Denmark · Employment
Pay Limit Scheme (Beløbsordningen)
Open
Last verified July 2026
Open. 2026 thresholds rose sharply from 1 January: DKK 552,000 ordinary (up DKK 38,000) and DKK 446,000 supplementary (up DKK 31,000).
The Pay Limit Scheme is Denmark's no-questions-asked route: clear the salary bar in any occupation and you are in, with no positive list and no labour market test. Pair it with the researcher tax scheme and a senior hire is taxed at 32.84% for seven years.
Qualifying routes
552k DKK
Ordinary Pay Limit Scheme
any occupation, industry or employer
446k DKK
Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme
strictly tied to the specific position — no role change, freelancing or second job without a separate permit
The facts
- Qualifying figure
- 446k DKK
- Total landed cost
- DKK 6,810 application fee.
- Timeline
- 1–3 months — roughly 1 month, up to 3 if further information is needed
- Physical presence
- Genuine employment of at least 30 hours a week; salary must be paid to a Danish bank account in your own name
- Family
- spouse, registered or cohabiting partnerchildren under 18 living at home
- Permanent residency
- The permit tracks the employment and does not itself confer permanent residence
- Citizenship
- 9 years
- Language test
- Prøve i Dansk 3 plus the Indfødsretsprøven
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- job offer meeting the applicable pay limitat least 30 hours a weeksalary paid to a Danish bank account in your own name
What can go wrong
- 2026 thresholds are DKK 552,000 / DKK 446,000 — up sharply. Figures around DKK 514,000 and DKK 415,000 are 2025 numbers.
- The supplementary scheme ties you to the specific position. Changing roles, freelancing or taking a second job requires a separate permit — a real constraint for mobile executives.
- The permit does not itself confer permanent residence; it tracks the employment contract's length.
- Salary must be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name, and minimum 30 hours a week.
- Counted salary includes guaranteed fixed supplements and bonuses plus labour market pension contributions from both employer and employee — useful headroom when structuring a package.