Kingdom of Denmark vs Italian Republic
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 Italian Republic 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
- Portale Immigrazione — Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior (Italy) - verified
- New to Denmark — Pay Limit Scheme
SIRI (Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) - verified
- EU Immigration Portal — Highly-qualified worker in Italy
European Commission / Italy - 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
Italian Republic
Italy issues entry visas (nulla osta) through consulates and residence permits (permesso di soggiorno) through questure (police immigration offices). The Decreto Flussi annual quota system governs most work-immigration. Italy is globally notable for its jus sanguinis citizenship-by-descent route, the EU Blue Card, and the new Digital Nomad Visa (2024). The Elective Residence Visa targets retirees and independently wealthy applicants.
- Official portal
- Ministry of the Interior (Italy)
- Languages
- Italian
- Currency
- Euro
How Kingdom of Denmark and Italian Republic differ
| Dimension | Kingdom of Denmark | Italian Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Total routes covered | 5 | 5 |
| Routes without employer sponsor | 1 | 3 |
| Routes leading to permanent residence | 4 | 3 |
| Typical full settlement timeline | Pay Limit Scheme -> permanent residence after 8 years, or 4 years for strongest cases -> citizenship after meeting naturalisation conditions. | EU Blue Card/work permit -> EU long-term residence after about 5 years -> citizenship usually after 10 years legal residence. |
| Dominant skilled visa | Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) | EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE) |
| Skilled visa salary minimum | DKK 552,000/year | No fixed published floor |
| Skilled visa processing time | SIRI lists normal Pay Limit Scheme processing at 1 month, with up to 3 months where additional information is needed. | MAECI - The entry visa does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route. |
| 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. | — |
| Official languages | Danish | Italian |
| Currency | Danish krone | Euro |
| Primary regulator | Advokatsamfundet | CNF |
| Policy changes (last 12 months) | 0 | 0 |
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
Italian Republic
EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE)
- Salary minimum
- No fixed published floor
- Government fees
- —
- Processing time
- MAECI - The entry visa does not publish one fixed, route-wide end-to-end processing time that can be stated responsibly for this application route.
- Sponsor required
- Yes
- Leads to settlement
- Yes
Routes unique to Kingdom of Denmark
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.
Italian Republic (5)
Citizenship by Descent (Jure Sanguinis)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · Permanent — full citizenship.
EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE)
Sponsor · Leads to settlement · 2 years; renewable.
Digital Nomad Visa (Visto per Nomadi Digitali)
No sponsor · Non-settlement · 1 year; renewable.
Elective Residence Visa (Residenza Elettiva)
No sponsor · Leads to settlement · 1 year; renewable. Leads to long-term residence after 5 years.
Student Visa (Visto per Studio)
Sponsor · Non-settlement · The national visa covers entry for the approved course; the study residence permit is normally renewed in line with enrolment and academic progress.
Frequently asked questions
How long does permanent residence typically take in Kingdom of Denmark vs Italian Republic?+
Kingdom of Denmark: Pay Limit Scheme -> permanent residence after 8 years, or 4 years for strongest cases -> citizenship after meeting naturalisation conditions.. Italian Republic: EU Blue Card/work permit -> EU long-term residence after about 5 years -> citizenship usually after 10 years legal residence.. 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 Italian Republic?+
Kingdom of Denmark’s Pay Limit Scheme (Beloebsordningen) requires a salary of at least DKK 552,000/year; Italian Republic’s EU Blue Card (Carta Blu UE) requires No fixed published floor. “Easier” depends on your salary, sponsor situation, and nationality — see each visa’s eligibility detail.
Does Kingdom of Denmark or Italian Republic have more visa routes without an employer sponsor?+
Italian Republic has more: 3 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.
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 Italian Republic immigration comparison", https://visaatlas.org/compare/denmark/vs/italy. Last verified 27 June 2026.
- JSON endpoint
- https://visaatlas.org/api/public/country-comparisons