How to immigrate and work in Denmark as a dentist?

Step 1. Gather the documents.  

Now you must gather the list of supporting documents and send them to the Danish officials; 

• Documents of changing your nem, marriage certificate. 
• Educational documents in the EU. 
• EU diploma (if applicable). 
• Certificate of good standing or Certificate of current professional status. It must state that you have permission to work as a dentist in your home country. It can not be older than 3 months ago at the time of application. 
• Completing specialist training certificate. If applicable and it must have been issued by the competent health authority in the country you have practiced dentistry. 
• Certificate of completing specialist qualifications (if applicable). 
• Certificate of conformity that you meet the training requirements. 
• Power of attorney, if someone else is applying on your behalf, like an agent or a Danish company. 
• Translation. If your documents are not in English or Danish, you need to have them translated into one of these languages, but you do not need translation if you apply from Sweden and Norway.
• Identity documents and a copy of your passport:
  • name, 
  • date of birth. 
  • Nationality.

Note; you should also make it clear where you have worked in the last 5 years. 

Note: If you do not send a translated version of your documents, you should expect a longer processing time. 

The translation must be from the university, the authority that issued the document, or a verified translation office in the heading and stamps with the address and telephone number. 

After you gather all of these documents, you have to send them electronically to the Danish officials at their email address; [email protected]. If you email the documents, you have to ensure that the quality of the scanned form of documents is good and readable. 

You can also post the documents to this postal address; 

Danish Patient Safety Authority Registration and EU Health Insurance Islands Brygge 67 2300 Copenhagen 

Note: If you send an original copy of documents, you have to prepare a copy of them as well. The copy must be in A4 format and without paper clips, folders, etc. 

You should also include a postal address in your application. The original form of documents will be sent back to your postal address. 

Step 2. Assessment of application

After you send the documents to Danish officials, they will send you an email and confirm that they have received the documents. If there is one part missing or they need further supporting documents, they notify you to submit them as well. 

It takes up to 3 months until the Danish officials complete assessing your documents. You would better submit a full and complete list of supporting documents as the officials ask for another document, as the processing time will be longer. 

The authorities will send you the result through email. If the decision is negative, they will notify you about the assessment result before they send you the final decision. 

Read our comprehensive article to learn how to immigrate to Denmark as a doctor. 

Step 3. The results. 

After you receive the positive result, you will be registered with the Danish healthcare system. The permission to work independently as a dentist or specialist registration will appear on the online register of healthcare professionals. You, the employers, and anyone with your information can check your status on this platform. You can move to Denmark and begin your work as a dentist as the authorization permits you. You will receive your registration ID, and with other personal information, you can enter the online register of healthcare professionals. 

You do not need a visa or work permit to work in Denmark for the long term. You just need to ensure the local officials. 

Non-EU/EEA/Nordic countries.

This procedure is for three types of dentists who want to work in Denmark; 

1. If you are a national of a non-EU/EEA country and you have finished your dental training in a non-EU/EEA country.
2. You are a national of a non-EU/EEA country and have completed dental training in an EU/EEA country but not Denmark. 
3. You are a national of an EU/EEA country, and you have finished your dental training in a non-EU/EEA country. The point is that you have permission to apply for registration under the special EU/EEA provisions. You can do this if you have work experience for at least 3 years in another EU/EEA country.

Step 1. Application form and supporting documents. 

Before you start gathering the documents, you need to know to look at the duration of your dental education. Is it less than 5 years? If yes, you would better not apply and end the process here. Why? Because the Danish officials do not recognize your education to be equivalent to the Danish one in terms of quality and quantity, you will be rejected. 

You would better know that the duration of the dental program in Denmark is 5 years and one year of training. 

6-year rule

You should also know about the 6-year rule. If 6 years has passed since the end of your education and the date you are applying to work in Denmark, you must have one year of work experience as a professional dentist to become eligible and immigrate and work in Denmark as a dentist. If it is not so, your application will be rejected. 

If you meet the above rules, you must complete the online application form and send the printed version along with the other documents to Danish officials. You can access the application form from the Danish Patient Safety Authority website. 

This is the list of the supporting documents you must gather. You have to submit two copies of documents besides the original or a certified copy of the documents you submit. 

