Denmark Visa from Dubai: VFS, the Consulate in Dubai, Fees and Documents

The short answer: Emiratis don't need a visa for Denmark: they can stay up to 90 days in any 180. Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals living in the UAE need a Schengen visa. You hand in your documents at VFS Global in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, but it isn't the Embassy of Denmark in Abu Dhabi that decides: that embassy sends every visa query to the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai, which assesses and decides every UAE application. The visa fee is EUR 90 for adults, paid online before your appointment, plus VFS's service charge of AED 81.28 at the centre. Processing takes about 15 days, and the checklist asks for three months of bank statements, not six.

Copenhagen's Nyhavn harbour, Tivoli Gardens and the Design Museum, with Aarhus and Odense a short train ride further, are why most UAE residents go. Denmark issues Schengen visas, so a Danish visa also covers the other Schengen countries, as long as Denmark is your main destination. It doesn't cover Greenland or the Faroe Islands: both belong to the Kingdom of Denmark but sit outside the Schengen area.

Denmark visa for UAE residents at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Emirati passport	No visa, up to 90 days in any 180
India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka	Schengen visa before travel
Who decides	The Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai, not the Embassy in Abu Dhabi
Where to apply	VFS Global, Wafi Mall in Dubai, or the World Trade Centre mall in Abu Dhabi
Visa fee	EUR 90 adults, EUR 45 children aged 6 to 11, free under 6
VFS service charge	AED 81.28, every applicant, tax included
Processing	About 15 days, up to 45 in more complex cases
Bank statements	Last 3 months, one of several accepted ways to show funds
Greenland and the Faroe Islands	Not covered by this visa; apply separately for either

Who needs a visa for Denmark

Whether you need a visa depends on your passport. UAE citizens have been able to visit Denmark and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa since May 2015. They will need the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation once it starts; it hasn't yet, and the EU says it will announce the date several months ahead.

Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals need a Schengen visa, and so do most other nationalities living in the UAE. EU rules say you apply in the country where you legally live, so UAE residents apply in the UAE, not at home.

Apply to Denmark if it is your main destination, where you spend the most nights. Five nights in Copenhagen and two in Stockholm is a Danish application; the reverse is a Swedish one. See our Schengen visa guide for how the rule works.

The Embassy of Denmark in Abu Dhabi doesn't take visa applications or decide them. Its own website says every consular matter, including visas, passports and attestations, goes to the Consulate General in Dubai, which handles Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands between them. The VFS centre in Abu Dhabi still exists for applicants who would rather not travel to Dubai to submit their documents, but your file goes to Dubai for a decision either way.

How to apply from Dubai or Abu Dhabi

1. Fill in the Schengen application and pay the visa fee online at applyvisa.um.dk, then print and sign the cover letter, and print your fee receipt.
2. Book an appointment on VFS Global's Denmark site for the UAE, at the Dubai centre in Wafi Mall (level 2, Falcon Phase 2) or the Abu Dhabi centre in The Mall at the World Trade Centre (level B2), at least 15 days before you travel.
3. Attend your appointment with your documents, your signed cover letter and fee receipt, and give your fingerprints. Pay VFS's service charge there.
4. Wait about 15 days for the Consulate General in Dubai's decision. It can take up to 45 days if it needs more documents or refers your case to Denmark's immigration authorities. If anything is missing, you usually have five days to supply it, either in person at VFS or by email to the consulate; the consulate itself warns that its email address isn't encrypted, so avoid sending sensitive scans that way if you can.

Paying the visa fee online before you go, rather than at the VFS counter, is a Danish quirk worth knowing in advance: bring the printed receipt, or your file is incomplete.

Documents

The Consulate General's tourism and family-visit checklists for the UAE, updated in June 2026, ask for:

• The Schengen application cover letter, completed, printed, dated and signed at applyvisa.um.dk, with your printed fee receipt from the same portal
• Passport and a copy, with at least two blank pages, issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area
• UAE residence visa valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area. GCC nationals can use an Emirates ID valid for the same period instead.
• One recent photo on a white background, no older than six months
• Travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 of cover for the whole Schengen area and your whole stay, including repatriation. If you buy it in the UAE, the checklist says it must be verifiable by QR code.
• Return flight reservation. The consulate advises against buying a ticket before your visa is approved.
• Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking, or your host's confirmation if you are staying privately
• Proof of funds: payslips, or an international credit card with its statements, or bank statements for the last three months, or a sponsor's national form
• Pocket money of your own, even if your trip is fully sponsored by someone else (see "How much money you need to show" below)
• An original letter from your employer stating your position, contract length and salary, or your trade licence if you are self-employed

The consulate accepts documents only in English or Danish; translate anything else before you apply.

Visiting family or friends

Your host in Denmark writes a signed letter covering your whole stay, with a copy of their ID card or passport bio page, their residence permit, and proof of their residence, such as a title deed or rental agreement, and income. An online invitation form, VU2, is optional. Accommodation can be a hotel booking, or your host's written confirmation that they will cover your accommodation costs.

