Denmark Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for Denmark?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa for Denmark. If you live in the UK on a passport from a country that is not visa-exempt for Schengen, such as India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh or China, you need a Denmark Schengen visa: your UK residence status lets you live here, not travel to Denmark.

The Embassy of Denmark in London says you must have legal residence in the country you apply from. If you are in the UK on a visitor visa, you will generally need to apply in your home country instead. The Embassy also says holders of UK travel documents issued to non-British nationals need a visa for Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, and must include the Home Office letter they received with their residence or travel document.

British citizens can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, so every traveller, British citizens included, registers fingerprints and a facial image at the first Schengen crossing, whether at Copenhagen Airport or Billund. ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, has no confirmed launch date. Our EES and ETIAS guide tracks both.

You prove UK residence with a UKVI eVisa share code, not a BRP. Our eVisa share code guide shows how to generate one.

Denmark visa appointments in the UK

You book a Denmark visa appointment free of charge, in your own name, on VFS Global’s official system, and attend in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. Denmark is unusual in one respect: you must complete the online application and pay the visa fee on the Danish ApplyVisa portal before you can book.

There is no regional jurisdiction, so any UK resident can use any of the three centres. Every file is processed by the Embassy of Denmark at 55 Sloane Street, London SW1X 9SR (some cases are referred to the Danish Immigration Service for decision), which acts as Denmark’s UK visa hub and also handles visas for the Faroe Islands and Greenland. VFS collects your documents and fingerprints and returns your passport; it does not assess your case.

Important: Schengen Visa Support does not book, hold or supply visa appointments. Your Denmark appointment is booked free, in your own name, on the official VFS Global system. We help you complete ApplyVisa correctly, choose a centre and make the booking yourself.

London

London is the closest centre to the Embassy, and the Embassy counts 1 day of transport each way between VFS London and Sloane Street. It is usually the most convenient choice from London, the South East, the East of England and the South West. The street address appears on your VFS confirmation; check it there before you travel.

Manchester

Manchester is often more convenient from the North West, Yorkshire, the Midlands and North Wales. The Embassy allows 2 days of transport each way from Manchester, so a Manchester file takes about 2 days longer in total than a London one. The address is on your confirmation.

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is usually the nearest centre from Scotland, and some applicants from the North East or Northern Ireland choose it too. As with Manchester, the Embassy allows 2 days each way for transport to and from London. The address is on your confirmation.

How to book

1. Finish ApplyVisa and pay the fee. Print the cover letter (which is your application) and the payment receipt.
2. Wait up to 24 hours. The Embassy asks you to allow this so that your ApplyVisa record reaches VFS.
3. Book on the VFS Global Denmark UK site with your own email address, entering names exactly as they appear in each passport.
4. Print the confirmation and the Embassy checklist for your visit type.

If you cannot get an appointment online within 14 days, the Embassy says to contact VFS directly through the “Contact us” details on its site. Demand tends to rise before the spring and summer travel season and before Christmas trips, so book early. Check all three centres and look again at different times of day for cancellations. Our Schengen visa appointment guide has more on finding dates.

On the day

You sign the Embassy checklist declaration, and VFS marks each document YES or NO and countersigns it, then takes your passport and, in most cases, your biometrics. If you are also going to the Faroe Islands or Greenland, tell the VFS staff when you hand in your application. If your fingerprints were recorded for a Schengen visa application in the last 59 months, the Embassy says you may be able to submit a postal application through VFS instead; see the postal application instructions on the VFS site. Any optional services VFS offers do not affect the decision or the Embassy’s speed.

Denmark visa document checklist for UK residents

Every applicant needs the signed ApplyVisa cover letter and fee receipt, a passport, proof of UK residence and arrival date, insurance, a travel plan and 3 months of bank statements, plus the Embassy checklist for their visit type. The Embassy publishes six UK Schengen checklists (July 2026): Business; Conference, Seminar and Short Term Study; Tourism; Visit Family and Friends; Minors; and EU, EEA and Swiss Family Members, plus a separate checklist for Greenland and the Faroe Islands only. Each opens with a declaration you sign, so print yours and bring it to VFS.

The cover letter is your application. The checklist states that your signature must match your passport, so sign it the same way. Your passport must be signed, issued within the last 10 years, have 2 blank pages and be valid for 3 months after you leave Schengen. Bring your previous passport too, if you have one: the Embassy wants to see all earlier Schengen visas and stamps.

