Student residence permit

Time frame

It can take up to two months to receive a student residence permit.

Application deadline and documentation deadline

Application deadline as well as the documentation deadline for our offered bachelor’s degree programmes for non-EU applicants is 15 March. 

Tuition fee

If you are offered a student place and accept the offer, you will then have to pay your tuition fee. After the payment has been confirmed AU will start the ST1 student residence permit process for you. AU will fill in part 1 of the application.  

You will receive details from us on the matter and you will have 2 weeks to fill in the second part of the application.   

Read more about the procedure

You can read more about the procedure for applying for a residence permit from the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). See www.newtodenmark.dk

Extending your residence permit – ST 3

You can apply for an extension no earlier than three months before your current residence permit expires. Once you have submitted your application for an extension to SIRI, and received confirmation that your application has been received, you will be permitted to stay in Denmark until SIRI has processed your application, even if your current residence permit expires. 

If your passport has expired

If your passport is not valid for the entire period of study, when you apply for a residence permit you will initially only receive a residence permit that is valid for the period of your studies during which your passport is valid. Before your residence permit expires, you will have to renew your passport and apply for an extension to your residence permit. 

You should send a copy of your new passport to ba.admission@au.dk (admission to Bachelor’s degree programmes) or ma.admission@au.dk (admission to Master’s degree programmes) and ask the university to start an ST3 form. The university will fill in part 1 and forward the form to you to fill in Part 2. 

Your progress toward your degree is delayed

If you are delayed in your studies, remember to apply for an extension of your residence permit before it expires. You should obtain confirmation from your study centre/your studies administration regarding your expected new completion date. The new date for your expected completion must be specific, individual and accurate. Therefore, you should not just state your maximum degree completion time, as this will not say anything about your own individual progress toward your degree and expected date of completion. 

You should submit the confirmation from the study centre to ba.admission@au.dk (admission to Bachelor’s degree programmes) or ma.admission@au.dk (admission to Master’s degree programmes) and request Admissions to start an ST3 form. Admissions will fill in part 1 and forward the form to you to fill in Part 2. 

Fixed-term residence permit compared with maximum degree completion time

Your residence permit may be extended for a maximum of one year beyond the prescribed degree completion time (+ 6 months for job search). This means that, due to the residence permit, you may be forced to complete your studies earlier than the maximum period of study that the university has assigned for you, if, for example, you have been assigned more than one year of additional study by the board of studies due to exceptional circumstances (e.g. illness). 

You are obligated to inform SIRI

You are obligated to inform SIRI if you are on leave. A prerequisite for maintaining your residence permit in Denmark is that you are actively enrolled on a programme, and therefore SIRI will generally suspend your residence permit during the period of leave. 

If you lose your study residence permit

If you lose your study residence permit due to your leave, you will have to leave Denmark and apply from your home country for a new study residence permit in order to be able to return to Denmark and resume your degree programme after the end of your leave. 

Permit due to maternity/paternity leave

As a rule, a permit to remain in Denmark is only issued in connection with maternity/paternity leave. If you want to stay in Denmark during your maternity/paternity leave or other types of leave, e.g. serious illness, you have to apply to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). 

Please note that the university is obligated to inform SIRI about your period of leave.

Before leaving:

• If you are going to study abroad, you can stay outside Denmark for up to six months. 

• After six months, your residence permit will lapse automatically, and you will have to apply again from your home country, unless you are granted a dispensation from lapse of your permit or are from a visa-free country, in which cases, you may reapply from Denmark. 

• If you leave Denmark for more than six months, you must always deregister from the CPR register. 

• If you give up your CPR address in Denmark while you are abroad, your study residence permit will automatically lapse. 

• You can maintain your CPR address for up to six months by, for example, subletting your home for a fixed period. You have to be able to document that you have access to your place of residence when you return. We recommend that you contact Citizens' Services (Borgerservice), as an individual assessment is required in each case. 

• Make sure that you get a confirmation of your study period abroad from your foreign university. The confirmation should include your name, the name of the host university, the duration of your stay and the name of the degree programme. 

• Check whether special rules apply for residence permits and entry visas for the country you are travelling to, including the countries you are travelling through to reach your destination country. The rules may vary from country to country. 

You will receive practical information before you leave about your study period abroad from the International Centre. 

When you return to Denmark:

• When you return to Denmark, and if your study period abroad has lasted less than six months, your original residence permit will apply. 

• If you have been away from Denmark for more than six months, you will have to apply for a new residence permit from your home country. 

• You should register at the Citizens' Services at DOKK1 as soon as possible after you enter Denmark. 

• Take with you a confirmation for Citizens' Services that you have been active at your host university during the period in question and take also an updated enrolment confirmation from Aarhus University.

If you are applying for Aarhus University and you have a Danish residence permit, then you must upload documentation for your residence permit to your application in order for Aarhus University to determine whether or not you are liable to pay tuition fees. 

You must upload the following documentation to your application:

• A copy of the front and back of your residence permit card 

• A copy of your residence permit letter wherein it states which paragraph your residence permit is issued by. 

In case of changed residence status during your enrolment, you must always notify Aarhus University and send in your new residence permit.