Residence document and work permit

As an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen, you may freely enter Denmark and remain for up to 3 months without registering your residence with the Danish authorities.

If you will be residing in Denmark for longer than 3 months, you need to apply for an EU residence document within 3 months after entering Denmark.

If you are a job seeker, you are required to submit an application for an EU residence document within 6 months after entering Denmark.

If you are a citizen from a country outside Scandinavia, the EU/EEA or Switzerland, you must apply for a residence and work permit in your home country through a Danish mission – that is a Danish Embassy or a Danish Consulate General.

In the majority of cases, your future employer in Denmark will contribute with information for the application. There are several different options for a residence and work permit in Denmark. Your education, qualifications and the type of job you have been offered are important to how you should apply.

Be aware that after 20 May 2012, all non-EU citizens over the age of 18 applying for residence permits under the terms of the Aliens Act must have their biometric features (facial image and fingerprints) recorded when submitting their application. Biometric features will also be recorded when applying to renew a residence permit and when applying for permanent residence.

• Residence cards with biometric features

You must also be aware that a Danish authorisation can be a condition for your residence and work permit. For example, this applies if you are going to work as a doctor, dentist or a schoolteacher.

Read more about how you can apply for a residence and work permit:

• How to apply for a residence and work permit (new window)

When you come to Denmark to work, you will need a civil registration number (CPR number) or a personal tax number, depending on whether you take up a short or a longer residence in Denmark.

CPR number – if longer period in Denmark

If you are working in Denmark for more than 3 months (6 months if within EU/EEA or Nordic countries), you will need to apply for a CPR number at the Danish National Register (Folkeregistret).

You can always contact your local municipality’s Citizen Service centre or one of the International Citizen Service centres.

• International Citizen Service (ICS)

Personal tax number – if short period in Denmark

If you are working in Denmark for 3 months or less, you will get a personal tax number instead of a civil registration number. Your personal tax number works like a civil registration number, which means that it is your Danish personal identification number.

There are 2 ways of getting a personal tax number:

1) Danish Tax Agency: You can request a personal tax number by completing form no. 04.063 from the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen):

• Form 04.063 EN – Foreign labour force – application for tax card and Danish personal tax number (CPR number) for employees

2) Tax centre or International Citizen Service: You can also contact your local tax centre or one of the International Citizen Service centres to obtain your personal tax number.

• Remember to bring form no. 04.063, ID with picture, such as passport or ID card, and marriage certificate (if you are married).
• Citizens from outside the EU, Switzerland or the Nordic countries must also bring a work permit.

If you have previously worked in Denmark, you will already have a civil registration number or a personal tax number.

In order for your employer to know how much tax to deduct from your salary, you need a tax card. A tax card (skattekort) is a digital piece of information telling your employer your tax rate.

The tax card contains information about your withholding rate, deductions and allowances. You can see your tax card information on the first page of your preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse).

Apply for a tax card

You can apply for a tax card by following the same procedure as used for the personal tax number in the section above.

This means that you must complete form no. 04.063 from the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen).

• Form 04.063 EN – Foreign labour force – application for tax card and Danish personal tax number (CPR number) for employees

When you have completed the form (04.063) and attached or enclosed the documents required, you will receive a preliminary income assessment (forskudsopgørelse) within 2 weeks.

In your preliminary income assessment, you can see your withholding rate, your monthly tax-free allowances and deductions, and what the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen) expects your income and allowances and deductions to be. The tax card (primary tax card, secondary tax card or tax exemption card) is a part of your preliminary income assessment. Your employer will receive your tax card directly from the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen). You cannot hand in your tax card yourself.

In Denmark each person has a civil registration number, which is called a CPR number. CPR stands for Central Person Register. The CPR number is essential in relation to any contact with the Danish authorities and especially in connection to tax and social security issues.

If you are coming to Denmark to work for more than 3 months (6 months if you come from an EU/EEA country or Switzerland), you need to apply for a CPR number at the Danish National Register (Folkeregistret).

You can contact your local municipality’s Citizen Service centre or one of the International Citizen Service centres:

• International Citizen Service (ICS)

Most of the online self-services are in Danish, but you can always get help to fill in forms and online applications at the local Citizen Service centre. Or maybe you can get help from a Dane. Remember to bring your MitID.