Children

A minor travelling without both parents needs an authorisation signed by the parent who isn't travelling, or by a legal guardian, legalised if it was issued outside Denmark, with a copy of that parent's or guardian's passport. The application's cover letter is signed by both parents.

How much money you need to show

Denmark doesn't ask for one simple balance. For proof of funds, the checklist accepts payslips, a credit card with its statements, or three months of bank statements rather than six. On top of that, every adult applicant, even one whose trip is fully sponsored, must show pocket money in their own name: the consulate's checklists put this at DKK 350 to 500 a day. An older version tied the lower figure to staying with family and the higher one to a hotel; the current checklist doesn't repeat that split, so ask VFS or the consulate which figure applies to your trip.

Fees and processing time

Fee	Amount
Visa fee, adults	EUR 90
Visa fee, children aged 6 to 11	EUR 45
Visa fee, children under 6	Free
How you pay the visa fee	Online at applyvisa.um.dk, before your VFS appointment
VFS service charge, every applicant, tax included	AED 81.28 (EUR 19)

Processing takes about 15 days from the Consulate General in Dubai, and up to 45 days if it needs more documents or refers your file to Denmark's immigration authorities. You can apply up to six months before you travel, and VFS asks for at least 15 days' notice. If a document is missing, the consulate generally gives you five days to send it in; after that it decides on what it already has. Fees aren't refunded if you are refused.

If you are refused, you can appeal to Denmark's Immigration Service. Danish guidance for short-stay visa refusals gives a deadline of eight weeks from the day you received the decision, and the appeal itself is free. Your refusal letter should confirm the exact address to send it to.

At the border

Since April 2026, Denmark and every other Schengen country register non-EU visitors in the EU's Entry/Exit System. On your first trip since it started, you give fingerprints and a photo at passport control instead of getting a stamp.

Flights from the UAE

• Emirates flies non-stop from Dubai to Copenhagen, currently once a day. Emirates has said it plans a second daily flight, and it has already pushed that start date back once, so check its current timetable before you book.
• Etihad flies non-stop from Abu Dhabi to Copenhagen daily.
• From Sharjah, you connect through Dubai, Abu Dhabi or a European hub.

Flights between the UAE and Europe were disrupted for much of 2026, so check your flight with the airline before you book, and make sure the reservation you submit matches your application dates.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a Denmark visa in Dubai?

At VFS Global's Denmark centre in Wafi Mall, level 2, Dubai, or at the VFS centre in The Mall at the World Trade Centre, Abu Dhabi. Neither VFS centre decides your case: the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai does.

Does the Danish Embassy in Abu Dhabi issue the visa?

No. The embassy's own website sends every visa, passport and attestation query to the Consulate General in Dubai, which assesses and decides every Schengen application from the UAE.

How much is the Denmark visa fee from Dubai?

EUR 90 for adults and EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11, paid online at applyvisa.um.dk before your appointment. Children under 6 pay nothing. VFS adds its own service charge of AED 81.28 at the centre, including for children under 6.

How long does a Denmark visa take from Dubai?

About 15 days from the Consulate General in Dubai, and up to 45 days if it needs more documents or refers your case to Denmark's immigration authorities. Apply as early as you can, up to six months before you travel.

Does a Denmark Schengen visa cover Greenland or the Faroe Islands?

No. Both are part of the Kingdom of Denmark but sit outside the Schengen area. To visit either, you need a Schengen visa marked "valid for Greenland" or "valid for the Faroe Islands" from a Danish mission, or a separate visa for them if you already hold an ordinary Schengen visa. Apply through the same Consulate General in Dubai and say so on your form.

Do Emiratis need a visa for Denmark?

No. UAE citizens can visit Denmark without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180. They will need an ETIAS travel authorisation once the EU starts it.

Planning a trip to Denmark

A long weekend covers Copenhagen's Nyhavn, Tivoli Gardens and the Design Museum; a week adds a day trip to Odense or Aarhus by train. Malmö, across the Öresund Bridge in Sweden, is under 40 minutes away by train and in Schengen too, so one visa covers both. See our Schengen visa services for help preparing your Denmark application, browse holiday packages, or talk to us about flights and hotels.

Related guides

• Schengen visa for UAE residents
• Germany visa from Dubai
• Netherlands visa from Dubai
• Sweden visa from Dubai

Last checked 9 October 2026 against the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai's and the Embassy of Denmark in Abu Dhabi's own pages, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark's Schengen visa, VFS contact and residence permit pages, VFS Global's Denmark tourism, family-and-friends and Red Carpet checklists for the UAE (June 2026), the Ministry's pages on visas for Greenland and the Faroe Islands and on appealing a visa refusal, the EU Visa Code and fee regulation, the European Commission's ETIAS page, eu-LISA on the Entry/Exit System, and airline schedules and reports. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with VFS Global or the Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai before you apply.