Profile

Start-up Denmark

Route status

Active as of 2026-06-29[3]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)Start-up Denmark as of 2026-06-29[4]
SIRI's Danish-language page carries the English scheme name unchanged as its heading; there is no separate Danish name.
Official name (English)Start-up Denmark as of 2026-06-29[3]
Legal basisUdlaendingeloven (Aliens Act), LBK nr 1183 of 25 September 2025, section 9 a(2)(10); annual quota section 9 a(15); extension condition section 9 a(16); self-support condition section 9 a(4) as of 2026-06-29[3][5]
Section 9 a(2)(10) grants a permit to a foreign national whose innovative business plan for running or continuing a self-employed business, or conducting business through a Danish branch of a foreign self-employed business, has been positively assessed by an independent expert panel appointed by the Danish Business Authority, and who falls within the quota in subsection 15. SIRI's route page describes the same scheme in the same terms.
Instrument typeresidence permit as of 2026-06-29[3]
SIRI issues a combined residence and work permit; the work permit is limited to the business that forms the basis of the permit.

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial durationup to 2 years as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
'Up to 2 years' in both language editions. A permit can be shortened so that it expires three months before the passport does.
RenewableYes as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
Renewal durationup to 3 years as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
Extensions of up to 3 years at a time, with no stated ceiling on the number of extensions.
Work rightsown activity only as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
The holder may work only in the business the permit was granted for. Unpaid voluntary work is allowed. Sideline employment requires a separate permit, and a salaried job or a new business requires a new application – though under the job-change rule work may begin once the new application is submitted. The permit gives no right to work in other Schengen states.

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residenceYes as of 2026-07-07[6]
Permanent residence requires eight years' uninterrupted legal residence on a permit under Aliens Act sections 7-9 f, 9 i-9 n, 9 p or 9 q; a section 9 a permit is within that range. Time on this route therefore counts. Whether the holder can also satisfy the separate employment condition – regular full-time work or self-employment for 3 years and 6 months of the last 4 – is a question about the individual business, not about the route.

Requirements

Requirements
Business plan requiredYes as of 2026-06-29[3][4][5]
An innovative business plan, submitted through the expert panel's own portal before any application to SIRI. Individuals and teams of up to three people sharing one business plan may use the scheme.
Endorsement requiredYes as of 2026-06-29[3][4][5]
The business idea must be approved by an independent expert panel appointed by the Danish Business Authority (Erhvervsstyrelsen) before an application for a residence and work permit can be lodged with SIRI. The same panel assesses extensions.
Innovation criterionYes as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
The business, or the Danish branch of the foreign business, must contribute innovation and development potential to Danish commerce, and there must be specific Danish business interests in favour of establishing it here. SIRI names the excluded shapes explicitly: restaurants, retail stores, smaller trade, and import and export businesses are normally not granted a permit, nor is a holding company, because the permit is only for an active business with real activities.
Own means requirementDKK 153,240 as of 2026-06-29[2][3][4]

Process

Process
Where to apply fromeither as of 2026-06-29[3][5]
Aliens Act section 9 a(5): an application under subsection 2(10) may be lodged in Denmark only if the applicant is lawfully present under sections 1-3 a, 4 b or 5(2), under EU rules, or on a permit under sections 7-9 f, 9 i-9 n, 9 p or 9 q, and no special reasons tell against it. Otherwise it is lodged from abroad, with biometrics recorded at a Danish diplomatic mission or application centre.
Observed processing time2 to 4 months as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
SIRI publishes a normal case-processing time of 2 months, rising to up to 4 months where further information is needed. The figures are SIRI's own published service expectation, not a statutory clock.
Fees
    • Kind: application
    • Amount: DKK 3,060 as of 2026-06-29[1][3]
    • Charged per: application
    • Paid by: applicant
    • Condition: Start-up Denmark, first application. Extension carries the same DKK 3,060. A commuter who will not reside in Denmark and applies for a work permit only pays no fee.
Quota
  • Quota exists: Yes as of 2026-06-29[3][5]
  • Annual cap: 75 as of 2026-06-29[3][5]
    Aliens Act section 9 a(15): permits under subsection 2(10) may be granted within an annual quota of 75; an unused quota lapses rather than carrying forward. SIRI states the same cap as a maximum of 75 foreign nationals per calendar year. A team of up to three people applying on one shared business plan draws three places against the quota, since the cap counts persons.

Physical presence

Physical presence
maximum consecutive absence6 months · to keep the permit as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
The holder must not give up their Danish address or stay abroad for more than 6 consecutive months; breach makes the permit lapse. A dispensation from lapse can be applied for in advance where a longer absence is needed. The permit separately allows up to 90 days in any 180 in the rest of the Schengen area, without the right to work there.
none statedto keep the permit as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
No minimum day count in Denmark is stated for this permit. The condition that bites instead is substantive: the holder must play an active part in running the business and their presence must be necessary for its establishment or operation.

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be includedYes as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
Eligible relationsspouse, registered partner, unmarried partner, minor child as of 2026-06-29[3][4]
Spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner, and children under 18 living at home.
Additional means per family member
    • Relation: spouse
    • Amount: DKK 153,240 as of 2026-01-27[2]
      The amount required where the spouse applies after the principal has been granted a permit. Where they apply together the page states a combined DKK 306,480 rather than an add-on. SIRI's English page labels this figure 2025 level; the Danish page labels the identical figure 2026-niveau – see the note on own_means_requirement.
    • Relation: minor child
    • Amount: DKK 50,424 as of 2026-01-27[2]
      The amount required where one or more children apply after the principal has been granted a permit. Where a spouse and one or more children apply after the principal, the stated figure is DKK 203,664. Same year-label conflict as above.

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

The next step is your own case. That assessment is legal work. Create profile for our assistance in this.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited6
of which official (tier 1)6
Oldest as-of date2026-01-27
Newest as-of date2026-07-07
Reviewed on2026-08-22
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Fee – overview of fee rates
    The Danish Immigration Service and SIRI · fee schedule · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-01 · Accessed 2026-08-19
  2. [2] Financial self-support on specific SIRI schemes
    Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-27 · Accessed 2026-08-19
  3. [3] Start-up Denmark (English page)
    Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-29 · Accessed 2026-08-19
  4. [4] Start-up Denmark (Danish page)
    Styrelsen for International Rekruttering og Integration (SIRI) · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-29 · Accessed 2026-08-19
  5. [5] Bekendtgoerelse af udlaendingeloven (Aliens Act, consolidated), LBK nr 1183 af 25/09/2025
    Udlaendinge- og Integrationsministeriet / Retsinformation · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2025-09-25 · Accessed 2026-08-22
  6. [6] Apply for a permanent residence permit
    The Danish Immigration Service · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-07 · Accessed 2026-08-19

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