processing the Immigration Service deems necessary in individual applications, and can result in a longer processing period.

The average processing time for other types of visas, e.g. business visas and visas for cultural visits, is currently 4-6 weeks. The processing time is calculated from the time the Immigration Service receives the application, and to the time the decision is sent to the diplomatic mission.

The average processing time for extension of visa permits is currently 1-2 weeks.

Service goal for business visas
The Immigration Service has determined a service goal for individual applications for business visas of one month. The service goal indicates the maximum processing time for a case to be processed by the Immigration Service. In cases concerning applications for business visas, the Immigration Service normally send a questionnaire out to the Danish business contact. The service goal of one month applies only for those cases which are fully completed, and is calculated from the time the Immigration Service has received the returned, completed questionnaire from the Danish business contact.