Denmark Start-Up Visa
Application Fee
DKK 3,060
≈ $458
Processing Time
about 4 months
Difficulty
Difficult
Duration
24 months
Overview
Start-up Denmark is a residence and work permit for foreign entrepreneurs who want to establish and run an innovative growth company in Denmark. A panel of experts appointed by the Danish Business Authority must approve the business idea before SIRI will accept an application. No more than 75 foreign nationals can be granted a permit under the scheme each calendar year.
The permit runs for up to 2 years and can be extended for up to 3 years at a time. The SIRI fee is DKK 3,060. Normal processing takes 2 months, and up to 4 months when SIRI needs more information. A single applicant must document DKK 153,240 in funds for the first year, and the amount rises with family members.
The catch is the business test. Normally no permit is granted for businesses without innovative potential, such as restaurants, retail stores, smaller trade and import and export businesses, and a holding company does not qualify. The permit also covers only the business it was granted for.
Eligibility Requirements
The scheme is built for nationals of countries outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, who need a Danish residence permit to run a business. A panel-approved business idea is required regardless of passport, and the annual cap of permits applies to all foreign nationals under the scheme.
Min Savings
DKK 153,240
≈ $22,935
in bank
Application Fee
DKK 3,060
≈ $458
one-time
Min Age
18 yrs
practical
Duration
24 months
Business Income
Self-Employed
Requirements Checklist
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How and where to apply
Business plan: submitted electronically on the web portal of the Danish Business Authority’s panel of experts. Residence and work permit: submitted online to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) on form SD1, with biometrics recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in your country of residence, or at a SIRI branch office if you are legally in Denmark.
Tax Information
Danish tax once you are resident
Residents of Denmark are taxed on income from all sources worldwide. Full liability normally begins when you have a home available in Denmark and take up residence, and it can also arise after a stay of at least six consecutive months. Denmark does not rely on a single stand-alone 183-day test.
For 2026 the state tax has a bottom bracket of 12.01%, then 7.5% above DKK 641,200 and 7.5% above DKK 777,900, and an additional 5% above DKK 2,592,700. These thresholds are measured after the 8% labour market contribution. Municipal tax comes on top and averages 25.068% before any voluntary church tax.
For US citizens and green card holders
The US keeps taxing worldwide income wherever you live. The US and Denmark have an income tax treaty that entered into force on 31 March 2000, and a totalization agreement on social security contributions has applied since 1 October 2008.
The Foreign Earned Income Exclusion is capped at US$132,900 per person for 2026 and covers earned income, not dividends or capital gains. You can use the exclusion and the Foreign Tax Credit in the same return, but not on the same income.
If your foreign accounts together exceed US$10,000 at any point in the year, you must file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114). Danish bank accounts used to run the business count towards that total.
Living in Denmark
COL Index vs NYC
78.8
Monthly Cost (excl. rent)
$1,255
1BR Rent (City Center)
$1,160
Safety Index
73.2
Healthcare Index
74.4
Quality of Life Index
203.9
Time Zone
UTC+01:00
Capital
Copenhagen
Population
5.8M
Official Languages
Danish
Avg Internet Speed
283 Mbps
Public Transit Quality
Excellent
With a budget covering rent and living costs, you'd need roughly $2,415/mo for a comfortable single-person lifestyle in Denmark.See how far your money goes →
🏙️ Best Cities in Denmark for Expats
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✦ 77What the scheme covers
The scheme lets you establish and run an innovative growth company. It also allows you to continue a self-employed business you set up while living in Denmark on a different ground for residence, or to conduct business through a Danish branch of a foreign self-employed business. Individuals and teams of up to 3 people with a shared business plan can use it.
Conditions
- The Danish Business Authority’s panel of experts must approve your business idea. You cannot apply to SIRI before that approval.
- You must be a full or partial owner of the company. SIRI weighs how much of the company you own, whether there are other co-owners and what role each owner has.
- You must play an active part in running the business, and your presence must be necessary for setting up or operating it. A purely financial interest, such as being a shareholder, does not qualify.
- The business must bring innovative ideas and development potential to the Danish business community, and there must be specific Danish business interests in its establishment.
Funds for the first year
You must document enough funds to cover your first year in Denmark, plus the same for any family travelling with you. SIRI states the amounts at the 2025 level:
- DKK 153,240 if you are alone
- DKK 306,480 if your spouse accompanies you
- DKK 356,904 if your spouse and one or more children accompany you
- DKK 203,664 if one or more children but no spouse accompany you
Rights and limits
You may work only in the business the permit was granted for, plus unpaid voluntary work. A sideline job needs a separate permit. If you start a new business or are offered a salaried job, you must submit a new application, and you may begin the new work once that application is in. The permit does not allow work in other Schengen countries, although it lets you stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 days.
Giving up your Danish address or staying abroad for longer than 6 successive months makes the permit lapse. You can apply for dispensation if you need a longer absence. Receiving benefits under the Active Social Policy Act can lead to revocation.
Extensions and changes
Apply for an extension before the permit expires. A timely application lets you stay and keep running the business while it is decided. A permit cannot run past 3 months before your passport expires, and a shorter passport shortens the permit.
If the business changes significantly from the original plan, or closes and you start another, you must apply for a new permit. SIRI must also be told about significant changes.
Permanent residence
The SIRI page for this scheme does not set its own route to permanent residence. Denmark’s general permanent residence rules ask for a temporary residence permit held for 8 years, or 4 years in certain situations. Applicants must also show regular full-time employment or self-employment in Denmark for at least 3 years and 6 months during the 4 years before the decision. Further supplementary requirements apply, including a Danish language test.
Work Permissions
Application Steps
- 1
📬 Submit your business plan to the expert panel
- 2
⏳ Obtain the panel’s approval
- 3
📋 Create a case order ID and pay the SIRI fee
- 4
📄 Gather your documentation
- 5
📬 Complete and submit form SD1
About 30 minutes
- 6
📅 Have your biometrics recorded
Within 14 days of submission
- 7
⏳ Wait for the SIRI decision
2 months, up to 4 months if more information is needed
- 8
🏛️ Register your address after arrival
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At a Glance
Last verified: October 27, 2026