You should also follow the order of documents. The number of this order must be followed; 

1. Identity documents, name, date of birth, and nationality, plus a certified copy of your passport’s first page. 
2. Document of name change if you have changed your name. 
3. The translation of the document that you have changed your name if it’s not in English. 
4. Diploma of completing your primary education as a dentist.
5. Your CV. It must list your qualifications and work experience in the time order you received. 
6. Your diploma plus the translation into English/Danish if it’s not in these two languages. 
7. Verification of degree. You have to get your educational degree verified.

Remember that the university or education center must send the certificate or diploma directly to the Danish Patient Safety Authority.

The name of the center must be on the envelope, and it must be sealed. If the certificate is not in English, the Danish Patient Safety Authority sends the certificate to you, and you have to get it translated by a verified translation office. The essential point is that the Danish officials will not accept the certificate if you, as the applicant, send it to them. 

8. Your transcripts of the educational program. It must include; 

• Duration of the program
• Theoretical education: subjects and lecture hours of each subject
• Clinical education: subjects and clinical hours of each subject
• Number of weeks per semester

9. Translation of your transcript. 
10. Validation of registration. You must validate your registration by the competent authority in the country you have passed your training or the country you have lived most recently. It also gets called a Certificate of Current Professional Status/certificate of good standing. 

The relevant authority must complete and send the form or the issued certificate to the Danish Patient Safety Authority. If you, as the dentist applicant, send the form, the authorities will not accept it. 

Remember that the sent certificate must confirm that you are legally allowed to work as a dentist and that you have not broken the rules or been found guilty of a crime. It can not be older than 3 months ago, and if it is not in English, Danish officials will assess it and send it to you so you get it translated by a verified translator. 

11. The six rules. You need documents of at least 12 months of professional work experience as a dentist. It is true if six years have passed since completing your education. The document must verify your full employment and detailed information about your daily professional tasks.

If the 6-year rule is true for you and you do not have full-time work experience, part-time work experience equivalent to 12 months will suffice as well. But the work experience must have been in the latest 6 years to the date you apply to Danish officials. 

12. Additional information or supplementary documentation. If there are important documents that need to be assessed in your application, you have to send them. 
13. Power of attorney if another person, including job centers, municipalities, etc., handles your application.

After you are done gathering the documents, you have to post them to this address; 

Danish Patient Safety Authority, Registration, and EU Health Insurance, Islands Brygge 67, 2300 Copenhagen.

Note; The original form of numbers 7 and 10 in the above list must always be sent. You will receive the original documents by post to your address after evaluation. 

If you send copies of your documents, you have sent a certified copy of them. It must be verified by one of these options; 

• embassy/consulate, 
• notary public, 
• the police, 
• or the authority that issued the document

The copied documents must have a stamp in English or Danish that they are verified copies of the original documents. Whoever the authority verifies the documents is, they must be accessible and identifiable by Danish officials. These items can not certify the copies of your documents; 

• private individuals, 
• employees of employment agencies 

Step 2. Assessment of the application.

After the Danish Patient Safety Authority receives your application and documents, they will send you an email land confirm the receipt of the documents. You should also check the spam section as you might receive their email in this part. If one part is missing or the Patient Safety Authority needs further documents, they will tell you to send them, but you do not receive confirmation for this part. 

Danish officials assess your application and evaluate whether you are eligible to take the tests in the following steps. 

After completing the assessment, the Danish Patient Safety Authority informs you of the result through; 

• An email. 
• Danish digital mailbox, if you hold a Danish CPR number
• A letter 

If the decision is positive, you will receive information about how to get Danish authorization and permission to work independently as a dentist. But this information is not permitted to work as a dentist. You have to follow a few other stages as well. 

If you change your address or home, you have to inform the Danish officials. If they send you a letter, you have to receive it and in case of changing address, things get complicated. 

The processing time is a bit long. For instance, the applications received in the second half of 2020 will be processed in the second quarter of 2023. 

There are two conditions that speed up the process of your application; 

• Having a Danish CPR number.  
• Living in Denmark and having the Danish CPR Register. 