UK residence is where Denmark asks for an item many applicants miss. Besides an eVisa share code, the checklists ask for proof of when you first came to live in the UK, such as a UK D-sticker, an arrival stamp or a Home Office letter. The July 2026 checklists ask for UK residence valid at least 1 month beyond your trip, and the Embassy warns that if you qualify for a longer multiple-entry visa under the cascade rules, the expiry of your UK permission may mean a shorter visa than you expected.

Insurance must cover your travel dates and be valid for the entire Schengen area; the Danish checklists state no amount, so meet the Visa Code minimum of €30,000 that applies to every Schengen visa. See our travel insurance guide. The travel plan means a reserved return ticket and accommodation, or proof you can cover those costs; the Tourism checklist also asks for a day-by-day itinerary of what you will do in Denmark, and family visitors staying with their host need no separate accommodation booking. A reservation is enough: the Embassy recommends not buying tickets or paying for accommodation before approval. Bank statements must be original UK statements for the last 3 calendar months, showing your name and balance.

Employed

A signed letter from your employer on letterhead, less than 1 month old, stating your position and salary, plus your last 3 months’ payslips. Adding your approved leave dates helps, and the salary credits should match your statements.

Self-employed

The checklists ask for an accountant’s letter, signed, on letterhead and less than 1 month old, stating the annual salary you draw, plus your Self Assessment form from HMRC (an SA302 tax calculation is the usual way to show it). Our self-employed guide covers irregular income.

Students

A letter of enrolment or confirmation of student status from your school, college or university, less than 1 month old, plus your own bank statements. The adult checklists name sponsorship only by a spouse, so if a parent is paying for an adult student, ask VFS or the Embassy how to document it. See our students guide.

Retired

The checklists have no separate retired category. Pension statements or an award letter, with bank statements showing the pension being paid in, are the natural way to show your income.

Sponsored

If your spouse pays, the checklist asks for a sponsorship letter, their bank statements and your marriage certificate; for under-18s, a parent sponsors with a letter and their statements. For family and friends visits, your host gives you their online invitation (VU2) ID number from New to Denmark, or a signed, dated invitation stating your relationship and the visit dates, plus a copy of their passport data page and, if applicable, proof of Danish residence. The family relationship must be documented.

Children

Under-18s use the Minors checklist: a cover letter signed by a parent or guardian, an original birth certificate naming both parents (VFS stamps a copy), a UK school letter and proof of the trip’s purpose, plus custody papers or a death certificate where one parent has sole custody. If the child travels with only one parent or with neither, add written consent from both parents and both parents’ original passports with, where relevant, their share codes. Our children’s guide covers consent letters.

How much money do you need for a Denmark visa?

The Embassy’s July 2026 checklists give a daily guide that depends on your visit type, shown in original UK bank statements covering the last 3 calendar months. There is no fixed total: work out your days against the guide and make sure your statements support it.

For a tourist trip, that works out roughly as follows.

Treat these as the floor for spending money, not your whole budget. (The separate Greenland and Faroe Islands checklist uses DKK 350 to 500 a day instead, and asks that the statements show your full name and address.)

Copenhagen is an expensive city, so aim towards the upper figure if you are staying in hotels. Officers also look at the balance left after rent and bills, and at whether money arrived recently: a large unexplained deposit before applying usually hurts. A spouse or parent can sponsor you with their statements and proof of relationship. Our guide to bank statements for a Schengen visa explains how to present them.

Denmark visa fees from the UK

The Denmark visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to 11; children under 6 pay nothing. Unlike most Schengen countries, you pay it online in ApplyVisa, and VFS Global charges its own service fee separately. Some nationalities pay a reduced fee under EU visa facilitation agreements (for example €35 for nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus).

The Embassy refunds the visa fee if it finds the application inadmissible or decides Denmark is not your main destination, and returns your passport and documents. A refused application is not refunded. Non-EU family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens applying under EU rules pay no visa fee. Our Schengen visa fee guide compares costs across countries.

How long does a Denmark visa take from the UK?

A complete Denmark application is normally decided within 15 calendar days, but the Embassy currently quotes up to 20 days for applications received after 8 September 2026. Cases referred for further checks or to the Danish Immigration Service can take up to 45 days.

The clock starts when the Embassy registers your file, not on the day of your appointment, so add transport time: 1 day each way from London, 2 days each way from Manchester or Edinburgh. Business applications and those under EU free-movement rules are prioritised. You can apply up to 6 months before travel; files received less than 15 calendar days before travel may be deemed inadmissible.

