Visa Rules

You may need or may not need a residence permit to study at International People’s College. Below, we have briefly listed the rules for Nordic citizens, European citizens and citizens outside the European Union. Please note that if you are accepted at our Danish Folk High School, you will receive instructions and we will guide you as what to do. While we are happy to provide guidance, it is your responsibility to follow up and make sure that you are staying in Denmark legally. If you have questions, please feel free to contact us by email.

Nordic Citizens

If you are from Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, you do not need to apply for a visa. Remember to bring your national ID or health insurance card – as well as your passport.

EU Citizens

EU citizens can stay in Denmark for 90 days without VISA. Before the 90 days expire, you must register at the State Administration in Copenhagen. We will provide you with the necessary application form and instructions.

Citizens from outside EU / EEA / Switzerland

In general, all other citizens – than those from the EU member states or Nordic countries – must apply for a residence permit aimed at studying in Denmark. Some countries are visa free and other countries require a visa to enter Denmark. Please check what applies to you here (you will need to scroll down to find the visa free countries).

If you have a residence permit upon arrival at IPC, we will register you at the municipality in Helsingør and after 5 – 6 weeks you will receive a public Danish health insurance (Yellow Card) as well as a CPR number.

Visa Free Countries

Citizens from visa free countries may enter Denmark and stay for 90 days without a visa; however, if they stay for more than 90 days in the Schengen area (EU) they will have to apply for a residence permit aimed at studying before the 90 days expire. As a general rule at the date of entry, a stay in another Schengen country – within the past 180 days – will count towards the 90 visa free days. You may also choose to apply for residence permit from your home country.

Countries with a Visa Requirement

If you are a citizen from one of the countries requiring a visa, it is necessary to start the process from your home country. Once you have paid the fees to IPC you will receive instructions as how to apply for visa/residence permit from the IPC office.

Please note that when you are granted a residence permit, the Embassy will stamp your passport granting you a 90-day visa just to enter Denmark. Once you are registered in Denmark this visa is void and the date of expiry in your residence permit will be the valid date for leaving Denmark.

Visa/Residence Application Process

You will have to pay a processing fee to Immigrations to get a case order ID. We will include this in your acceptance letter and we will transfer the amount to Immigrations when we start the process.

As soon as you have paid the school fees including the processing fee for immigrations, IPC will start the visa application process online and send you the link to complete the application. You will need to print out a receipt for having completed your part of the application form. You will have to make an appointment with the Danish Embassy or representation in your area within 14 days of having received your link from IPC (it expires after 14 days)! At the Danish Embassy or representation, you will hand in the application receipt as well as submit your biometrics (photo, fingerprints and signature) and participate in an interview concerning the purpose of your stay in Denmark. Once the above is done, you will have to wait for the result, which can take several months.