Work Permits for Healthcare Workers in Denmark 2026

General information about the rules in force. Not legal advice. Last updated 10 October 2026.

Healthcare workers moving to Denmark in 2026 do not apply for one generic permit. The right route depends on the profession, the confirmed salary and whether the employer holds a specific certification, split mainly between the Positive List, the Pay Limit Scheme, the Fast-track scheme and the EU free movement rules for EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic citizens.

Why this matters

Denmark recruits nurses, doctors, bioanalytics and other healthcare professionals internationally, and the immigration route for each of them is not interchangeable. Applying under the wrong scheme can lead to a refusal and, in some cases, the loss of a job offer that has an expiry date attached to it.

SIRI, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration, administers the Positive List, the Pay Limit Scheme and the Fast-track scheme. Globe Advokater handles applications and appeals across these routes. EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic nationals sit entirely outside this framework because they hold free movement rights under EU law rather than a Danish work permit.

The sections below set out how each route works in general terms, who it is designed for, and where its limits sit.

What decides the work permit route for healthcare workers

• Whether the specific profession appears on the current Positive List published by SIRI
• Whether the confirmed annual salary meets the Pay Limit Scheme threshold set for 2026
• Whether the employer holds SIRI certification under the Fast-track scheme
• Nationality - EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic citizens follow separate free movement rules
• Whether an existing Danish work permit needs extending rather than a fresh application
• Which body handles an appeal if SIRI refuses the application

Work permit routes for healthcare workers in Denmark, at a glance

1. Positive List: for listed healthcare professions

The Positive List is a list of professions where Denmark has identified a shortage of qualified workers, published and updated by SIRI. Applications under this route sit within the residence-and-work permit framework of udlændingelovens § 9 a, stk. 2, and healthcare roles such as nurses and specific medical specialities have appeared on past versions of the list.

A job offer matching a listed profession removes the need to meet a fixed salary threshold, which is the main difference from the Pay Limit Scheme. The salary and employment terms must still correspond to Danish standards. Some healthcare professions also require separate professional authorisation before starting work, handled outside the immigration process itself.

Positive List advantages:

• No fixed minimum salary, although salary and terms must match Danish standards
• Available regardless of which employer makes the offer
• Processing runs through the standard SIRI channel without needing employer certification

Positive List limitations:

• Only available if the exact profession is on the current list at the time of application
• The list is reviewed and can change, so a profession listed last year is not guaranteed to remain listed
• A separate professional authorisation may still be required before work can start

Relevant for: healthcare professionals whose exact profession appears on the current Positive List.

2. Pay Limit Scheme: for salary-based offers outside the list

The Pay Limit Scheme, Beløbsordningen, grants a residence and work permit based on a confirmed job offer and an annual salary at or above a threshold set by the authorities and adjusted for 2026. It sits alongside the Positive List under § 9 a, stk. 2, but does not depend on the profession being on any list.

This route matters for healthcare roles that pay above the threshold but do not currently appear on the Positive List, or where an employer prefers not to wait on list status. The threshold is adjusted every year on 1 January and is DKK 552,000 a year in 2026, as published by SIRI on nyidanmark.dk.

Pay Limit Scheme advantages:

• Works for any profession, not only listed shortage occupations
• Gives employers a route that does not depend on list revisions
• Applies the same regardless of employer size or certification status

Pay Limit Scheme limitations:

• Requires a signed employment contract at or above the current annual threshold
• The salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in the employee's own name
• A salary just below the threshold disqualifies the application outright

Relevant for: healthcare professionals with a confirmed job offer whose salary meets the current threshold, regardless of profession.

3. Fast-track scheme: for hires by SIRI-certified employers

The Fast-track scheme, fast-track-ordningen, is a scheme available only when the employer itself holds certification from SIRI. Some Danish hospitals, private clinics and larger healthcare employers hold this certification because they recruit internationally on a recurring basis.

Where certification exists, the employee can in some cases start work before the permit decision under the Quick Job Start rules. Fast-track has its own tracks - the pay limit track, the supplementary pay limit track, the short-term track, the researcher track and the educational track - and the job must meet the conditions of one of them. Fast-track has no Positive List track.

Fast-track scheme advantages:

• The employee can in some cases start work before the decision under Quick Job Start
• Available to employers who recruit healthcare staff internationally on a recurring basis
• Has its own tracks, including a pay limit track and a researcher track

Fast-track scheme limitations:

• Only accessible if the specific employer holds current SIRI certification
• An offer from a non-certified employer falls back to standard processing
• Certification status can change, so it needs confirming for each application

Relevant for: healthcare workers hired by an employer that already holds SIRI Fast-track certification.

4. EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic free movement: for EU-area healthcare workers

Citizens of EU and EEA countries, Switzerland and the Nordic countries have free movement rights under EU law and do not need a Danish work permit to take up healthcare employment. Instead of applying under § 9 a, EU, EEA and Swiss citizens register for an EU residence document once their stay exceeds three months, a process also administered by SIRI. Nordic citizens do not need an EU residence document and register directly with the municipality.

This route sits outside the national schemes entirely, so no permit application is needed for the nationalities it covers. Non-EU family members of an EU healthcare worker apply separately for an EU residence card, which SIRI also handles.

EU free movement advantages:

• No work permit application, and no salary or profession requirement
• Registration process rather than a discretionary permit decision
• Work can generally start immediately on arrival

EU free movement limitations:

• Only applies to citizens of EU, EEA, Switzerland and the Nordic countries
• Registration is still mandatory once the stay passes three months
• Non-EU family members need a separate process, not this one

Relevant for: EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic nationals taking up healthcare work in Denmark.

How the routes relate to each other

The four routes are not ranked. Each has its own conditions: a profession-list match for the Positive List, a salary threshold for the Pay Limit Scheme, employer certification for Fast-track, and nationality for free movement. Which route applies depends on the facts of the specific offer.

Which route applies to your case

For most healthcare professionals with a confirmed Danish job offer in 2026, the starting questions are whether the exact profession is on the current Positive List and whether the salary meets the Pay Limit Scheme threshold. EU, EEA, Swiss and Nordic nationals bypass all three national schemes and register instead.

Time limits and appeal deadlines apply to these applications. Contact a lawyer to clarify which deadlines apply to a specific case rather than relying on a general timeline.

FAQ

One last thing

A refusal from SIRI on a work permit application is not the end of the process: the correct appeals body is Udlændingenævnet, which handles appeals in work permit, residence permit and visa cases. Flygtningenævnet only ever handles asylum appeals. The deadline for appealing to Udlændingenævnet is 8 weeks from notification of the decision (udlændingelovens § 46 a, stk. 3), and naming the wrong body on an appeal wastes the time available to file it.