Family Reunification in Denmark

Denmark has some of the strictest family reunification rules in the EU. The requirements are specific, the process takes months, and the rules changed significantly in July 2024. If you plan to bring your spouse, partner, or children to join you in Denmark, understanding the current rules before you apply — and ideally before you accept the job offer — will save you from major surprises.

The rules differ significantly depending on whether you are an EU citizen or a non-EU resident.

Two Separate Tracks: EU vs Non-EU

EU Citizens: Family Reunification Under EU Free Movement Law

If you are an EU/EEA citizen living in Denmark and exercising your free movement rights (working, studying, or self-sufficient), your close family members have a right to join you under EU law — regardless of their own nationality.

This is a significantly easier path than the standard Danish family reunification rules. EU free movement law takes precedence over Danish national immigration law for qualifying family members.

Who qualifies:

• Spouse or registered partner
• Children under 21 (or dependent older children)
• Dependent parents or grandparents

What they need to apply for: A family member's EU residence certificate (not a standard Danish residence permit). They apply through nyidanmark.dk in the EU/EEA section.

Key point: Non-EU nationals who are family members of an EU citizen exercising free movement rights in Denmark do not need a work permit to work in Denmark. They can work freely once they have their residence certificate.

Processing time: Typically 1–3 months for the residence certificate application.

The main requirement is that you — the EU citizen — are genuinely exercising free movement rights: you are actually working, self-employed, studying, or have demonstrated sufficient means. If you are living in Denmark but not in one of these categories, the EU free movement framework does not apply in the same way.

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Non-EU Residents: Standard Family Reunification

If you are a non-EU citizen living in Denmark on a work permit or other residence permit, bringing your family is governed by Denmark's national Immigration Act. The requirements are stricter and involve several tests you must pass.

All requirements must be met at the time of application. These are not aspirational targets — they are prerequisites.

The Core Requirements (Non-EU Path)

1. Housing Requirement

You must have adequate housing in Denmark that is large enough to accommodate both you and the family member you want to bring.

"Adequate" means the housing must not be considered overcrowded under Danish standards. The general benchmark:

• The floor area must be sufficient for the number of people who will live there
• The housing must meet minimum habitability standards

There is no fixed square-metre rule published nationally, but immigration authorities assess the housing as part of the application. If you are renting a studio for yourself and want to bring a spouse and two children, expect this to be an issue.

What to do: Before applying, confirm your current housing meets this standard. If it does not, find larger accommodation and have the new rental contract ready before submitting the application.

2. Self-Support Requirement and Financial Guarantee

You must be self-supporting — meaning you cannot have received certain types of social assistance or public benefits during the lookback period (typically the past 3 years). The authority checks your benefit history through Danish administrative records.

There is no fixed published annual income threshold that the sponsor must earn. The test is whether you have been financially independent of the public benefit system, not whether your salary exceeds a specific number.

In addition to the self-support test, the sponsor must normally post a financial guarantee of DKK 61,709.34 (2026 figure, adjusted annually). This can be held as a demand guarantee (anfordringsgaranti) at a bank or placed in a blocked escrow account (deponeringskonto). The guarantee can be reduced or released if your spouse passes Danish language tests.

The sponsor must also have been working full-time (or self-employed) for at least 3 years and 6 months within the past 4 years, and must still be employed at the time the decision is made — unless you are a pensioner.

3. Integration Requirement

As of July 1, 2024, Denmark replaced the previous subjective "attachment requirement" with a more concrete integration requirement. The sponsor in Denmark must meet one of two criteria:

Option A — Language: You have passed Prøve i Dansk 3 or an equivalent or higher Danish language test.

Option B — Employment: You have been in full-time employment that involved significant use of Danish language (spoken with colleagues, customers, or other Danish speakers) for at least 5 years.

Context on the old rule: Prior to July 2018, Denmark used a tilknytningskravet (attachment requirement) — a subjective case-by-case assessment of whether the couple's combined ties to Denmark exceeded their ties to any other country. That test considered years lived in Denmark, Danish language skills, property ownership abroad, and family networks in the home country. It was abolished in 2018 and gradually replaced. The current integration requirement (in force from July 2024) is more objective and verifiable.

The 28-year rule still applies: If you (the sponsor) have lived in Denmark for at least 28 years, the integration requirement is automatically waived.

4. The 24-Year Rule (Spousal Applications)

For spousal and registered partner reunification, both the sponsor (the person in Denmark) and the applicant (the family member joining) must be at least 24 years old at the time of application.

This rule was introduced to prevent forced marriages. If either party is under 24, the application will generally be refused regardless of how strong the other conditions are.

