Visa to Denmark - a guide to the departments

If your department will host a guest or employ a foreign national for a duration of 90 days* or less, the department must contact Corporate HR to clarify whether a work and residence permit or a visa is needed in order for the person to work at DTU legally.

• Contact Corporate HR as soon as possible to determine whether a work and residence permit is required. If so, Corporate HR will start the application process.
• If the guest /short-term employee needs a visa instead, the department must fill out an invitation form, called VU1 (Business) invitation form and send it to the guest/short-term employee. Remember also to send the following link: How to apply.
• The guest/short-term employee must follow the instructions in the link How to apply and submit the visa application
• When the guest/short-term employee has received the visa, he/she can enter Denmark and work at DTU. Remember that the total stay in Denmark/the Schengen area must not exceed a total of 90 days, including arrival and departure dates.

Please note that a short-term visa does not allow your guest to do any work related activities.

If your guest is invited as a guest researcher (must have completed an educational programme at the level of a Master’s degree), and is visiting Schengen/DTU less than 90 days he/she may come to Denmark and work at DTU without a Danish work and residence permit, provided that the researcher will not be in Schengen for more than 90 days in any 180-day period (including day of arrival and departure). Note that previous stays in other Schengen countries have to be included in the calculation. Please find more information about unpaid guest researchers here.

Approximately 9 out of 10 applications for a visa are processed at Danish diplomatic missions within 15 days. However, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends applying as early as possible.

A few useful links:

Here is a list of countries whose citizens need a visa to enter Denmark

General conditions for granting a visa

*The counting of the 90 days in any 180-day period must include stays in all Schengen countries.

Read more about length of stay here.