Denmark's New Certification Scheme: A Direct Path to Work for 16 Nationalities

Denmark has just opened a new legal route for skilled foreign workers to come and work there — but it only applies if you're from one of a specific list of countries, and only if your future employer has done some serious groundwork first.

On 3 September 2026, the Danish Parliament (Folketinget) passed a law creating the "Certification Scheme" (Certificeringsordningen), formally known as the collective-agreement-based business scheme. The government first introduced the bill on 25 June 2026, and the scheme becomes operational on 1 January 2027.

Who's eligible: the 16-country list

This scheme isn't open to the whole world. It applies specifically to citizens of: the United States, United Kingdom, Singapore, China (including Hong Kong), Japan, Australia, Canada, India, Brazil, Malaysia, Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia, Albania, Ukraine, and Moldova. Denmark's Ministry of Immigration and Integration will review and update this list periodically.

What your job needs to look like

To qualify under this scheme, your employment has to tick three boxes at once:

1. Full-time work — the scheme doesn't cover part-time arrangements.

2. A position covered by a relevant Danish collective bargaining agreement ("overenskomst") — this is the defining feature of the scheme. It's built specifically around Denmark's collective-bargaining labour model.

3. Employment at a company that's been certified to use this specific scheme (more on that below).

The salary threshold

You need to be offered a minimum annual salary of DKK 322,000 (at 2026 levels), and — notably — that salary has to be paid directly into a Danish bank account. The threshold is adjusted annually, so expect it to rise slightly each year.

Background checks matter, even before you're hired

The scheme includes a criminal-record condition: you can't have received a fine of DKK 3,000 or more under certain Danish laws — including the Criminal Code, drug laws, or weapons laws — in the two years before your application, and this condition continues to apply after you've applied, too.

How long you can stay

Permits under this scheme are granted for up to 3 years initially, and can then be renewed in blocks of up to 4 years at a time — a meaningfully longer runway than many short-term work visa categories offer.

Bringing your family

Accompanying family members are permitted to come with you to Denmark under this scheme. One detail worth flagging: if your spouse or partner also wants to work, and specifically wants to work for the same employer as you, they'll need to apply for their own separate work permit — this scheme doesn't automatically extend work rights to them.

The genuinely useful part: fast job start

Denmark's "fast job start" rules apply to this scheme, which means you may be able to begin working before your permit is formally approved — as soon as your application has been submitted, the application fee paid, and your biometric data collected, provided that happens within 14 days of submitting the application and your application is complete. In practice, this can significantly shorten the gap between accepting a job offer and actually starting work.

Why this depends heavily on your employer

Here's the part that matters most for anyone hoping to use this route: you can't apply for it independently. Your employer has to be certified first, by SIRI — the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. To get certified, an employer needs to show, among other things, that it's covered by a relevant collective agreement, has at least 10 full-time employees in Denmark, has been operating for at least two years with filed annual accounts, has a clean record with Denmark's Working Environment Authority, and hasn't been penalised for underpaying foreign workers in recent years. Certification is granted for 3 years initially and 4 years on renewal — and can be revoked if the company stops meeting these conditions.

In practice, this means the scheme is really aimed at established, compliant Danish employers who already operate under collective agreements — not at every company that wants to hire internationally. If you're being recruited under this scheme, it's a reasonably strong signal that the employer is a well-established, compliant one.

What to do if you think you might qualify

If you're a citizen of one of the 16 listed countries and have a job offer (or are in discussions) with a Danish employer, it's worth asking directly whether that employer holds, or is pursuing, SIRI certification under this scheme — since the scheme won't be usable by any employer until they've completed that process. Applications under the scheme can't be submitted until SIRI formally opens the application channel, which is expected around the scheme's 1 January 2027 start date.

This article is based on information procured from official sources and public portals. It is provided for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal or immigration advice. Kindly consult the relevant public authority or an immigration advisor at the Legit Migrant for guidance specific to your circumstances.