British nationals who were granted temporary Danish residence permits under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement will soon become eligible to apply for permanent residency as their existing permits are due to expire.
If you are a British citizen who was granted a temporary residence permit by Denmark under the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, the time is approaching to apply for permanent residency.
In a statement on its website, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI), which processes residence permits, said that it is nearly five years since the first residency permits were issued under the Withdrawal Agreement.
That means the cards are now approaching their expiry date, the agency said.
As previously reported by The Local, British nationals who took up residence in Denmark prior to the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31st, 2020 gain the right to permanent residency after five years of continuous residence in the country. These are equivalent conditions to those that applied when the UK was still in the EU.
Those who had lived in Denmark for less than five years when Brexit came into effect were given temporary 5-year residency cards whilst those who had been in the country for more than five years at the time of Britain’s exit from the EU were given 10-year permanent residency cards.
Britons who were given temporary residence must upgrade their cards after five years, at which point they can get 10-year permanent residency card.
Advertisement
SIRI states that you can apply for permanent residency if you have legally resided in Denmark for five continuous years and have been employed, self-employed, enrolled in education or have sufficient personal funds to fulfil the criteria. Family members of British citizens who legally reside in Denmark are also encompassed by the rules.
While many people applied for residence in Denmark in 2020, the deadline of December 2021 was eventually extended to December 31st 2023. This means the temporary cards can have expiry dates ranging from 2026 to 2028.
However, SIRI has encouraged applying for permanent residence in good time.
“Even if your residency card does not expire for a year, we encourage you to apply from now if you fulfil the conditions. That will ensure you still have documentation for your residence in Denmark,” it said in the statement on its website.
Application for permanent residence must be submitted via SIRI’s website. There is no fee for applying.
You must also submit biometric information at one of SIRI’s offices. These are located in Copenhagen, Aalborg, Odense, Aarhus, Esbjerg, Sønderborg, Bornholm and Nuuk. You can book an appointment for this when you submit your application.
If you already fulfilled the requirements for permanent residency at the time of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and were issued with a permanent residence card, the card will be valid for 10 years. As such, you will not need to update the card currently.