Denmark’s New Work Scheme Depends on the Employer as Well as the Offer
Briefing summary
- Denmark has adopted a new work scheme scheduled to begin on January 1, 2027.
- It requires employment covered by a collective agreement, a specifically certified employer, and an applicant who meets the nationality and other conditions.
- Existing Fast-track certification does not give an employer access to the new scheme.
- The Pay Limit and Supplementary Pay Limit schemes retain their own thresholds and requirements.
- Applicants still need the new scheme’s operational guidance and confirmation that their employer is approved to use it.
Denmark is adding another way for eligible overseas workers to take a local job. The new scheme is built around employment covered by a collective agreement and a specifically certified employer. Parliament has adopted and ratified the legislation, and SIRI identifies January 1, 2027 as the start date.
For a prospective employee, the employer’s position is central. A suitable offer is only useful if the employer can use the scheme and the applicant meets its nationality and other conditions. The new route should not be treated as a general reduction in the salary needed for every Danish work permit.
Existing salary-based routes retain their own rules
The Pay Limit Scheme and Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme remain separate applications. Their thresholds and conditions cannot be replaced with the terms of a future scheme simply because all three routes involve pay.
That distinction matters when comparing offers. An employer able to support one route may not be able to support another, and a job that misses one route’s requirements does not automatically meet the new route’s test.
Fast-track approval is a different certification
SIRI expressly says that existing Fast-track certification will not give an employer access to the new collective-agreement scheme. A different certification is required.
The next practical milestones are the scheme’s operational guidance and the employer’s approval to use it. For an application made before launch, the available current route still has to fit the offer. For a later move, the comparison should use the new scheme’s actual application requirements and the amounts applicable at that time.