Startup Denmark

1. Residence permit24 months
2. Renew36 months at a time
3. Permanent residencyafter 8 years
4. Citizenshipafter 9 years

• Permanent residency 8 years
• Citizenship 9 years
• Dual citizenship allowed
• Language required for citizenship B2

Country

Denmark

Program

Startup Denmark

Local name

Start-up Denmark

Type

Startup

Status

Active

Initial duration

24 months

Renewable

Yes (36 mo)

Residence and work permit for non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss founders whose innovative business plan is approved by an expert panel appointed by the Danish Business Authority. Up to three founders. The first permit is up to two years, then extensions of up to three years, with a cap of 75 permits a year.

Savings required

$22,935

Application fee

$458

Tax regime

Worldwide

Regime name

Progressive income tax, marginal 55.9% or 60.5% with toptopskat

Foreign income taxed

Yes

Capital gains taxed

Yes

Method

online

Processing time

60–120 days

Apply from abroad

Yes

There is no minimum investment. The applicant must show disposable funds for the first year: DKK 153,240 alone (2026 level), DKK 306,480 with a spouse, DKK 356,904 with a spouse and one or more children, or DKK 203,664 with children and no spouse. Extra children do not raise the amount further. A bank statement in the applicant's name is the usual proof. USD figures use the ECB reference rate of 8 October 2026, 1 DKK = 0.14967 USD. The SIRI fee is DKK 3,060 for the permit and for each extension. An accompanying family member's fee is DKK 3,080. The expert panel usually takes up to six weeks and charges no fee. SIRI then normally takes two months, or up to four months. An extension normally takes four months, or up to five, and needs a new panel assessment. Work is limited to the approved business. A salaried job, a new business, or sideline employment needs a separate permit. The permit lapses after more than six consecutive months abroad or if the Danish address is given up. Permanent residence is normally eight years of legal residence, or four years if all four supplementary requirements are met, on top of the basic requirements including Prøve i Dansk 2. Naturalisation normally requires nine years of continuous residence, a permanent residence permit held for at least two years when the naturalisation bill is passed, and Prøve i Dansk 3. On the ordinary eight-year permanent-residence track, that two-year holding period means citizenship is typically reached at ten years. Denmark has allowed dual citizenship since 1 September 2015 when the other country also allows it. Full tax residents are taxed on worldwide income. From 2026 the marginal rate on personal income is 55.9 percent, or 60.5 percent above the toptopskat threshold, excluding church tax.

1. Oct 10, 2026
   • Official page https://startupdenmark.info/about-programme https://www.nyidanmark.dk/en-GB/You-want-to-apply/Work/Start-up-Denmark
   • Annual income (USD) 22216 none
   • Savings requirement (USD) none 22935
   • Application fee (USD) 293 458
   • Years to permanent residency 4 8

   pointed the official, application and source URLs at the SIRI pages and recorded the 2026 marginal tax rates of 55.9 and 60.5 percent (https://skm.dk/tal-og-metode/satser/tidsserier/marginalskatteprocenter-siden-1993).