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    Student visa guide

    Denmark student visa 2026: cost, requirements and how to apply

    The Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1) costs $477 in fees nobody can skip, up to $2,204 if every situational extra applies.

    By Global Admissions Editorial · Checked against 4 official sources

    How much does a Denmark student visa cost in 2026?

    Applying for a student visa in Denmark on the Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1) costs $477 in fees you cannot skip: Study permit (ST1) ($477). Situational extras (extension of the study permit, job-seeking residence permit after a completed program, work permit without limitations during the job-seeking period, accompanying family member, per person and appeal or re-opening of a case) add up to $1,727 more. Tuition, living costs and proof-of-funds sit outside this total. All amounts are US dollars, last checked August 2026.

    Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1) cost breakdown

    Every line the Denmark application puts on your card, in US dollars, as of August 2026.

    Study permit (ST1)$477
    DKK 3,060, which SIRI publishes as EUR 410.19 New to Denmark: Fee, overview of fee rates (updated 1 January 2026)
    Mandatory total$477
    What the Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1) costs before any optional service.
    Situational extras, only if they apply to you
    Extension of the study permit$477
    DKK 3,060; needed if your studies run past their nominal length, for one extra year at most New to Denmark: Fee, overview of fee rates (updated 1 January 2026)
    Job-seeking residence permit after a completed program$477
    DKK 3,060; usually granted alongside the study permit, so most students never pay it separately New to Denmark: Fee, overview of fee rates (updated 1 January 2026)
    Work permit without limitations during the job-seeking period$131
    DKK 840, which lifts the 90-hours-a-month cap New to Denmark: Fee, overview of fee rates (updated 1 January 2026)
    Accompanying family member, per person$480
    DKK 3,080 each; a spouse and two children means three case order IDs and three fees New to Denmark: Fee, overview of fee rates (updated 1 January 2026)
    Appeal or re-opening of a case$162
    DKK 1,040, the same amount deducted as an administration fee from any refund New to Denmark: Fee, overview of fee rates (updated 1 January 2026)
    If every extra applied$2,204
    Worst case. Most applicants pay none or one of these.

    Amounts are US dollars. Denmark bills in its own currency, so the exact charge moves with the exchange rate. The native figures are in the notes column where the fee schedule publishes them.

    Things to watch

    • USD figures use DKK 1 = USD 0.1558 (Norges Bank cross rate, 28 August 2026). SIRI publishes its own euro equivalents, and puts DKK 3,060 at EUR 410.19.
    • Fees are regulated every 1 January. Create the case order ID, pay and submit in the same calendar year, because a fee paid in the old year against an application filed in the new one can be rejected.
    • The fee is not refunded if you withdraw the application or it is refused, and a refund that is due has DKK 1,040 deducted.
    • Living costs are proved rather than paid to SIRI: DKK 7,426 a month, up to DKK 89,112 for a year, unless you have already paid the first semester's tuition.
    • Each accompanying family member is a separate application with a separate fee, so a family of four costs four fees.
    • Translation by an authorized translator and any center service charges are third-party costs and are not included above.

    How much bank balance do you need for a Denmark student visa?

    For the Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1), Denmark asks you to show DKK 89,112 (about $13,880). The accepted form is Your own bank statement, or a receipt for the first semester's tuition, and it covers 12 months of living costs, the most SIRI can require. This is money you show, not money you pay, so it never appears in the fee table above. The figure comes from SIRI: Residence permit for higher educational programmes (ST1), checked August 2026.

    SIRI: Residence permit for higher educational programmes (ST1) · checked August 2026

    Denmark student visa requirements and documents checklist

    9 documents every applicant provides.