Exception: The Immigration Service can waive the 24-year requirement in specific circumstances — for example, if you are raising minor children who have their own attachment to Denmark, or if you have contact with minor children from a previous relationship. This exception is not automatic; it requires a case assessment.

EU citizens: The 24-year rule does not apply to EU citizens bringing family members under EU free movement rights.

The Application Process

Who Applies

The family member who wants to come to Denmark submits the application themselves. The sponsor in Denmark provides supporting documents.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted online at nyidanmark.dk:

1. Go to nyidanmark.dk → Apply → Family → Spouse or partner / Children
2. Create an account and complete the application form
3. Upload all required documents
4. Pay the application fee (currently approximately DKK 8,490 for most family reunification applications — verify the current fee at nyidanmark.dk)

After online submission, the applicant will typically be called to a Danish embassy or consulate in their home country to submit biometrics (fingerprints and photo) and have documents verified in person.

Documents Required

The exact list varies by case, but core documents include:

• Valid passport for both sponsor and applicant
• Proof of relationship (marriage certificate, birth certificate, registered partnership certificate)
• Sponsor's employment contract and recent payslips (3–6 months)
• Sponsor's rental contract or proof of property ownership
• Evidence of the sponsor's residence history in Denmark
• Evidence of Danish language test result (if meeting the integration requirement via Option A)
• Bank guarantee documentation or escrow account confirmation (for the financial guarantee)

Documents in languages other than Danish or English typically need to be officially translated.

Processing Time

The official maximum processing time stated by nyidanmark.dk is 10 months from submission of a complete application. Simpler, well-documented cases often resolve faster, but plan for the full window. During this entire period, your family member cannot legally live or work in Denmark (unless they have a separate legal basis) — they must wait in their home country.

After Approval: What Happens Next

When the application is approved, the Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) sends a written decision. Here is what the family member needs to do:

1. Travel to Denmark. Enter Denmark on the basis of the permit decision. A biometric residence card (opholdskort) — the physical permit — will be issued after registering in Denmark, typically within a few weeks.

2. Register address at Borgerservice. Within a few days of arrival, register at the local Borgerservice (citizen service centre). This triggers CPR registration. A CPR letter arrives by post within 1–2 weeks. The yellow health card (sundhedskort) follows shortly after.

3. Get MitID. With a CPR number and a Danish phone number, activate MitID — Denmark's national digital identity used to access all public services online, including skat.dk, e-Boks, and digital banking.

4. Open a NemKonto. Open a Danish bank account and register it as NemKonto (the mandatory government payment account). This is required to receive salary, tax refunds, and any public payments.

5. Work rights. Most family reunification permits include unrestricted work rights. Verify the exact conditions of the permit issued — it will state whether work is permitted and whether any restrictions apply.

6. Danish language requirement. Family members who receive a residence permit must pass a Danish language test at A1 level within 6 months of permit issuance, and A2 level within 9 months. Failing these tests can result in permit revocation. Enrol in a Danish language course (danskuddannelse) immediately — it is free for residence permit holders and available through the municipality.

Children

Rules for bringing children to Denmark depend on the child's age and relationship to the sponsor:

• Children under 15: Reunification is generally available if the sponsor has custody or joint custody.
• Children 15–17: A stricter assessment applies — the child's ties to Denmark and the country they currently live in are weighed.
• Children 18+: Adult children do not qualify for family reunification under the standard rules unless they are demonstrably dependent.

A child needs their own residence permit even if they are joining an EU citizen. Children of EU citizens fall under EU free movement (up to age 21 for dependent children), which is more lenient.

Permanent Residence for Family Members

Once in Denmark, family members can apply for their own permanent residence after 8 years of continuous lawful residence (non-EU path) or 5 years (EU path). They must also pass integration requirements — Danish language tests, employment history, and civic knowledge tests.

Permanent residence is not automatic and must be applied for separately. Apply before the current permit expires.

Key Takeaways

• EU citizens bringing family to Denmark use EU free movement rules — significantly easier than the Danish national rules. Family members get a residence certificate and can work freely.
• Non-EU residents must meet four requirements: adequate housing, self-support plus a financial guarantee (DKK 61,709.34 in 2026), the integration requirement (Prøve i Dansk 3 or 5 years of Danish-language employment), and both parties being at least 24 years old.
• The old tilknytningskravet (attachment requirement) was abolished. The current integration requirement has been in force since July 2024 and is more objective.
• The official maximum processing time is 10 months. Your family member waits in their home country during this period.
• After approval: register at Borgerservice for CPR, get MitID, open NemKonto, and enrol in Danish language classes immediately — the A1 test is required within 6 months of permit issuance.
• Most family reunification permits include unrestricted work rights.