Family reunification

Your partner can be granted a residence permit in Denmark under the Danish (national) rules on family reunification if you live permanently in Denmark and are a Danish citizen or hold a permanent residence permit on a basis other than asylum.

When family reunification concerns spouses and cohabiting partners, it is called family reunification of spouses. The person who wants a residence permit in Denmark is called the applicant. The person the applicant is married to or lives in permanent cohabitation with is called the spouse/partner in Denmark (in Danish: referencen).

If you have a child together who is under 18 and a Danish citizen, there is another route, for which nyidanmark.dk does not list the usual requirements for family reunification of spouses as conditions. Read more on the page Parent of a Danish child.

Before you apply, you must meet some basic conditions.

The 24-year requirement

• You must both be at least 24 years old.
• You can submit the application once the younger of you is 23 years and 6 months old.

In special cases, the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) can waive the requirement if the spouse/partner in Denmark has minor children living at home who have their own ties to Denmark, is seriously ill or has a serious disability, works in a profession on the Positive Lists, or is employed by the state in a position of special foreign or security policy importance.

Read more on nyidanmark.dk.

The visitation requirement

The applicant must normally have been in Denmark at least once. There is no requirement as to how long the stay lasted, and a visa-free stay also counts, but the stay must have been legal. If the applicant has only been in Denmark as an asylum seeker, the requirement is not met.

The visitation requirement applies whether you apply in Denmark or from abroad. In special cases, the Danish Immigration Service can waive it, for example if the spouse/partner in Denmark has minor children living at home or is seriously ill or has a serious disability.

The housing requirement

The spouse/partner in Denmark must live permanently in Denmark and have an independent residence of a reasonable size. You must own, rent or sublet the home, or be a member of a housing cooperative (andelsbolig) or hold a share in a jointly owned property (anpartsbolig). It is not enough to borrow a home, for example free of charge or for a token rent.

If the home is rented or sublet, the lease must either be for an unlimited period or run for at least 1½ years from the date the application is submitted. If you rent a cooperative housing unit, the tenancy must be for an unlimited period.

Once family reunification has taken place, one of these two conditions must be met:

• No more than 2 people live per room (bedrooms, children's rooms, guest rooms and living rooms).
• The home has a floor area of at least 20 m² per person.

In addition, the home must not be in an area on the housing requirement list. The list is based on the list of vulnerable residential areas that the Ministry of Social Affairs, Housing and Senior Citizens publishes every year on 1 December. What matters is whether your home is on the list at the time you apply. If the area is added to the list later, it makes no difference, but if you move to an area on the list after applying, the requirement is no longer met. See the current housing requirement list and the Danish Immigration Service's indicative overview of addresses on the list.

The self-support requirement

Being self-supporting means that the spouse/partner in Denmark has not received benefits under the Active Social Policy Act or the Integration Act in the 3 years before the decision on family reunification of spouses is made. This covers:

• integration benefit and start help (integrationsydelse and starthjælp)
• self-support and repatriation benefit or transitional benefit (selvforsørgelses- og hjemrejseydelse or overgangsydelse)
• cash benefits (kontanthjælp), including supplementary cash benefits
• rehabilitation benefits (revalidering)
• resource programme benefit (ressourceforløbsydelse)
• education benefit (uddannelseshjælp, not to be confused with the state educational grant, SU)

Even short periods on, for example, cash benefits within the last 3 years can mean that the requirement is not met.

The following benefits are not covered by the requirement, so it is fine if you have received them:

• the state educational grant (SU)
• daily cash benefits (unemployment, sickness and maternity benefits)
• pensions (early retirement pension and state pension)
• housing benefit
• financial support paid to an employer for employment in a wage-subsidised job or a flexi-job
• a free place for children in childcare
• tax-free education allowance
• allowance during vocational education and training for adults (EUV)

One-off payments of small amounts that are not directly related to supporting yourself do not prevent family reunification either. Examples include financial help from the municipality in connection with medical treatment or moving house. You may also receive benefits that are comparable to wages or a pension, for example the unemployment benefit for people in flexi-jobs (ledighedsydelse). If in doubt, the authority that paid the benefit can tell you which act it falls under.

Exceptions can be made in special cases, for example if the spouse/partner in Denmark has minor children living at home who have their own ties to Denmark, or has contact with minor children from a previous relationship, or is seriously ill or has a serious disability. Help received during maternity or parental leave, after which the spouse/partner in Denmark is to return to the labour market, can also be exempted.

Collateral

As the spouse/partner in Denmark, you must normally provide collateral (a financial guarantee) of DKK 61,709.342026. The amount is meant to cover the municipality's expenses for help to the applicant under the Active Social Policy Act or the Integration Act, should that become necessary. The collateral can be provided as a demand guarantee or an escrow account. Read more on nyidanmark.dk.

