Foreign health professions who come to work in Denmark, need to apply to the Danish Patient Safety Authority to get their qualifications authorised in Denmark.
These include the following 19 jobs:
Medical doctor, nurse, dentist, physiotherapist, chiropodist, chiropractor, clinical dental technician, clinical dietician, dental hygienist, emergency medical technician, medical laboratory technologist, midwife, occupational therapist, optometrist, osteopath, prescribing pharmacist, prosthetist and orthotist, radiographer, social and healthcare assistants.
The authorisation process and the required documentation, depends on the country of your nationality and the country where you obtained your qualification and education. But it is needed for both EU/EEA and non-EU citizens and there is a fee for the authorisation.
The processing times for the authorisation process have been extremely long, with waits of up to 33 months reported by The Local in 2021. Spending to reduce those times was later announced by the government amid criticism from the parliamentary ombudsman. The waiting time has now been reduced to two months, according to the Health Ministry, with potential to reduce further.
READ ALSO: Why does Denmark take so long to authorise foreign medical professionals?
It is only after authorisation, that the professionals can pass their other criteria tests, apart from the language exam, which can be taken before authorisation.
As of February 2023, nurses outside of the EU no longer need to have passed the Danish language exam Prøve i dansk 3. Instead, they can demonstrate their Danish language ability, in line with the requirements used for nurses from EU and EEA countries. The change was made in an effort to reduce hospital waiting times.
Foreign dentists need to have passed Prøve i dansk 3, dental tests and a course on Danish Health Legislation. Foreign doctors must pass the Prøve i dansk 3 language test, as well as medical exams and a course in Danish medical law before being able to start an evaluation period of working at two hospitals over a year.
The Danish Patient Safety Authority lists the criteria for each profession.
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