Denmark Visa Sponsorship for Startups Hiring 2026

General information about the rules in force. Not legal advice. Last updated 15 September 2026.

Startups that want to hire non-EU or non-EEA specialists in Denmark work with one of a small number of visa sponsorship routes administered by SIRI (Styrelsen for International Rekruttering og Integration), each built for a different hiring situation in 2026.

Why this matters

A Danish startup hiring its first non-EU engineer or its fifth international sales hire faces the same starting question: which residence and work scheme applies. Section 9 a of the Danish Aliens Act (udlændingeloven) sets out several distinct routes to a combined residence and work permit, and SIRI decides which one a given hire fits.

Picking the wrong scheme does not just cost time. A refused application under Beløbsordningen because the salary sits below the annual minimum, or an attempt to use Etableringskortet for an employee rather than a founder, sends the case back to the start. Immigration lawyers at Globe Advokater work with startups and their new hires on exactly this kind of scheme selection.

What determines which scheme fits

• Salary offered - Beløbsordningen requires the offered pay to reach a minimum set annually by SIRI, while Positivlisten and Fast-track carry no fixed salary floor of their own.
• Company certification - Fast-track-ordningen only works for companies SIRI has certified in advance; the other schemes need no certification.
• Occupation and qualifications - Positivlisten only covers roles and qualification levels currently listed as facing labour shortages.
• Founder or employee - Etableringskortet is for the person building the company, not for staff that company later hires.
• Statutory basis - all four routes sit under section 9 a of udlændingeloven, but each carries its own conditions set by SIRI.

Danish work-based residence schemes at a glance

Fast-track-ordningen: for certified companies expanding a team already in place

Fast-track-ordningen lets a Danish company that SIRI has certified in advance sponsor non-EU specialists across several tracks, including a pay-limit track, a researcher track and a short-term track. Certification is a separate step the company completes before it can use the scheme for any individual hire.

Advantages:

• Covers several tracks under one certification, including pay limit, researcher and short-term work
• Streamlined document handling for a certified company hiring more than once
• Reduces some of the case-by-case proof otherwise needed under other schemes

Limitations:

• Only open to companies that already hold fast-track certification with SIRI
• Certification itself is a separate application the company must complete first
• Certification can be withdrawn if the company does not comply with the scheme's conditions

Best for: a certified company with pipeline hiring plans for 2026, rather than a single one-off hire.

Beløbsordningen (the Pay Limit Scheme): for salary-led hires without certification

Beløbsordningen grants a residence and work permit based on the salary a position offers, with no requirement for the hiring company to hold fast-track certification and no requirement for the role to appear on any shortage list.

Advantages:

• Works for effectively any occupation, provided the salary clears the threshold
• No company certification needed before the first hire
• An objective salary test, which makes the outcome more predictable than qualification-based routes

Limitations:

• The minimum salary is set annually by SIRI and does not adjust for industry or role
• Early-stage companies offering equity-heavy but lower cash pay can struggle to clear the minimum
• The salary must be paid in cash to a Danish bank account, not offset with benefits

Best for: a single senior hire at a salary clearly above the annual Beløbsordningen minimum, made by a company without fast-track certification.

Positivlisten for higher education roles: for listed shortage occupations needing a degree

Positivlisten, the Positive List, for people with a higher education names occupations Denmark has identified as facing recruitment difficulties. A job offer matching a listed occupation and qualification level can support a residence and work permit without meeting the Beløbsordningen salary minimum.

Advantages:

• No fixed salary floor tied to Beløbsordningen
• Suited to technical and scientific roles with recognised shortages
• No company certification required

Limitations:

• The list is reviewed periodically and a role that qualifies today may fall off it later
• The applicant's qualification and job title must correspond closely to the listed occupation
• Narrower in scope than Beløbsordningen

Best for: a startup hiring into a specific listed shortage occupation, such as certain engineering or IT specialisations, at a salary below the Beløbsordningen minimum.

Positivlisten for skilled trades: for shortage occupations needing a trade qualification

A separate positive list covers skilled trade occupations rather than roles needing a university degree, aimed at trade-qualified workers Denmark has identified as being in short supply.

Advantages:

• Opens a route for trade-qualified hires who would not qualify under the higher-education list
• No Beløbsordningen salary minimum applies
• No company certification required

Limitations:

• The list of qualifying trades is narrower than the higher-education list
• A recognised formal trade qualification is generally required
• Used less often by early-stage technology startups than by trade-based businesses

Best for: a startup outside software hiring a qualified tradesperson into a role listed as facing shortages.

Etableringskortet (Start-up Denmark): for founders, not employees

Etableringskortet, marketed as the Start-up Denmark scheme, is a residence route for a founder who wants to establish and run an innovative business in Denmark. An expert panel assesses the business plan before SIRI decides on the application.

Advantages:

• Built for the founder rather than for staff the business later hires
• Does not require an existing salary or employer, since the applicant is building the company
• Assesses an early-stage business plan rather than requiring an established company

Limitations:

• Cannot be used to sponsor employees the company later hires
• The business plan must pass an independent assessment before SIRI grants the permit
• Not relevant to a founder who already holds another route into Denmark, such as an EU passport

Best for: a non-EU founder relocating to Denmark to build a company, as distinct from a startup sponsoring staff.

How the schemes compare

Each of the four routes answers a different one of the criteria above: certification, salary, occupation, or founder status. A startup rarely weighs all four for a single hire. The practical question is usually salary level and whether the company already holds fast-track certification, narrowed further by occupation if the salary falls short of the Beløbsordningen minimum.

Which scheme fits a specific hiring plan

The scheme a specific hire falls under depends on the salary offered, whether the hiring company already holds fast-track certification, and whether the role appears on a current positive list. None of the four routes above works for every situation, and choosing between them changes both the paperwork and the process SIRI applies to a case.

Deadlines apply in several of these applications, and errors in an initial application can affect how a later appeal to Udlændingenævnet is handled. Contact a lawyer to establish which deadlines and which scheme apply to a specific hiring case.

FAQ

One last thing

One detail catches startups off guard: Denmark's opt-out from EU justice and home affairs cooperation means the EU Blue Card scheme, used by many other EU countries for highly qualified non-EU hires, does not apply in Denmark the way it does elsewhere. Non-EU specialists instead go through Beløbsordningen, Positivlisten or Fast-track-ordningen rather than a Blue Card application, which changes which paperwork a hiring company prepares from the outset in 2026.