If your CPR registration is complete, the Danish officials will prioritize your application automatically. But if they do not know that you are in Denmark, you should inform them through an email or by phoning them: +45 72 28 66 00. 

Step 3. Language test. 

At this stage, you have to pass the Danish language test to become eligible for the next stages. It’s a must to pass this test and submit the certificate. Forget mastering English and working in Denmark as a dentist speaking English. You have to be proficient in Danish and submit the certificate. 

You can also take the tests before submitting your documents for registration. But it must be less than 12 months before you apply for registration. If you prove to stay in Denmark after taking the test, the 12 months rule doesn’t apply to you. 

The test is called Prøve i dansk 3 (Danish 3 Exam. The least required score is 10, 7, 7.

It consists of a written and an oral part;

• reading comprehension, 
• written communication 
• oral communication.

 The least required score for the oral part is 10. For the reading and writing part, the least required score is 7. 

You can take the tests twice a year. There are two dates to take the test; 

• May/June.  
• November/December. 

There are various language centers in Denmark where you can take the test with one of them. 

In some cases, you do not need a language proficiency certificate. You do not need it if one of these options is true for you: 

1. You have passed the Danish 3 Exam and got the required scores. It has been no more than 12 months of submitting the documents. 
2. You have lived in Denmark after you passed the exam and got the required scores.
3. You have passed a Danish upper secondary education.
4. You have completed one of these exams and got the diploma; 

• Higher preparatory examination (enkeltfag). 
• GIF (Gymnasiale indslusningsforløb for flygtninge og indvandrere). 
• International Baccalaureate (IB). 
• Education in Denmark at universities, business schools, and nursing schools.
• Studieprøven from language centers.

After you take the test, you have to post the test results to the Danish Patient Safety Authority. The original certificate will be returned to your postal address. 

If you are in Denmark and received the result of your test, you can deliver the test result in person to the Danish Patient Safety Authority. 

This is the contact detail so you can reach them to know when and where you can submit the test result. 

Telephone: +45 72 28 66 00

E-mail: [email protected] 

The officials will send you an email land inform you how to register for the dental test. 

Step 4. Dental test. 

After the officials verify the language test results, you have to take the dental test. The Patient Safety Authority will notify the University of Copenhagen, and you will be registered for the written part of the exam. If you do not want to or can not take it, you have to unregister from the test. If you do not unregister for the exam and miss the deadline, you will have one failure to attend in your history. 

You have permission to unregister your exam one month before the date. You have to contact the examination office or visit them in person to unregister. 

What if you get sick and can not take part in the exam?

In this case, you need a medical certificate from your own doctor. It must contain the doctor’s stamp and provider ID. You have to send it to the officials no less than three days after getting sick. 

Remember that if there are not enough applicants for the test, the Danish Patient Safety Authority might cancel the test, and you will have to take it at another time. 

The structure of the dental test.  

The test consists of a written test and an oral test and is held twice a year, in May and November.

The written test takes four hours. There are questions related to dentistry that you have to answer: 

• cardiology 
• endodontics 
• periodontics 
• oral rehabilitation/prosthetics 
• oral surgery 
• radiology 
• oral physiology 
• pediatric dentistry (child patient) 

There is no score result, and it is a pass/fail test. You have to get the pass result. 

Then comes the oral test. Danish officials access you to the KU self-service system at KUnet. You can register for the oral exam through this service. 

Step 5. Take the course in Danish health legislation. 

After passing the dental test, you have to take a course in Danish health legislation. It’s a 3-day course taking place at the Danish Patient Safety Authority. You do not have to pay any fees, and you will receive meals at this time. 

The course is made up of group teaching and group work. There are three modules in the course, and you have to take a written test at the end of each module. 

Module 1. The structure of the Danish healthcare system. 

You will find out about the Danish health service and its organization. Also, you will learn about the damage possibility and the supervisory function of the Danish Patient Safety Authority.

Module 2 – what are the patient’s rights?

You will know about the patient’s rights and get familiar with the cases that have been difficult to manage. The course provides information about confidentiality, informed consent, and legally incapable people’s rules and regulations. 

The purpose of the second module is to provide the participants with extensive knowledge of fundamental patient rights with particular emphasis on situations that have been difficult to handle in practice for healthcare professionals trained outside Denmark. The special focus will be on informed consent, legally incapable persons, and confidentiality.

