Kingdom of Denmark vs Republic of Ireland
A neutral side-by-side of immigration systems, routes and regulators. Each row links to the underlying visa page with its primary government source.
Last reviewed:
Source basis
This comparison combines Kingdom of Denmark and Republic of Ireland government portals with the primary sources for each side's dominant skilled route. Every detailed figure links through to the underlying route or data page.
Reviewed
Primary sources
- New to Denmark — Official immigration portal
SIRI / Ministry of Immigration and Integration - verified
- Immigration Service Delivery
Department of Justice (Ireland) - verified
- New to Denmark — Pay Limit Scheme
SIRI (Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) - verified
- DETE — Critical Skills Employment Permit
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland) - verified
Kingdom of Denmark
Denmark's immigration is administered by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) under the Ministry of Immigration and Integration. Key skilled-migration schemes include the Pay Limit Scheme (salary threshold), Positive List (shortage occupations), Fast-Track Scheme (certified employers), and Start-Up Denmark for entrepreneurs. Permanent residence requires 8 years of legal residence (reducible to 4 with full-time employment and Danish language).
- Official portal
- SIRI / Ministry of Immigration and Integration
- Languages
- Danish
- Currency
- Danish krone
Republic of Ireland
Ireland operates an employment permits system administered by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (DETE), with immigration permissions separately issued by Immigration Service Delivery (ISD). The Critical Skills Employment Permit is the headline route for high-skill migration.
- Official portal
- Department of Justice (Ireland)
- Languages
- Irish, English
- Currency
- Euro
How Kingdom of Denmark and Republic of Ireland differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of Denmark | Republic of Ireland |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 7 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 1 | 4 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 6 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Pay Limit Scheme -> permanent residence after 8 years, or 4 years for strongest cases -> citizenship after meeting naturalisation conditions. | Arrival → Stamp 4 (2 years on CSEP, 5 on GEP) → citizenship (5 years reckonable, typically year 6–7 from arrival). |
| Dominant skilled visa | Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) | Critical Skills Employment Permit |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | DKK 552,000/year | €40,904/year |
| Skilled visa processing time | SIRI lists normal Pay Limit Scheme processing at 1 month, with up to 3 months where additional information is needed. | DETE publishes current processing dates weekly; Critical Skills Employment Permits are consistently prioritised over General permits, typically 3–6 weeks for trusted-partner employers. |
| Skilled visa government fees | Denmark lists a DKK 6,810 fee for the Pay Limit Scheme work-permit application and DKK 3,080 per accompanying family member to an employee. | A Critical Skills Employment Permit to Ireland costs around €1,300 in government fees for a single applicant — the CSEP fee is typically employer-borne, so the worker's out-of-pocket cost is closer to €300. |
| Official languages | Danish | Irish, English |
| Currency | Danish krone | Euro |
| Primary regulator | Advokatsamfundet | Law Society |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 1 |
Skilled-route head-to-head
Comparing each country’s most-used skilled-migration route side by side.
Kingdom of Denmark
Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen)
- Salary minimum
- DKK 552,000/year
- Government fees
- Denmark lists a DKK 6,810 fee for the Pay Limit Scheme work-permit application and DKK 3,080 per accompanying family member to an employee.
- Processing time
- SIRI lists normal Pay Limit Scheme processing at 1 month, with up to 3 months where additional information is needed.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Republic of Ireland
Critical Skills Employment Permit
- Salary minimum
- €40,904/year
- Government fees
- A Critical Skills Employment Permit to Ireland costs around €1,300 in government fees for a single applicant — the CSEP fee is typically employer-borne, so the worker's out-of-pocket cost is closer to €300.
- Processing time
- DETE publishes current processing dates weekly; Critical Skills Employment Permits are consistently prioritised over General permits, typically 3–6 weeks for trusted-partner employers.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Recent policy activity
Last 6 months. Each entry links to its primary government source.
- 28 May 2026Republic of Ireland
Ireland announces employment-permit occupation list changes
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment announced occupation-list changes to support housing, health and transport needs, including additions to the Critical Skills Occupation List and removals from the Ineligible Occupations List.
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Ireland)
Routes unique to Republic of Ireland
Visa routes side by side
Kingdom of Denmark (5)
Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years; renewable if employment continues.
Positive List Scheme (Positivlisten)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years; renewable.
Fast-Track Scheme (Fast-Track-ordningen)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · Up to 4 years.
Student Residence Permit
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Duration of studies; renewable annually.
Family Reunification (Familiesammenfoering)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Tied to the sponsor's residence status. Leads to permanent residence on the same conditions as work-permit holders.
Republic of Ireland (7)
Critical Skills Employment Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years initially; leads to Stamp 4 permission and long-term residence after 2 years.
General Employment Permit
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years initially; renewable; longer-term residence possible after 5 years.
Start-up Entrepreneur Programme (STEP)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Initial 2-year permission; renewable; leads to Stamp 4 after 5 years.
Stamp 4 permission
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Typically issued for 1–5 years at a time; renewable.
Irish Student visa (Stamp 2)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · Up to 1 year at a time; renewable during studies.
Join Family (Irish national or EEA national)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Variable — usually 1–3 years at a time; leads to Stamp 4.
Immigrant Investor Programme (IIP — closed)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Closed to new applicants.
Frequently asked questions
How long does permanent residence typically take in Kingdom of Denmark vs Republic of Ireland?+
Kingdom of Denmark: Pay Limit Scheme -> permanent residence after 8 years, or 4 years for strongest cases -> citizenship after meeting naturalisation conditions.. Republic of Ireland: Arrival → Stamp 4 (2 years on CSEP, 5 on GEP) → citizenship (5 years reckonable, typically year 6–7 from arrival).. Both timelines are route-dependent — see each country’s settlement page for the breakdown per visa.
Which country has an easier skilled-migration route, Kingdom of Denmark or Republic of Ireland?+
Kingdom of Denmark’s Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) requires a salary of at least DKK 552,000/year; Republic of Ireland’s Critical Skills Employment Permit requires €40,904/year. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Which immigration system has changed more recently, Kingdom of Denmark or Republic of Ireland?+
In the last 6 months: 0 logged policy changes for Kingdom of Denmark, 1 for Republic of Ireland. See the recent-policy section above for the details, each linked to its primary source.
Does Kingdom of Denmark or Republic of Ireland have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Republic of Ireland has more: 4 of its covered routes can be pursued without an employer sponsor, against 1 for Kingdom of Denmark. No-sponsor routes — such as digital-nomad, self-employment, and points-based skilled migration — matter most if you do not yet have a job offer.
Is the main skilled visa cheaper in Kingdom of Denmark or Republic of Ireland?+
Comparing the dominant skilled route in each country: Denmark lists a DKK 6,810 fee for the Pay Limit Scheme work-permit application and DKK 3,080 per accompanying family member to an employee. By contrast, A Critical Skills Employment Permit to Ireland costs around €1,300 in government fees for a single applicant — the CSEP fee is typically employer-borne, so the worker's out-of-pocket cost is closer to €300. Those are government fees only and exclude relocation, qualification recognition, and living costs — open each fee page for the itemised breakdown.
Cite or reuse this dataset
This comparison is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Cite the page for the compiled head-to-head table and use the country-comparisons JSON endpoint to retrieve the indexed pair, destination profiles and underlying source datasets.
Suggested citation
Visa Atlas, "Kingdom of Denmark vs Republic of Ireland immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/denmark/vs/ireland. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons