Student Visa in Denmark

Studying in Denmark

Foreign nationals may obtain a residence permit with a view to study in Denmark.

In accordance with the Aliens Act a residence permit with a view to studies or another educational purpose may be granted to

• students at post-secondary educations (a.k.a. tertiary studies)
• students at basic and youth study programmes
• students at folk high schools
• students at preparatory/foundation courses

Post-Secondary Educations (A.K.A. Tertiary Studies)

An educational programme is considered to be post-secondary education when the conditions for admission require that the student has completed a high school education or the equivalent.

Please observe that some of the educational programmes in English in commercial and technical schools are post-secondary educations.

In order to obtain a resident permit the applicant must document:

• that he/she has been admitted to a post-secondary education - the applicant must show an original admission letter or an original "purple form" if the applicant has been admitted to a university or the like
• that he/she as a minimum has paid the tuition fee for the first semester of the educational programme and can document to be in possession of sufficient means for the payment (Exchange students from an Australian or New Zealand university, who do not have to pay the tuition fee in Denmark must produce documentation that he/she has sufficient means for maintenance. The documentation should be original bank documents in the applicant's own name)
• that he/she can speak and understand the language of the instruction and can understand Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German at a reasonable level.

The Purple Form
Some post-secondary education programmes in Denmark will present the exchange student with the so-called ‘purple form’ - the name refering to the colour of the form. These educations are among others Universities, Copenhagen Business School, Aarhus School of Business, the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the Technical University of Denmark. The Consulate General in Sydney has a special authorization to issue the residence permit for Australian and New Zealand citizens who submit their application with the purple form. In these cases the processing will take about 2 weeks.

Other education programmes in Denmark does not supply the purple form. These educations are among others nursing schools and Vitus Bering. Applications without the purple form will be forwarded to the Immigration Service in Denmark and the processing takes about two months.

For details on how to apply for a residence permit through the Danish Consulate General in Sydney, please choose the correct option in the left column.

Work permits for students at Post-secondary educations

As a student you have the option of applying for a work permit which will allow you to work for 15 hours a week alongside your studies and to take on full time work during the months of June, July and August. You simply have to tick the ‘Work permit’ box on page one of your application for a residence permit.

All work permit applications are processed by the Immigration Service in Denmark, so even if you do have a purple form and the Consulate General in Sydney are authorized to issue your residence permit, we are NOT authorized to issue the work permit. It will therefore take up to two months for your work permit to be processed.


Basic and Youth Study Programmes

In order to obtain a residence permit the applicant must document:

• that he/she has been admitted to a basic- or youth study programme
• that he/she can support him-/herself during the stay (NB the documentation should be original bank documents in the applicant's own name)
• that he/she can speak and understand the language of instruction and can understand Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German at a reasonable level
• that the holder of custody has given his/her consent if the applicant is under the age of 18 years old
• if the applicant is under the age of 18 years old, the educational institution must have made a declaration stating that it will help to ensure that the applicant has a secure stay in Denmark for the duration of the residence permit.

For details on how to apply for a residence permit through the Danish Consulate General in Sydney, please choose the correct option in the left column.


Work permits for students at basic- and youth study programmes

If you are under the age of 18, you are only eligible for a work permit if you have a written offer or contract for a specific position, and if the employer confirms to the Immigration Service that workplace environment legislation is upheld.


Preparatory or Foundation Courses

In order to obtain a residence permit the applicant must document:

• that he/she has been admitted to a preparatory or foundation course connected to a post-secondary education
• that he/she can support him-/herself during the stay (NB the documentation must be original bank documents in the applicant's own name)
• the he/she can speak and understand the language of the instruction and can understand Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German at a reasonable level.

For details on how to apply for a residence permit through the Danish Consulate General in Sydney, please choose the correct option in the left column.


Folk high schools

In order to obtain a residence permit the applicant must document:

• that he/she has been admitted at an approved folk high school or the like
• that he/she has paid the course fees
• that he/she can speak and understand the language of instruction and can understand Danish, Swedish, English, Norwegian or German at a reasonable level.

BASIC AND YOUTH STUDY PROGRAMMES

How to Apply for a Residence Permit for Basic and Youth Study Programmes

Your application should be sent to the Danish Consulate General in Sydney and it must contain the following:

• your passport
• two copies of the completed application form for a residence permit (can be downloaded from this website).
• two passport photos (3.5 x 4.5 cm. photo quality - please NO home made digital prints).
• two copies of a guarantee form from the youth study organisation
• two copies of the acceptance letter from the school or programme in Denmark
• two copies of parental consent/financial guarantee if the applicant is under 18 years of age.
• two copies of birth certificate
• a prepaid registered return envelope within Australia and please DO NOT remove the sender slip - that is for us to keep as proof of returning your passport.
• Application fee: Australian citizens AUD 154.00, New Zealand citizens AUD 164.00*. Payment should be made in cash, cheque or money order issued to the Danish Consulate General and it must be issued in AUD.

* The extra AUD 10.00 cover the postage for returning the passport to New Zealand and New Zealanders should therefore not enclose a return envelope.

NOTE: Listed Application fee effective from 1. August 2007.

Kindly ensure that we have 2 sets of all papers and the application form and please refrain from using staples.

Furthermore you must ensure that your passport is valid for at least three months longer than your intended stay in Denmark.

For certain Basic and Youth Study Programmes such as Rotary, Youth for Understanding, Aspect and STS the Danish Consulate General in Sydney has special authorization to issue the residence permit. In these cases the processing will take about two weeks. For other organisations the application will be forwarded to the Immigration Service in Denmark and it may take up to 2 months before a reply is received.

Please send your application to:

The Royal Danish Consulate General
Gold Fields House, Level 21
1 Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Sydney NSW 2000

If you have further questions you can call on the number below Monday to Friday 10 am to 12 noon or write us an e-mail. We aim to reply to e-mails the same day as we receive them.

Tel.: (02) 9247 2224
Fax : (02) 9251 7504
E-mail: dtcsydney@dtcsyd.org.au