• You only provide the collateral when the Danish Immigration Service asks you to.
• The collateral must be valid for 10 years from the date the applicant is expected to be granted a residence permit. The date is stated in the letter from the Danish Immigration Service. The collateral must be irrevocable for the whole period.
• The amount can be reduced by DKK 12,341.872026 when the applicant has passed the Danish language test at level A1.
• The amount can be reduced by a further DKK 6,170.932026 when the applicant has passed the Danish language test at level A2.
• The amount can be reduced by another DKK 6,170.932026 when the applicant has passed a final Danish language test under the Act on Danish Education for Adult Foreigners or another test at the same or a higher level.
• If the applicant was granted a residence permit before 1 July 2024, different amounts apply. They are stated in your letter from the Danish Immigration Service.

Read about reducing and releasing the collateral on nyidanmark.dk.

In special cases, the collateral can be released in full: if the applicant is granted a permanent residence permit or a residence permit on another basis, if the permit has lapsed and the applicant has left the country, or if the applicant has died. In the last two cases, any help that has been paid out must have been repaid. The collateral is not released just because you no longer live together or have applied for separation or divorce.

In special cases, the Danish Immigration Service can waive the requirement, for example if the spouse/partner in Denmark has minor children living at home who have their own ties to Denmark, or has contact with minor children from a previous relationship, or is seriously ill or has a serious disability.

The integration requirement

The integration requirement consists of 6 integration conditions. Three concern the spouse/partner in Denmark, and the other three concern the applicant. Together, you must meet at least 4 out of the 6.

The three conditions for the spouse/partner in Denmark:

• Language: passed Danish language test 3 (Prøve i Dansk 3) or a Danish language test at an equivalent or higher level.
• Work: regular full-time employment or self-employment in Denmark for at least 5 years. The 5 years do not need to fall within any particular period.
• Education: at least 6 years of education in Denmark, including at least 1 year as a continuous full-time programme beyond primary and lower secondary school and 10th grade. Education completed abroad does not count.

The applicant's three conditions:

• Language: passed Danish language test 1 (or a test at an equivalent or higher level) or an English language test at B1 level.
• Work: full-time employment or self-employment for at least 3 of the last 5 years.
• Education: completed a publicly recognised programme of at least 1 year that is comparable to a Danish vocational or higher education programme. Upper secondary programmes do not count.

Full-time work means at least 30 hours a week on average. Internships and work done as part of an education programme do not count.

In practice, this means that if the spouse/partner in Denmark meets all 3 of their conditions, it is enough for the applicant to meet 1 of theirs. If the spouse/partner in Denmark meets only 1, the applicant must meet all 3.

In special cases, the Danish Immigration Service can waive the integration requirement, for example if the spouse/partner in Denmark has minor children living at home or is seriously ill or has a serious disability. This must be documented.

No conviction for domestic violence

Family reunification of spouses is not possible if, within the last 10 years, the spouse/partner in Denmark has been convicted in Denmark of violent crime (offences against the person) against a former spouse or cohabiting partner. The rule is meant to prevent the abuse of foreign women, who are in a particularly vulnerable position because their residence permit depends on their spouse.

In special cases, the requirement can be waived, for example if the offence was caused by a mental illness that has since been cured or by substance abuse that has stopped, or if many years have passed, the couple have lived together for a long period and clearly wish to continue doing so.

Danish or Nordic citizen, or permanent residence permit

The spouse/partner in Denmark must be a Danish or Nordic citizen or hold a permanent residence permit on a basis other than asylum. If the spouse/partner in Denmark is not a Danish or Nordic citizen, they must have held a permanent residence permit for more than the last 3 years and must also meet some of the conditions for permanent residence, the so-called transferred conditions. Which conditions apply depends, among other things, on whether the permanent residence permit was applied for before or after 11 April 2024. Read more on nyidanmark.dk.

The Danish Immigration Service can waive the requirement, for example if the spouse/partner in Denmark has minor children living at home who have their own ties to Denmark, or has contact with minor children from a previous relationship, or is seriously ill.

Among other things, the Danish Immigration Service examines whether your marriage is legally valid, whether you entered into it by your own choice, and whether it was entered into solely to obtain a residence permit.

Legally valid marriage or permanent cohabitation

Legally valid marriage means that the marriage can be recognised under Danish law. It was entered into according to the rules of the country where the wedding took place, and the circumstances must not conflict with fundamental Danish legal principles. Both of you must have been physically present at the wedding, and both must have been at least 18 when you married.

Permanent cohabitation. If you are not married, or if your marriage cannot be recognised under Danish law, you can apply on the basis of permanent cohabitation. This means that you have lived together at a shared address for at least approximately 1 year and 6 months. You can document this with a joint lease or joint address registration, or with documentation of longer stays in each other's countries of residence, for example plane tickets or visas. You must be able to show that it is likely you lived together during those stays. As a rule, having lived together during separate visits to each other is not enough. Read more about documentation of cohabitation.

If you are not married, the spouse/partner in Denmark must declare in the application that they will take responsibility for supporting the applicant, should the applicant need it. In special cases, the requirement of 1 year and 6 months of cohabitation can be waived. See nyidanmark.dk.

