VisaDenmark student rules now depend on application dates for job seeking and accompanying family
This current explainer examines the rules effective from 1 October, the different treatment of spouses and children, and the exceptions for PhD students and qualifying Turkish citizens.
Official source date: 2026-09-30 · Change takes effect: 2026-10-01
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
October applications fall under a different post-study framework
Denmark's SIRI announced on 30 September that new rules would take effect on 1 October 2026 for certain third-country students in state-approved higher education. This current explainer concerns rules already in force, not a new announcement today. For the affected degree programmes, the potential post-study job-seeking period has been reduced from up to three years to up to one year. The relevant dividing point is when the residence application was submitted, rather than the decision date.
The notice covers professional bachelor's, bachelor's, part-time master's and master's programmes, including specified joint programmes and master's programmes for working professionals. PhD students retain their previous treatment, including potential job seeking for up to three years. Applicants should identify their programme category and retain their submission confirmation before comparing older recruitment material with current immigration guidance.
Spouses and children require different date checks
SIRI's accompanying-family guidance says a spouse, registered partner or cohabiting partner relying on the affected student route needs both the student's application and their own application to have been submitted before 1 October. A student's earlier application alone does not preserve this route for a partner who applies on or after that date. A child under 18 can still apply where the student submitted the qualifying application before 1 October; children of students applying on or after that date cannot receive this accompanying permit under those rules.
An illustrative family should therefore check each submission receipt, not simply the university admission date or the student's eventual approval date. Where an accompanying application remains available, the family checklist includes passport copies and the relevant relationship evidence: a marriage or partnership certificate, cohabitation evidence, or a child's birth and custody documentation. Eligibility must be established before paying to prepare an application that the date rules exclude.
Turkish association rights need a separate assessment
The official Association Agreement guidance explains that covered Turkish citizens may retain a job-seeking period of up to three years after qualifying state-approved Danish higher education and may be entitled to accompanying-family permits. This is not a blanket exception for every person holding a Turkish passport. The guidance specifically refers to citizens covered by the agreement and asks applicants to state that position in their application or inform SIRI afterwards.
Use the association resource alongside the programme-specific guidance if that exception may be relevant. A person should not infer coverage solely from a university offer or from another Turkish student's outcome. The authority must assess the circumstances presented in the individual case.
Prepare the student application with the institution
The Higher educational programmes application resource currently lists a SIRI processing fee of DKK 3,060. Applicants must create a case order ID and follow the payment instructions. The online ST1 process begins with the institution completing its section; the student then uses the emailed link and matching email address to access their part. A saved form is not evidence that the completed application was submitted before a legal cutoff.
The student checklist requires a payment receipt or bank evidence, copies of all passport pages including covers and empty pages, and evidence of financial support. Guest or exchange students also need evidence of enrolment at their home institution. Additional consent and identity documents apply to students under 18. Consult the actual application checklist before uploading: the institution's admission process and SIRI's residence process require different records.
Translate the documents that SIRI specifically identifies
SIRI's separate documentation resource says marriage certificates and parental-custody documents require authorised translations into Danish or English, subject to its alternative for qualifying EU multilingual standard forms. Educational records have a wider accepted language list, including Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English, French and German. The original document must accompany its translation.
These requirements matter when a family or student is assembling evidence from several countries. Follow the document-specific instructions instead of translating every item indiscriminately or uploading a translation without the original. The documentation page also explains different treatment for other records and EU-issued public documents.
A job-seeking period does not automatically permit unlimited work
SIRI's work-permit page distinguishes residence for job seeking from permission to work without an hours limit. It describes the limited permission as 90 hours per calendar month, with full-time work in June, July and August, and provides a separate application route for qualifying graduates seeking unrestricted work. The listed fee for that work-permit application is DKK 840.
Graduates should read their individual permit and the current work-permit eligibility guidance before accepting additional shifts. The shorter job-seeking period does not itself convert a student work limit into unrestricted employment. SIRI's decision and the applicable graduate route determine the next application; the degree certificate alone does not settle every residence and work condition.
