Work and residence permit for guest researchers and guest PhD students

The Guest Researcher / Guest PhD student schemes are relevant to you if you are going on a research stay at AU without being employed or enrolled at AU.

You are required to hold a work and residence permit to be a guest researcher or guest PhD student. You need to hold the permit prior to your stay at AU.

Guest researchers and guest PhD students on short stays (less than 90 days) might be exempted from holding a work and residence permit (see below).

The AU Guest Researcher Support will (upon request by your AU supervisor/host) initiate the application process for your work and residence permit. You can also contact the Guest Researcher Support directly to initiate the application process.

The processing time for work and residence permits with the immigration authorities is 30 days. Additional time is required for you to appear in person at a Danish diplomatic mission. We recommend beginning the application process approximately 60 days before entering Denmark (the Schengen area).

The work and residence permit required for guest researchers and guest PhD students is either according to the guest researcher scheme or the guest PhD student scheme.

Please note that you cannot start the application for a work and residence permit on your own; Aarhus University must always initiate the application process.

Please note that non-Nordic citizens are required to hold a work and residence permit to work or conduct research in Greenland or the Faroe Islands. Special conditions apply and the processing time is 3 months. Contact your HR-contact or PhD-partner for further information.

If you have a master's degree, you can be granted a residence and work permit as Guest Researcher if you need to conduct research as part of your current position, further education or career development and need to do so at a Danish research institute or company which makes facilities available to you but does not hire you.

You are required to:

• Hold a master’s degree or equivalent (as a minimum)
• Be able to support yourself with your own means or continue to receive pay from your research institute or employer in your country of origin while in Denmark. You must document your ability to support yourself for the entire duration of your stay. Read more about financial requirements.
• Be invited by an AU-host and able to document it with an invitation letter signed by the AU-host.

Please be aware that:

• If you are a guest researcher, you can be granted a residence and work permit for up to three years. Your permit cannot be extended beyond three years.
• Your permit will not include additional months for job seeking in Denmark
• You are not able to start at AU before you have been granted a work and residence permit.
• If you find a new job while you are a guest at AU, you must apply for a new residence and work permit. However, you may begin your new job before you have received your new permit, provided that you submit your application no later than the day you start your new job.

For detailed information:

Please refer to Newtodenmark – Guest Researcher for detailed information about the Guest Researcher scheme. If you are in doubt, please contact the AU Guest Researcher Support.

You can obtain a residence and work permit as guest PhD student if you are going to AU on a research stay as part of your PhD studies abroad.

You are required to:

• Be enrolled as a PhD student at a university outside AU.
• Be invited by an AU-host.
• Be able to support yourself with your own means or continue to receive pay from your research institute or employer in your country of origin while in Denmark. See the current monthly amount you must have at your disposal 

Please be aware that:

• If you are a guest PhD student, you can be granted a residence and work permit for up to two years. Your permit cannot be extended beyond two years.
• Your permit will not include additional months for job seeking in Denmark
• You are not able to start at AU before you have been granted a work and residence permit.
• If you find a new job while you are a guest PhD student at AU, you must apply for a new residence and work permit and await the permit before starting in the new position.
• As a guest PhD student in Denmark, you may not receive certain public benefits. Read the confirmation letter containing your residence and work permit, contact the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) or check the immigration service website .

For detailed information:

Please refer to Newtodenmark – PhD for detailed information about the guest PhD scheme. If you are in doubt, please contact the AU Guest Researcher Support.

You are not required to hold a work permit if your stay is shorter than 90 days (calculated from the day of arrival in the Schengen area) and you are either:

• Invited as a guest researcher to conduct research (not employed at AU)
• Invited as a guest PhD student to conduct research (neither employed nor enrolled at AU)

Requirements for short-term stays:

• You are required to hold at a minimum a master’s degree (or equivalent) and hold a position as a researcher or lecturer.
• You must be invited by an AU-host and able to document it with an invitation form/letter signed by AU.
• Your stay must not exceed 90 days, calculated from the day of arrival in Denmark/the Schengen Area. Previous stays in the Schengen area within the past 180 days are also included when counting the 90 days.
• If you are a citizen of a country with a visa requirement to enter Denmark, you must have obtained a short-term visa before entering Denmark.
• If you are exempt from the visa requirement, you must also observe the general visa conditions.

Advantages of short-term stays:

• You are not required to apply for or hold a work and residence permit.

Please be aware that:

• If your stay in Denmark is expected to exceed 90 days, you must have a residence and work permit covering the entire period, including the first 90 days. You must have obtained the permit prior to arriving in Denmark.
• It is important that you and your host department determine whether you need a residence and work permit or a visa before you arrive in Denmark. If you originally applied for a visa because you thought this would be easier to obtain, it is unlikely you will be permitted to extend your visa beyond its 90-day limit.
• If it is uncertain whether the stay in Denmark will exceed 90 days, you must obtain a Danish residence and work permit – valid for the entire period including the first 90 days – before entering Denmark.
• If you become employed at AU in continuation of your short-term stay, you must apply for a work and residence permit. You cannot start your employment before you have the permit.
• You will not be able to register as a resident in Denmark and will not be covered by Danish health insurance etc.

For detailed information:

Please refer to Newtodenmark - Apply for a short term visa to business visits for detailed information about the scheme. If you are in doubt, please contact the AU Guest Researcher Support.