Module 3 – dentist; obligations and rights.

You will get familiar with your obligations authorized by the officials and healthcare professionals. Also, you will know how your rights can be affected/restricted.

After the Danish officials confirm your language test results, you can apply to take the course. You have to send an email to the officials at [email protected] and send your; 

• name, 
• date of birth 
• case number

After 14 days, you will receive a confirmation by digital post to follow the next stage. 

It is mandatory to take part in all of the courses and if you can not, you can take the course another time, but the time will be longer for you. 

If you can not take part in the course, you have to unregister for it. To do so, you have sent a written note to the official email address; [email protected]. 

If you do not unregister, it will be counted as one attempt, and you only have three attempts. 

If you get sick and can not take part in the course, you need a medical certificate from your own doctor, with the doctor’s stamp and provider ID. You have to send it to the same email address. The email must be sent no later than three working days after you find out about your illness. 

After you complete the course, the Danish Patient Safety Authority will send you a letter and confirm completing the course. 

Step 6. Employment for training and adaptation. 

After you receive the letter from the Danish Patient Safety Authority that your training is over, you can apply for employment in Denmark to get training and adapt yourself to the healthcare system in the country. This is to improve your skills, and familiar with the dentist’ procures in Denmark. But you have to take the training no more than 12 months after taking the dental tests or the educational course. 

You have to find a job with a dental clinic in Denmark. The clinic will evaluate your work and send a report to the Danish Patient Safety Authority after 1 month and in the last month of the employment. So you have to work hard and prove yourself to the clinic and the Danish Patient Safety Authority. 

Evaluation authorization. 

It is your responsibility to find a job and apply for it. After you find the training position, you must apply for an evalueringsautorisation (or Evaluation authorization) to the Danish Patient Safety Authority to start the training. This permission is only to take the training, and you have no permission to work:  

1. for another clinic 
2. in a temporary position 
3. at the weekend 
4. or during your holiday.

You need permission to work in the training position and have to wait for it to be issued. 

You have to send an email to [email protected] with this information to get the Evaluation authorization: 

• Name
• Address
• Telephone number.
• Date of birth
• The clinic you take the training and its contact detail;
  • , telephone number, 
  • email, and 
  • postal address
• The name of the authorized dentist who will evaluate your work or training. 
• Employment contract with information about the start date of your evaluation employment. It must contain all the detail of employment,
• Your updated CV. 
• Your journal number (if applicable). 

It takes up to 14 days for the Evaluation authorization to be issued. You have to wait for it then you can begin your training. 

The result of the assessment.

After you complete the training, the clinic will send the assessment result to the Danish Patient Safety Authority. If the assessment is positive, you get Danish authorization and permission to work independently as a dentist.

If the assessment is negative and you can not improve your clinical or communication skills, the Danish Patient Safety Authority will decide about your case by your situation. The decision with them is up to your conditions. 

Do not forget the declaration of “good standing.” 

While you prepare for the training or apply for “Evaluation authorization,” make sure that the competent health authorities where you got your degree or training have sent the declaration of “good standing” to the Agency for Patient Safety.

It verifies that you have permission to work as a dentist in your home country or the country you received your degree. 

Step 7. Specialties Oral Surgery and Orthodontics.

You can work as a dentist in Denmark after you get your Danish authorization and permission. Also, you can begin your training to become a specialist in Oral Surgery and Orthodontics or apply for an assessment of your already foreign specialist dental education.

The training to become an Orthodontics takes 3 years, and it takes place at Dental schools in Copenhagen and Aarhus.

The training to become Oral Surgery takes 5 years, and it takes place at competent hospital departments.

Specialist training outside EU/EEA. 

If you have completed your Oral Surgery and Orthodontics training outside of the EU/EEA, Liechtenstein, or Switzerland, you can apply for an assessment of your certificate. But it must be after passing the above stages and getting permission to work as a dentist in Denmark. 

You should contact the Danish Health Authority and send them an email to their email address [email protected]. They will guide you on the stages you have to follow to become a specialist in Denmark. 

You have to pay DKK 4,165 and send the supporting documents. The processing time is about 3 months.