Starting January 1, 2025, Denmark will set a new income requirement for foreign nationals who apply for a Danish work-based residence permit for the purpose of taking up employment in the country.

Announcing the change, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) said that the new income level would be used to assess if the salary that a foreign worker has been offered corresponds to the Danish standards before approving their permit, Schengen.News reports.

By assessing the income level, Denmark wants to ensure that all foreign workers entering the country are being treated fairly and that they receive salaries that are equivalent to other people who are already working in the Danish labour market.

To be granted a residence and work permit, your salary and employment terms 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.


Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration

As SIRI explains, foreigners who submit an application for a residence and work permit after December 31, 2024, will have their application based on the new income level.

On the other hand, those who have applied for a permit between October 1 and December 31, 2024, will have their application assessed based on the current levels.

This means that the new update will only affect those who are to make an application starting next year.

Salary Requirement Applies to These Schemes

According to SIRI, the conditions for the salary to correspond to Danish levels apply to both those applying for the first time for a residence and work permit as well as those applying for an extension of the document.

The same further notes that the salary requirement applies to those applying for the permit under the schemes below:

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
Special Individual Qualifications Scheme

In general, the Danish authorities assume that the salary of foreigners applying for a residence and work permit corresponds to the country’s standards if the employment contract states that the employment is covered by a collective agreement.

As for cases when it is found that the salary does not meet the set standards, the authorities require a comment from the employer and then issue a decision on the application.