Denmark’s immigration department has updated income statistics with information from the third quarter of 2025, which will apply to applications made by foreign workers beginning January 1, 2026. Danish immigration agency (SIRI) updates the income statistics each quarter, and the next update will apply from 1 April 2026.
As a foreign worker, if you apply for a residence and work permit after 31 December 2025, Denmark will evaluate your application according to the income statistics from the third quarter of 2025. If you applied between 1 October and 31 December 2025, Denmark will evaluate your application according to the income statistics from the second quarter of 2025.
When you apply for a residence and work permit in Denmark based on salaried work, it is a condition that your salary corresponds to Danish standards. This means that remuneration must meet the employment standards in Denmark for both initial applications and extensions.
It applies to the schemes like Pay Limit Scheme, Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme, Fast track Scheme, Researcher’s Scheme, Positive List for People with a Higher Education, Positive List for Skilled Work and Special Individual Qualifications Scheme.
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.
Positive List for Skilled Work
In cases under the Positive List for Skilled Work, the assessment of whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards is made according to specific principles. The Positive List for Skilled Work is a list of skilled professions experiencing a shortage of qualified professionals in Denmark. If you have been offered a job included in the Positive List for Skilled Work, you can apply for a Danish residence and work permit based on this scheme.
If you are employed for a shorter period than 4 years, your residence and work permit will normally be valid for the period of your employment. If your employment is for a period of 4 years or more, you will normally be granted a permit valid for 4 years. If you have an extended contract and wish to continue working in Denmark after the permit period, you must apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.
Salary Matching Danish standards
When assessing whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards, only liquid funds that are paid out are included in the assesment, 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. In most cases filed after 1 January 2021, the salary must be paid to a Danish bank account.
SIRI will usually assume that your salary corresponds to Danish standards, if it is stated in the application form and employment contract and no further assessment of whether the salary offered corresponds to Danish standards will be made.
In cases where the employment relationship is not covered by a collective agreement and the employer is not a member of an employers’ organisation, SIRI will assess whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards up to approximately DKK 74,958.
In order to apply for income statistics, SIRI need to have information about job title, job description, relevant work experience for the offered position and the six-digit DISCO code corresponding to the job function.