    DocumentWho needs itWhat it involves
    Admission to a full-time higher educational programeveryonePart-time study cannot get a residence permit. The program can be a full degree, a guest or exchange placement, or a preparatory course of no more than a year that the Ministry of Higher Education and Science treats as a prerequisite for a named degree. source
    A publicly accredited institution and a state-approved programeveryoneThe institution must be publicly accredited, or have a board member appointed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Science. The program must be approved by a state authority, or hold an advisory statement from the Danish Evaluation Institute, which carries far fewer rights. source
    Enough of the language of instruction to take part activelyeveryoneSIRI requires you to speak and understand the teaching language well enough to participate actively in your courses. It names no test and no score, so the evidence is whatever your institution asked for at admission. source
    DKK 7,426 a month of self-support, or a paid first semestereveryoneMultiply DKK 7,426 by the number of months you will study, up to a maximum of twelve months and DKK 89,112. A scholarship or student loan granted to you counts, a statement in someone else's name does not. source
    A case order ID created and the fee paid before you submiteveryoneYou create the case order ID first, pay DKK 3,060, then apply. All three steps must happen in the same calendar year, because fees are regulated every 1 January and an application submitted after the turn of the year against a fee paid before it can be rejected. source
    A copy of every page of your passporteveryoneSIRI asks for all pages including the blank ones and the front and back covers. Your permit can only run until three months before the passport expires, so a short passport shortens the permit. source
    Biometrics within 14 days of submitting onlineeveryoneYou must have a facial photo and fingerprints recorded at a Danish mission, an application center or a SIRI branch office. Refusing biometrics means the application is rejected without being processed, and if no appointment is available within 14 days you email SIRI the booked date to avoid rejection. source
    A signed sworn declaration if you do not have MitIDeveryoneThe online ST1 is normally signed with the Danish MitID. Without it, you download SIRI's sworn declaration, sign it by hand and attach it to the application. source
    Educational documents translated by an authorized translatoreveryoneDiplomas, certificates and transcripts must be translated into Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English, French or German, and both the original and the translation must be attached. Marriage certificates and custody documents must be in Danish or English. source

    How to apply for a Denmark student visa

    1. Create a case order ID and pay DKK 3,060

      The case order ID is generated on the SIRI page for higher education before you touch the application form, and the fee is paid against it. Keep the receipt from your bank, because a payment status screenshot is not accepted as proof of payment.

      source
    2. Your institution fills in part one of the ST1

      The application has two parts and the educational institution completes the first, entering your email address. You are emailed when it is done, and you must register with exactly that email address to reach your own part.

      source
    3. Complete your part of the form and attach the documents

      Budget 30 to 40 minutes per person. Attach the payment receipt, the full passport copy, your self-support evidence, and, for guest or exchange students, proof of enrollment at your home institution.

      source
    4. Give biometrics at a mission or application center

      Within 14 days of submitting, attend a Danish diplomatic mission or application center in the country where you live. Where Denmark has no mission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs list sends you to a Norwegian mission or to a Danish center elsewhere in the region.

      source
    5. Wait for the decision

      SIRI counts the application as submitted only once the case order ID exists, the fee is paid, the form is in and biometrics are recorded. Normal processing is two months, rising to three if SIRI has to ask for more information.

      source
    6. Register your address and put your name on the letterbox

      The residence card is posted automatically to the address registered under your name in the Civil Registration System. If your name is not on the letterbox the card goes back to SIRI, which delays everything that depends on it.

      source

    Denmark student visa processing time

    SIRI's normal processing time for a student case is two months, and up to three months when it needs further information. The clock starts only once the case order ID, the fee, the application and the biometrics are all in place.

    SIRI: Residence permit for higher educational programmes (ST1) · checked August 2026

    Denmark student visa work rights, dependants and what comes after

    Work rights

    A student in a state-approved higher educational program gets a limited work permit alongside the residence permit: 90 hours a month from September to May, and full-time in June, July and August. Students who applied on or after 2 May 2025 for a program that only holds a Danish Evaluation Institute advisory statement get no work permit at all. Unpaid voluntary work for a society-benefiting organization is unlimited and does not count against the 90 hours.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Dependants

    A spouse, registered or cohabiting partner and children under 18 can join you, and each files a separate application with its own case order ID and its own DKK 3,080 fee. You must document DKK 7,426 a month per family member for the time they will stay, up to DKK 89,112 each for a year or more. A family permit granted this way carries the right to work with no separate work permit and the right to run a business.

    source

    After graduation

    Completing a state-approved professional bachelor's, bachelor's, master's or PhD gives a three-year job-seeking residence permit, normally granted together with the study permit rather than applied for later. A master's for working professionals gives six months instead. The job-seeking permit keeps the 90-hours-a-month limit, and DKK 840 buys a work permit without limitations that lets you work full-time from the day you apply.

    sourcecompare all countries

    Language requirement

    You must be able to speak and understand the language of instruction at a level that lets you take an active part in your courses. SIRI states this as a condition of the permit without naming a test, a score or a certificate.

    source

    Denmark student visa requirements for Pakistani students

    The full Denmark visa guide for Pakistani students, with the fee in your currency.

