The answer to this question largely depends on which country you are a citizen of and also where you’re legally residing.
What is important to remember is that anyone travelling to Denmark for their wedding must do so legally, and so for some couples that means they must first obtain a visa.
But not all visas are the same.
And to add to this, some people are able to enter Denmark without a visa but they must still adhere to rules and regulations about how long they are allowed to stay in the Schengen area.
If you are not sure if you need a visa to get married in Denmark, then we highly recommend starting by first of all checking this really helpful Danish government website, where those countries from which a visa is required and also those countries that do not require a visa to travel to Denmark are listed.
The New to Denmark website is the official portal for foreign nationals who wish to visit, live or work in Denmark.
The most common types of Schengen visas that may be obtained are:
The Schengen visa will be issued by the authority (country) in which the visa was applied for. For example, if you apply for a visa with the German authorities, then it will state Germany on the visa but will also allow travel around the Schengen area.
It will state this clearly on the visa as cited on the specimen example:
Example of a Schengen C Visa - taken from Wikipedia
Here you can see the visa was issued by Germany / Deutschland / Allemagne as stated at the very top of the visa, but it also states just below this: Valid For: Schengen Staaten.
Simply put, this means the visa holder has been given permission by the German authorities to travel around the Schengen area using this visa.
Yes!
You can get married in Denmark using any type of visa, be that a tourist, student or work visa – as long as the visa is a Schengen visa (and does not expressly state that travel to Denmark is not permitted).
The tourist visa is probably the most common visa used by couples who travel to Denmark to get married.
But whichever visa you are issued, each will state a very specific set of information / instructions – this is for both the visa holder and for any authority checking the visa to be aware of to ensure the rules of the visa are upheld.
The information stated will usually be as follows:
Valid For
Where you are able to travel using that visa (ie which country)
Valid From
The date your visa is valid from (ie the date you are permitted to enter the country using that visa)
Valid Until
The date your visa expires (ie the date you must leave the country the visa is for)
Type of Visa
C or D visa (ie if your visa is a short stay or long stay visa)
Duration of Stay
How long you are allowed to stay with this visa (number of days)
Number of Entries
How many times you are permitted to enter, leave and then enter again with this visa
Issued In
The city & country where the visa was issued
Issued On
The date the visa was issued
Name of Visa Holder
Your name
Remarks
Here any specific information that it is felt is of note will be indicated here, such as if the visa is for study or for work.
It’s important to note that these rules vary from visa to visa so let’s take a look at how these variations present themselves in further detail below:
The C visa, also known as the ‘short stay’ visa, allows the visa holder to travel to the Schengen for a very specific period of time, often only for short periods at a time.
There are C visas that are issued for as little as 7 days and some for a maximum of 90 days (in 180 days) – and everything in between!
Some C visas are single entry visas – meaning that the holder of the visa can only enter the Schengen once and as soon as they leave, then they are not permitted to enter the Schengen again using that visa.
Some C visas are multi-entry – meaning that they can enter, leave and re-enter the Schengen as many times as they like during the period their visa is valid for (and adhering to the number of days the visa holder has been issued of course).
There are C visas that have a long validity period and some that have very short validity periods.
There are some C type visas whereby the 90/180 day rule comes into effect so please be aware of this when entering and travelling around the Schengen. You can read more about the 90/180 days rule below.
The D visa is also known as a ‘long stay’ visa and allows the visa holder to stay in the Schengen area for longer periods than the C type visa might ordinarily allow.
Most D visas will have a very long validity period, will often have no limit to the duration of stay (number of days permitted to stay) and will be multi-entry.
It has very similar rights as a permit in fact, and is perfect for those who wish to study or visit for work, in a Schengen country, for example, and so would be spending longer periods of time here.
With the D visa it is very important you adhere to the 90 / 180 day rule when travelling around the Schengen area. You can read more about the 90/180 days rule below.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: You are responsible for ensuring you understand the rules of your visa and that you adhere to them accordingly.
For example any overstays that occur due to confusion of how long you are permitted to stay within a particular validity period are your responsibility, and will be negatively and seriously viewed by any Schengen authority. This can result in a fine or even being blacklisted, affecting your ability to travel to Schengen freely again in the future.
The stamps in your Passport are important, as they prove that you haven’t overstayed your permitted time in the Schengen Area – or to show that you have!
Every time you enter the Schengen a dated stamp will be added to your passport. Likewise, every time you leave, a dated stamp will again be added to your passport. This is your own personal ‘record’ of time spent in the Schengen area.
Did you know that the date you enter and the date you leave each count as 1 day toward your permitted time in the Schengen?!
You can use the visa calculator below to estimate the numbers of days you will use on your trips.
Total Duration
37 Days
Days remaining
55 Days
Date of exit
DD/MM/YYYY
Email me these results:
