Permits: How to get residence permit and CPR number

If you are staying in Denmark for more than 3 months you will need a residence permit and a CPR number (personal identification number). Your CPR number enables you to get health insurance in Denmark.

Arrive in Denmark more than 6 weeks before study start

If you arrive more than 6 weeks before study start (or after our Orientation Day), you will need to go to the State Administration centre yourself for your residence permit, and then to Citizen Services in Aarhus for your CPR number.

Follow the links below for more information.

Registration for Nordic citizens

Nordic citizens are included under agreements between the Nordic countries that specify the right to enter and reside in Denmark without possession of a residence permit.

Citizens of Nordic countries do not need a residence and work permit, but they must bring along the Inter-Nordic Agreement for Change of Address and visit Citizen Services to obtain their Health Insurance Card and CPR number

Work permit

Nordic citizens are free to reside, study and work in Denmark without a permit.

Registration for EU/EEA citizens

For information about your EU/EEA residence permit, please see New to Denmark

When you have obtained your residence permit you must visit Citizen Services to obtain your Health Insurance Card and CPR number

Work permit

EU/EAA citizens automatically receive a work permit with their residency permit. We recommend that students work a maximum of 15 hours a week, in order to cope with the workload required for full-time studies.

Registration for non-EU/EEA citizens

Students who do not hold an EU/EEA passport must get a residence permit from the Danish authorities in their own country before coming to Denmark.

As soon as you have been accepted for admission to the Academy, we will start this application process and then send you all the necessary information.

You will then need to complete your part of the application and apply for a visa at a Danish embassy or general consulate in your country. If there is no Danish embassy in your country, you may contact the embassy from one of the other Schengen countries which represent Denmark in your country.

For further information on the rules applying for non-EU citizens, please see New to Denmark

Please note that you will be charged a processing fee to submit an application for a residence permit (about 2.000 DKK).

When you have obtained your residence permit and arrived ind Denmark you must visit Citizen Services to obtain your Health Insurance Card and CPR number

Work permit

If you are not a citizen of an EU/EEA country, Business Academy Aarhus will contact you and you will receive special guidance in what to do for your permits before and after you arrive in Denmark.

Non-EU citizens are limited to working no more than 20 hours a week, but full-time during the months of June, July and August. A work permit sticker will be placed in your passport.

Arrive in Denmark for study start

Info for the study start in August 2025.

When arriving in Aarhus, you must be issued with a CPR number (only for students living in the municipality of Aarhus) and an EU residence document, only for EU/EEA students. Non-EU students should have their residence permit before they arrive in Denmark.

If you arrive around the study start, you must participate in a “CPR day” at Dokk1. Here you can apply for both your CPR number and residence permit at the same time, and the process is streamlined for students.

We will explain the procedure in much more detail at the Orientation Day.

Please read and follow the procedure carefully.

The dates are as follows:

EU students: Tuesday 19 August, Tuesday 26 August, Tuesday 2 September or Tuesday 9 September 2025.
Non-EU and Nordic students: Wednesday 20 August or Wednesday 27 August 2025.

Nordic students

As a Nordic student, you must follow the procedure from the Citizen Service (find link further down the section) to:

Apply for a CPR number (Danish Social Security number) online – once you have a confirmed housing offer in the municipality of Aarhus)
Book an appointment to finish your registrations in person with Citizen Service at Dokk1 once you have applied for a CPR number online.

See available dates:

20 August
27 August

You must follow the registration process carefully and bring all the required documents to Dokk1.

Use either Chrome or Edge as your browser.

Go to the guide from Citizen Service for students from one of the Nordic countries residing in Denmark

EU/EEA and Swiss students

As an EU/EEA or Swiss student, you must follow the procedure from the Citizen Service (find link further down the section) to:

Apply for an EU residence document online.
Apply for a CPR number (Danish Social Security number) online – once you have a confirmed housing offer in the municipality of Aarhus.
Book an appointment to appear in person at Dokk1 to finish your registrations for an EU residence document from the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) and a CPR number from Citizen Service on.

See available dates:

19 August
26 August
2 September
9 September

You must follow the registration process carefully and bring all the required documents to Dokk1.

Use either Chrome or Edge as your browser.

Go to the guide from Citizen Service - for students from the EU, EEA or Switzerland

Important notice for EU/EEA and Swiss students: If you are unable to appear in person at Dokk1 on the dates above, you must follow the normal procedure to acquire an EU residence document and a CPR number, this is considerably more time-consuming.

Students from outside the EU/EEA

As a student from outside the EU/EEA you must follow the procedure from the Citizen Service (find link further down the section) to:

Apply for a CPR number (Danish Social Security number) online – once you have a confirmed housing offer in the municipality of Aarhus) and a residence permit.
Book an appointment to finish your registration in person with Citizen Service at Dokk1 once you have applied for a CPR number online.

See available dates:

20 August
27 August

You must follow the registration process carefully and bring the required documents to Dokk1.

Use either Chrome or Edge as your browser.

Go to the guide from Citizen Service - for students from outside the EU/EEA