At a glance
- On 4 June 2024, the Danish Parliament adopted a bill on amendments to the Danish Act on Aliens.
- The amendments to the Danish Act on Aliens will enter into force on 1 July 2024.
- The purpose of the amendments is to make it easier for companies in Denmark to recruit employees from countries outside the EU.
Background
Employees from countries outside the EU can obtain a residence and work permit if they fulfil certain conditions. Several different schemes are available eg the fast-track scheme, pay limit schemes, positive lists etc.
New rules
Amendments to the Danish Act on Aliens, which will take effect on 1 July 2024, include the following changes:
- The existing schemes require that the foreigner / employee has a Danish bank account. However, under the new amendments, the requirement for a Danish bank account will be abolished for residence and work permits under the following schemes:
- the researcher scheme; and
- the fast-track scheme’s pay limit track, researcher-track, short-term track and educational track.
For the other schemes, the deadline for opening a Danish bank account is extended from 90 days to 180 days.
- There is a ‘job change-rule’ in Denmark which states that employees with a residence and work permit for a specific job can take up another employment before a new residence and work permit has been issued if the new application has been submitted before commencement of the new employment. This ‘job change-rule’ has been extended to include foreigners who want to change their basis of residence without changing their employment.