For summer and December trips, add two to three weeks. Our processing time guide explains what causes delays.

Denmark visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents apply for a short-stay Schengen visa (type C), valid for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The Embassy’s checklist structure tells you which category you fall into.

• Tourism: accommodation bookings and a day-by-day itinerary, such as Copenhagen, Roskilde and a day in Helsingør.
• Visiting family and/or friends: your host’s online invitation (VU2) ID number, or a signed, dated invitation stating your relationship and the visit dates, with a copy of the host’s passport data page. Make sure the host’s details match what you enter in ApplyVisa.
• Business: an online invitation ID (VU1), the signed invitation form VU5 or a signed, dated letter on letterhead with the company’s Danish CVR number, explaining the purpose and dates and giving the host’s contact details, plus your UK employer’s letter. The Embassy recommends the host uses the New to Denmark form and prioritises business files.
• Conference, seminar and short-term study: a dated, signed invitation on letterhead or other proof of purpose and dates; for conferences, seminars and fairs, proof of (paid) registration or an entry ticket.
• EU, EEA and Swiss family members: free, with priority processing. The Embassy adjusted its procedure for applications under EU rules on 1 October 2025, and its checklist states that family members of British citizens no longer qualify, so read its current guidance before you apply.
• Faroe Islands and Greenland: outside Schengen and not covered by a standard Schengen visa. If you need both, make one application on the Schengen checklist and tell VFS; if you are going there only, use the Greenland and Faroe Islands checklist.
• Airport transit: some nationalities need an airport transit visa even to change planes at Copenhagen. Check the European Commission list before you book.

UK students travelling on holiday apply as tourists, with a university letter as proof of ties. Stays longer than 90 days, for work, study or family reunification, need a Danish residence permit through New to Denmark, not a Schengen visa.

Denmark-specific tips

The Danish process catches UK applicants out in a few predictable places.

• ApplyVisa comes first. You cannot book VFS until the form is finished and paid, and you should wait up to 24 hours. Keep copies of your cover letter and payment receipt.
• Travel to Denmark first. The Schengen checklists warn that travelling to another Schengen country on a single-entry Danish visa, or before Denmark on a multiple-entry one, may mean denied entry, revocation and problems with future applications. Plan your route so Denmark is your first Schengen destination.
• Copenhagen and Malmö. The Øresund Bridge makes Sweden a short hop, but if you sleep more nights in Sweden or Norway, apply there. The Embassy asks you to apply for a Danish visa only if you are travelling to Denmark. Our guide on which country to apply to explains the rule.
• Faroe and Greenland trips. The Greenland and Faroe Islands checklist is for trips there only; if you also need a Schengen visa, you submit one application using the Schengen checklist for your visit type.
• Keep your phone on. The checklist declaration warns you may be asked for more information or a phone interview, and missing the deadline can count against you.
• Share codes expire after 90 days, so generate yours within a few weeks of your appointment.

Tip: Check the visa sticker as soon as your passport comes back: dates, number of entries, days allowed and territorial validity. Report any error to the Embassy before you travel.

Why Denmark visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Most Danish refusals come down to evidence, not eligibility.

• Signature problems: an unsigned ApplyVisa cover letter, or a signature that does not match the passport.
• Weak funds: statements that are not originals, do not cover 3 full calendar months, fall short of about £40 a day or show unexplained large deposits.
• UK residence gaps: no proof of arrival date, or UK residence that is not valid at least 1 month beyond the trip.
• Wrong main destination: most nights in Sweden or elsewhere, which leads to the file being returned unprocessed.
• Missed deadlines: missing documents not supplied within 5 calendar days, or an unanswered request for information.
• Inconsistent details between ApplyVisa, bookings, the invitation and your cover letter.

Your refusal letter says which authority to appeal to and how. If the Embassy refuses you, you can appeal to the Danish Immigration Service (Udlændingestyrelsen) no later than 8 weeks after you received the decision, using its online contact form or by post to Farimagsvej 51A, DK-4700 Næstved. Include your case number, full name, nationality, the date of the decision and your grounds. Where the Danish Immigration Service itself made the refusal, the appeal goes to the Immigration Appeals Board, also within 8 weeks (for a Greenland or Faroe Islands visa refused by the Danish Immigration Service, to the Ministry of Immigration and Integration). If you were refused for insufficient information, you can ask the authority that refused you to reopen the case, using documents about your circumstances at the time; if your circumstances have changed, you make a new application. Our refused Schengen visa guide compares both routes, and our pricing page covers refusal review.