You are required to hold a work and residence permit to be a PhD Student in Denmark and you need to have it before you begin your PhD study.
Your contact at the Graduate School will initiate the application process for your work and residence permit.
In order to have your work and residence permit timely processed by the immigration authorities, please act promptly when you are asked to by the immigration authorities or by the Graduate School.
Please note that you have the right to work maximum 20 hours on top of your work as a PhD student.
Plese also 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 the Graduate School for further information.
You are required to:
- Be enrolled by AU as PhD student
- Be employed as a PhD student at AU
- Have a written job contract or job offer which specifies salary and employment conditions
- Uphold salary and employment conditions that corresponds to Danish standards (which is compulsory for employments at AU)
Advantages:
- You are free to work both in and outside Denmark - within the duration of our permit - without your permit lapsing*
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Your permit will usually include a residence permit of additional 3 years when you can stay in Denmark for job seeking. However, you are not allowed to work full time in this period without an additional permit. Read more about the additional work permit without limitations on immigration’s website.
If you hold a permit issued before 1st April 2023, which only grants you a job seeking period of 6 months, you can apply for an extension of the job seeking period up to 3 years. Read more on immigration’s website.
- In addition to your PhD-position, you are also allowed to work an additional 20 hours a week (only 15 hours a week for permits issued before January 1st 2015), as well as full-time during the months of June, July and August
Please be aware that:
- You are not able to start working at AU before you have been granted a work and residence permit
- You are not able to move to another position at AU without applying for a new work and residence permit
- As a 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 .
- If you are employed and enrolled in a three-year Industrial PhD-programme, contact the Graduate School to clarify whether AU or the company will apply for the work and residence permit.
- It is a condition for the work and residence permit that you are active and enrolled at AU. If this is not the case, the immigration authority can revoke your residence permit. AU is obliged to inform the immigration authority if you are not actively following the educational programme or if you stop before planned.
- If you are on sick-leave or on maternity leave your residence and work permit will not be revoked and you are able to get an extension of your residence permit. However, AU is required to inform the Danish immigration authorities about your leave. Therefore, always contact the Graduate School, if you are going on leave.
For detailed information:
Please refer to www.newtodenmark.dk for detailed information about the PhD scheme and the conditions that apply. If in doubt, contact the Graduate School administration.
You are required to:
- To be enrolled at AU as PhD student
- You must document that you have at your disposal an set amount per month, with 12 months being the maximum requirement. See the current monthly amount .
Advantages:
- You are free to work both in and outside Denmark - within the duration of our permit - without your permit lapsing*
-
Your permit will usually include a residence permit of additional 3 years when you can stay in Denmark for job seeking. However, you are not allowed to work full time in this period without an additional permit. Read more about the additional work permit without limitations on immigration’s website.
If you hold a permit issued before 1st April 2023, which only grants you a job seeking period of 6 months, you can apply for an extension of the job seeking period up to 3 years. Read more on immigration’s website. - In addition to your PhD-position, you are also allowed to work an additional 20 hours a week (only 15 hours a week for permits issued before January 1st 2015), as well as full-time during the months of June, July and August
Please be aware that:
- You are not able to move to another position at AU without applying for a new work and residence permit
- As a 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 .
- If you are employed and enrolled in a three-year Industrial PhD-programme, contact the Graduate School to clarify whether AU or the company will apply for the work and residence permit.
- It is a condition for the work and residence permit that you are active and enrolled at AU. If this is not the case, the immigration authority can revoke your residence permit. AU is obliged to inform the immigration authority if you are not actively following the educational programme or stop before planned.
- If you are on sick-leave or on maternity leave your residence and work permit will not be revoked and you are able to get an extension of your residence permit. However, AU is required to inform the Danish immigration authorities about your leave. Therefore, always contact the Graduate School if you are going on leave.
For detailed information:
Please refer to www.newtodenmark.dk for detailed information about the PhD scheme and the conditions that apply. If in doubt, contact the Graduate School administration.
If you are on a research stay at AU without being enrolled as a PhD student by AU, please refer to Guest Researcher / Guest PhD for further information.
Your entitlement to benefits depends on your work and residence permit. Employed PhD students may receive some public benefits, whereas enrolled PhD students may not receive any public benefits at all.
Therefore, if your enrollment as a PhD student is extended but your employment is not, you are not allowed to receive public benefits any more.
You can read details about the conditions for public benefits on the Newtodenmark website
Employed PhD students should read more under Working for a specific employer, enrolled PhD students under Student.
The Establishment Card scheme no longer exist, and it cannot be applied for anymore. However, if you already hold an Establishment Card it will still be possible to apply for an extension of it. Read more on immigration’s website.