Internship — Architecture

You can be granted a residence permit as an intern in Denmark if you meet two conditions: You are enrolled in an educational programme in your home country or in a country where you have been a legal resident, and there are specific educational reasons for your internship in Denmark.

You must be at least 18 years old but cannot have turned 35 at the time of applying. The internship must supplement the educational programme you have begun in your home country or in the country where you have been a legal resident.

You cannot be granted a residence permit as an intern if you have completed your education as an architect.

The internship must be professionally related to your on-going educational programme.

Your place of internship must use the standard contract “Internship Agreement and Guidelines” made by Dansk Industri and the Danish Union of Architects and Designers.

The place of internship must be qualified to receive and train an intern. The architectural firm does not need a separate internship approval, but, in the standard contract, they should state the number of fully-trained architects and the number of interns working in the firm. SIRI will use this information to assess whether the firm is suited to be a place of internship.

You must be employed on terms that follow the applicable Danish collective agreements. This includes being employed full time and typically working 37 hours a week.

If you receive a salary during your internship, your salary must be at least DKK 7,426 (2026 level) per month. The salary must be stated in the standard contract.

You must be at least 18 years old but cannot have turned 35 at the time of applying.

The internship must supplement the educational programme you have begun in your home country or in the country where you have been a legal resident.

You cannot be granted a residence permit as an intern if you have completed your education as an architect.

The internship must be professionally related to your on-going educational programme.

Your place of internship must use the standard contract “Internship Agreement and Guidelines” made by Dansk Industri and the Danish Union of Architects and Designers.

If you receive a salary during your internship, your salary must be at least DKK 7,426 (2026 level) per month. The salary must be stated in the standard contract.

If you are employed in a paid internship, your salary and terms of employment must follow the applicable Danish collective agreements.

If your internship is without pay, you must provide documentation of your ability to support yourself during the full period of your internship. You must have an amount at your disposal corresponding to DKK 7,426 (2026 level) for each month you will be staying in Denmark.

You can only work in the position and in the place of internship that you have been granted a permit to work in.

If you are offered a new internship, you must apply for a new permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position, e.g. as a herdsman, in the same workplace.

Normally, you are not allowed to bring your family with you to Denmark with a residence permit as an intern.

If you are an intern within the healthcare sector, architecture or other fields, you can be granted a residence and work permit valid for up to 18 months. However, the validity period cannot exceed the length of the internship.

If you have several consecutive internship residences in Denmark, i.e. if you change internship host while you are in Denmark, the total duration of your stay may not exceed 18 months.

If your internship is extended, you can apply for an extension of your residence and work permit.