    You apply through Gerry's, not a VFS center

    Denmark takes residence permit applications from Pakistan at the visa application centers in Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore run by Gerry's, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs points applicants to gerrysvisa.com rather than to VFS Global.

    source

    Denmark student visa requirements for Sri Lankan students

    The full Denmark visa guide for Sri Lankan students, with the fee in your currency.

    A Norwegian center takes the Danish application in Colombo

    Denmark has no application center of its own in Sri Lanka, so residence permit applications are handed in at the Norwegian Visa Application Centre in Colombo, and only citizens or residents of Sri Lanka may apply there.

    source

    A Norwegian mission means an extra photo and later biometrics

    SIRI adds two conditions when a Norwegian mission receives the application: you must also hand in one passport photo, and if the permit is granted your biometrics are recorded within a set period after you arrive in Denmark instead of before you travel.

    source

    Denmark student visa requirements for Nepali students

    The full Denmark visa guide for Nepali students, with the fee in your currency.

    You apply in Kathmandu but the case is decided in New Delhi

    Residence permit applications are submitted at the Danish visa application center in Kathmandu, and the file is then processed by the Embassy of Denmark in New Delhi. Questions still go to the center where you handed the papers in.

    source
    United States
    From $535 all-in
    United Kingdom
    From $1,760 all-in
    Canada
    From $175 all-in
    Australia
    From $2,250 all-in
    Germany
    From $190 all-in
    France
    From $183 all-in

    FAQ

    Frequently asked questions

    How much is the Denmark student visa fee?
    The Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1) application charge is $477 (Study permit (ST1)). That is also the all-in mandatory total. Optional extras add up to $1,727 on top.
    How much bank balance is required for a Denmark student visa?
    DKK 89,112 (about $13,880), held as Your own bank statement, or a receipt for the first semester's tuition, covering 12 months of living costs, the most SIRI can require. It is money you show rather than money you pay, so it is separate from the visa fees. The 2026 self-support rate is DKK 7,426 a month, multiplied by the months you will study and capped at twelve, so DKK 89,112. Paying the first semester's tuition replaces this evidence entirely: SIRI accepts that receipt on its own. Statements must be under 30 days old, in your own name, and cover liquid assets only, so shares, bonds and investment portfolios do not count. USD figure at DKK 1 = USD 0.1558, Norges Bank cross rate of 28 August 2026. Source: SIRI: Residence permit for higher educational programmes (ST1) (August 2026).
    Can you work on a Denmark student visa?
    A student in a state-approved higher educational program gets a limited work permit alongside the residence permit: 90 hours a month from September to May, and full-time in June, July and August. Students who applied on or after 2 May 2025 for a program that only holds a Danish Evaluation Institute advisory statement get no work permit at all. Unpaid voluntary work for a society-benefiting organization is unlimited and does not count against the 90 hours. Source: SIRI: Residence permit for higher educational programmes (ST1) (August 2026).
    How long does a Denmark student visa take?
    SIRI's normal processing time for a student case is two months, and up to three months when it needs further information. The clock starts only once the case order ID, the fee, the application and the biometrics are all in place. Source: SIRI: Residence permit for higher educational programmes (ST1) (August 2026).
    Can you bring your family on a Denmark student visa?
    A spouse, registered or cohabiting partner and children under 18 can join you, and each files a separate application with its own case order ID and its own DKK 3,080 fee. You must document DKK 7,426 a month per family member for the time they will stay, up to DKK 89,112 each for a year or more. A family permit granted this way carries the right to work with no separate work permit and the right to run a business. Source: SIRI: Accompanying family members to students and PhDs (August 2026).
    What's not included in the Residence permit as a student in a higher educational program (ST1) fee?
    Tuition, living costs and the money you have to show in your account are separate from the fees on this page. Use our cost-of-study calculator at /tools/cost-calculator for a complete budget.
    When are these fees due?
    Application and biometric fees are paid before submission. Health surcharges (UK IHS, Australian OSHC) are paid as part of the visa application. Some fees (Anmeldung in Germany, OFII in France) are paid after arrival.

    Official sources

    Last verified August 2026.