Start-up Denmark: residence for an innovative founder

Eligibility & suitability

An innovative-business route for an active founder

Start-up Denmark is intended for an innovative business with growth potential that receives expert-panel approval. The applicant must be an active owner involved in operating the approved business. Teams of up to three people can apply around the same plan, subject to the individual requirements.

This is not a passive-investment residence programme. Ordinary restaurants, retail, small trading and import/export activities will not normally qualify merely because they are newly formed. The business case needs to explain the innovation, market, scaling potential and the applicant’s real role.

The panel and immigration decisions are different stages

First establish whether the business idea can receive the expert panel’s approval. That approval supports, but does not replace, the residence and work application to SIRI. The official route has an annual limit of 75 foreign nationals, which is another reason not to treat company registration as the decisive event.

For a founder, a useful preparation file connects the product and market story with ownership, funding, milestones and the work to be performed in Denmark. A commercially attractive business can still fail this particular immigration test, while an approved plan still needs execution and ongoing compliance.

Separate public charges, maintenance and business funding

The principal application fee is DKK 3,060 in 2026, separate from family charges and the capital needed to operate the business. Personal maintenance evidence is also required. The official page currently labels its displayed maintenance amounts as 2025 levels; this guide does not present those as verified 2026 thresholds.

Confirm the current indexed amount for the exact household before filing. SIRI does not accept crypto or stablecoin holdings as maintenance evidence; they must be converted into an accepted national currency. Separate the evidence for household support from the money needed to operate the business, and budget documentation, housing and professional work independently of the public fee.

The permission follows the approved business

An initial permission can be granted for up to two years, with extensions of up to three years where conditions remain satisfied. It authorises the approved business; a new business or materially different work can require a new permission. Unrelated paid employment should not be assumed to be authorised.

The official route warns that giving up the Danish address or remaining abroad for more than six consecutive months can cause the permission to lapse, with possible dispensation under the relevant rules. A founder planning frequent travel should test that plan before relying on the permit as a largely absent status.

The household needs its own implementation plan

The ordinary accompanying-family categories are a spouse/registered partner, qualifying cohabitant and children under 18. Proof of household maintenance is relevant for this route. A partner working in the founder’s business or a closely related company may need separate work permission.

Arrange the relationship documents and children’s custody evidence alongside the business submission. If a child will approach adulthood during the process, do not assume the initial age automatically settles every later application or extension.

Commercial and tax readiness still matter

Expert-panel approval does not resolve company tax residence, VAT, founder remuneration or the Danish treatment of foreign interests. Build an operating plan that includes who makes decisions, where development and sales occur, how the company will bank and how the household is funded.

For an inquiry, share a concise business description, the innovation and market, ownership, funding, forecast activity in Denmark and the family’s timeline. Offshore Capitalist can assess the international structure and coordination needed. Any Danish application support or local specialist role must be confirmed in the engagement scope.