Visa (short term) DenMark

Visa (short term)
If you wish to visit Denmark for a short period of time, you must obtain a visa prior to entry if you come from a country with a visa requirement for entering Denmark.

See the list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Denmark.


The purpose of applying a visa requirement to citizens of certain countries is to control who can enter and visit Denmark and the other Schengen countries. The Schengen countries normally decide cooperatively which nationalities the visa requirement will be applied to. The countries are selected with consideration to immigration and security issues, as well as political concerns.

A visa is only intended to allow a foreign national to visit Denmark and/or the other Schengen countries for a limited period of time. If you wish to reside in Denmark for an extended period of time, you need to apply for a residence permit. If the immigration authorities suspect that you intend to seek permanent or long-term residency in Denmark or another Schengen country, your visa application will be turned down.

If you have been granted certain types of residence or re-entry permits in another Schengen country, you do not need a visa to enter Denmark. Read more about residence permits issued by another Schengen country.

If you hold certain types of residence permits issued by Switzerland or Liechtenstein, you may pass through Denmark. Your journey through Denmark may last no longer than five days.

If you hold a residence card issued under the EU regulations on free movement, you do not need a visa to enter Denmark. This applies to both residence cards issued in accordance with Directive 2004/38/EC and residence cards issued before this directive took effect. You will receive your residence card in the form of a plastic card the size of a credit card or a residence sticker placed in your 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. Read more about visas issued under EU regulations.

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, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

A visa grants you the right to spend a maximum of 90 days per 6 months in the Schengen region.

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 barred from obtaining a Danish visa for a period of three to five years. Read more about misuse of a visa.

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 three months you may carry out certain work-related activities without holding a work permit. Read more about visa and work permit.

Read more about the general conditions for granting a visa.