If you are applying for a residence and work permit in Denmark, you need to be aware of the salary limits set by the Danish government. The new job offer should be within the salary range that is considered standard in Denmark.

When reviewing applications, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) consults income statistics from the Confederation of Danish Employers (DA) to determine whether a job offer falls within the salary range that is considered conventional in Denmark.

If you apply for a residence and work permit after 30 June 2024, your application will be assessed based on the salary statistics for the first quarter of 2024. If you have applied between 1 April and 30 June 2024, your application will be assessed based on the salary statistics for the 4th quarter of 2023.

The updated salary statistics will be used in the case processing of applications submitted from 1 July 2024. The salary statistics are updated every quarter, and SIRI expects the next update to be effective from 1 October 2024.

SIRI will usually assume that your salary corresponds to Danish standards, if it is stated in the application form and employment contract that your salary is at least DKK 71,020.83 per month (2024 level). In most cases filed after 1 January 2021, the salary must be paid to a Danish bank account.

When you apply for a residence and work permit in Denmark based on salaried work, your salary and terms of employment must correspond to Danish standards. This means that you must receive a remuneration, which corresponds to the standards of the type of employment in question in Denmark.

It is important to note that it is not a requirement for any of the schemes that the monthly salary must be at least 71,020.83 DKK.

It is true for the Pay Limit Schemes that there are requirements to the salary amount and that the salary has to correspond to Danish standards. In these schemes, there is a requirement for the minimum amount of the salary, and these amounts are regulated yearly. Currently for 2024, for the Pay Limit Schemes, they are either 393,000 or 487,000 DKK a year among other requirements.

When assessing whether a salary corresponds to Danish standards, SIRI can assess by comparing the offered salary to income statistics. If the job is covered by a collective agreement, SIRI will usually not examine the salary any further, and they will assume that the salary corresponds to Danish standards.

This is also the case if the salary is at least 71,020.83 DKK per month. Thus this amount is not a pay limit or a minimum amount for acquiring a residence and work permit.

However, in any case on the Pay Limit Schemes the salary will still need to meet the minimum amount required under the SIRI rules.

It applies to schemes like the Pay Limit Scheme, Fast track Scheme, Researcher’s Scheme, Positive List for People with a Higher Education, Positive List for Skilled Work etc.

If you are applying for a work permit for sideline employment or a separate work permit as an accompanying family member, it is also a condition that your salary corresponds to Danish standards.

When assessing whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards, only liquid funds paid out are included in the assessment, i.e. the fixed and guaranteed salary, payments to labour market pension schemes, and holiday allowance. The employer can provide staff benefits such as board and lodging as a supplement to the salary, but staff benefits cannot be included in the assessment of whether the salary and terms of employment correspond to Danish standards.

Uncertain salary income such as commissions or bonuses cannot normally be included in the calculation of your salary.
New rules were implemented on November 17, 2023, allowing foreigners to work in Denmark for shorter periods without a residence and work permit. New rules allowed Danish employees to work for two separate 180-day periods, each lasting 15 days, with a minimum 14-day stay outside Denmark between each period.