Asylum in Denmark: procedure and rights

Any foreign national in Denmark can apply, whether they entered irregularly or hold a visa or residence permit. You cannot apply from another country, including at a Danish embassy or consulate or by writing to Danish authorities. Without a residence permit you go in person to a police station or to the police at Centre Sandholm; if you already hold another Danish permit, you apply to the police in your district. Residents of the North Zealand police district must register at Sandholm, and elsewhere the Immigration Service advises calling the local station first because not all stations can register claims.

The Aliens Act provides three forms: convention status under section 7(1) for a well-founded fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion; protected status under section 7(2) for a risk of the death penalty, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment; and temporary protected status under section 7(3) where that risk stems from severe instability and indiscriminate violence against civilians. Permits are temporary and end when protection is no longer needed.

People who crossed the external Schengen border irregularly, or are staying irregularly without prior border checks, first go through EU screening: a security check, identification, a health check and a vulnerability check, usually at the screening facility at Reception Centre Sandholm, completed within 3 days inside Denmark (7 at the external border). The police register the claim and take fingerprints and a photo.

Denmark has an opt-out from EU justice and home affairs rules, but it takes part in the rules on which state is responsible for an asylum claim on an intergovernmental basis: parts of the EU’s AM Regulation, which replaces the Dublin Regulation with largely the same provisions, entered Danish law on 3 September 2026. In an initial AM interview the Immigration Service decides whether Denmark or another EU state, Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein is responsible; claims can also be rejected if you already have protection in one of those countries.

If Denmark is responsible you complete an asylum application form and the case follows one of these procedures: the normal procedure with one or more asylum interviews; the manifestly unfounded procedure, in which the Danish Refugee Council reviews the Immigration Service’s view; the expedited version for nationals of listed countries; or, if activated by the minister, an asylum border procedure at airports and seaports. The expected average processing time is 8 months. A separate application for a humanitarian residence permit goes to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

After registering, asylum seekers can get free and independent legal counselling from DRC Danish Refugee Council. During screening the Immigration Service covers maintenance, necessary healthcare and accommodation, and asylum seekers are generally housed in asylum centres. Work is possible once at least 6 months have passed since the claim, your identity is established, Denmark is processing the case outside the manifestly unfounded procedures and you sign a contract with the Immigration Service; a refusal of work approval can be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Board within 8 weeks.

A refusal in the normal procedure is automatically reviewed by the Refugee Appeals Board, an independent court-like body that holds oral hearings and can appoint a lawyer; its decisions are final. In the manifestly unfounded procedures, a refusal stands if the Danish Refugee Council agrees; otherwise the case moves to the normal procedure. After a final refusal you must leave by the deadline; refusing to leave can lead to expulsion with a 2-year entry ban for the Schengen Area (5 years for repeat cases), and people who stay usually live at a return centre.

DRC Danish Refugee Council offers free legal counselling to asylum seekers throughout the procedure. The Danish Immigration Service publishes the procedure, the list of countries in the expedited procedure and its screening leaflet on nyidanmark.dk, and information on appeals is available from the Refugee Appeals Board.