Marriage by own choice

Based on the information you provide, the Danish Immigration Service assesses whether the marriage was entered into by your own choice. Among other things, they look at:

• the circumstances in which the marriage was entered into and your personal contact beforehand
• your ages and how long you have been married
• your contact with each other's families before the marriage
• your financial, work, educational and other personal circumstances
• information about contact with crisis or counselling centres
• whether you are closely related to each other
• previous cases of forced marriage in your close family

Whether your families were involved in arranging the marriage may be part of the assessment. However, a marriage is not necessarily considered a forced marriage just because the families were involved.

Marriages of convenience

The Danish Immigration Service also assesses whether the main purpose of the marriage was to obtain a residence permit for the applicant. Among other things, they look at:

• whether you have lived together at a shared address
• whether you can communicate in the same language
• whether there is a large age difference
• how well you knew each other before the marriage or cohabitation
• your previous marriages and whether you have children together
• whether the spouse/partner in Denmark has previously been married to someone from abroad and divorced shortly after that person was granted a permanent residence permit

It is not a marriage of convenience if you married just before applying for family reunification because you know it is a requirement. In that case, the main purpose is to be able to live together. The residence permit, and therefore the marriage, is simply a necessary condition for that.

After the residence permit is granted

The first residence permit is usually granted for 2 years. The applicant may work for the whole period the permit is valid. Once your partner has been granted a residence permit, there are further requirements:

• In the application, you must both declare that you will take an active part in the applicant's Danish language education and integration.
• The applicant must pass the Danish language test at level A1 no later than 6 months, and the Danish language test at level A2 no later than 9 months, after being registered in the Danish Civil Registration System (folkeregistret). If the applicant already has a residence permit in Denmark on another basis, the deadlines run from the date of the residence permit for family reunification. The exact deadline is stated in the letter from the Danish Immigration Service. The tests are oral and are held at VSKdansk in Glostrup and Sprogcenter Vejle. They cost DKK 3,275.402026 per test. If the applicant takes a test before the deadline but does not pass, they get 3 more months. If the applicant does not pass the tests in time, the residence permit may be lost.

The permit can be extended if you still meet a number of the conditions. You can apply for an extension no earlier than 3 months before the permit expires, and you must apply before it expires. The fee for an extension is DKK 5,4352026. The applicant keeps the right to work while the extension is being processed. Read more about extensions on nyidanmark.dk.

About exemptions

If you have a child under 18 who is a Danish citizen, the foreign parent can apply for a residence permit as the parent of the child. This is a separate track, where the usual requirements for family reunification of spouses are not listed as conditions. Read more on the page Parent of a Danish child.

The application for family reunification of spouses is called FA1. As a rule, you fill it in online using FA1 online. You can apply in Denmark or from the applicant's home country. The fee is DKK 8,4902026, and the expected maximum processing time is 10 months.

In outline, this is how it works:

1. Create a case order ID on nyidanmark.dk.
2. Pay the fee and keep the documentation of payment.
3. Gather the documentation, for example a copy of all pages of the applicant's passport, your marriage certificate with an authorised translation (or documentation of cohabitation), documentation of your home and of language, work and education.
4. Fill in the application. Each of you fills in your own part, and it takes about 60-70 minutes. The spouse/partner in Denmark must use MitID. The online application is sent automatically to the Danish Immigration Service when you have finished.
5. The applicant must have their fingerprints and a facial photo taken (biometric features). If you apply online, the applicant must normally attend within 14 days of the application being submitted; otherwise it will be rejected.

Read more on nyidanmark.dk.

In Denmark

You can apply in Denmark if the applicant is staying here legally, for example on a valid visa, a visa-free stay or a valid residence permit for work or study.

Apply before the visa, residence permit or visa-free stay expires. Even the slightest overstay means that the Danish Immigration Service will refuse to process the application here, and the applicant will have to travel home and apply from there.

Biometric features are taken at the Danish Immigration Service's Citizen Service in Næstved, Odense, Aarhus (Viby J) or Aalborg. On Bornholm (Rønne), the Danish Immigration Service is present once a month. You must book an appointment in advance. If you apply on a paper form, you can hand in the application at the same place. If the applicant is entitled to have the application processed in Denmark, they are normally granted procedural residence (processuelt ophold), which means they can stay in Denmark while the case is being processed.

• The applicant may not work during procedural residence, not even on a voluntary or unpaid basis, unless they have the right to do so on another basis. The applicant is not entitled to free Danish classes either.
• If the applicant needs to travel while the case is being processed, you can apply for a re-entry permit.

If the applicant already has a valid residence permit in Denmark, everyday life can carry on as normal for as long as it is valid.

From abroad

You can apply while the applicant is still in their home country. The applicant then goes to a Danish mission abroad or an outsourcing office (visa application centre) in the country where they live to have their biometric features taken. See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' overview of where to apply. Remember that the visitation requirement also applies here: the applicant must normally have been in Denmark at least once.

If there is no Danish mission, the list refers you to the nearest mission in the region or to the missions of other countries that Denmark has an agreement with, for example Norway or Sweden. Biometric features cannot be taken at another country's mission. The applicant then hands in a facial photo and has their biometric features taken after entering Denmark. Check the mission's website first, as it may have extra requirements, for example more passport photos.

Pros and cons