How to apply for a Denmark Schengen visa from the UAE

Where you apply

Apply to Denmark if it is your main destination: where you will spend the most days, or the main purpose of the trip. VFS Global takes the applications at its centres in Dubai (Wafi Mall, first floor) and Abu Dhabi (World Trade Center Mall, level B2), Monday to Friday; the consulate in Dubai decides, and also handles applications for the Faroe Islands and Greenland.

The VFS calendar opens only once ApplyVisa has validated your application, which VFS says can take up to 24 hours. Business travellers, members of the Red Carpet programme and family members of EU citizens do not need an appointment; VFS says they can go to the centre directly.

Step by step

1. 1

   Apply and pay on ApplyVisa

   Fill in the form on ApplyVisa, Denmark's online visa system, and pay the visa fee there. Print the cover letter and the payment receipt, then sign and date the cover letter.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global

   Allow up to 24 hours for the validation, then book on Denmark's VFS page for the UAE. Each family member needs their own appointment, and you can reschedule once, up to two days before the date.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   Against the consulate's checklist, which accepts documents in English or Danish only.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Hand in the file, give fingerprints and pay the VFS service charge. If something is missing, you have five days to bring it to VFS; after that the consulate decides on what it has.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   VFS Global puts the minimum processing time at the consulate at about 15 calendar days.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, the consulate's July 2026 tourism checklist for the UAE asks for:

• A UAE residence permit valid three months beyond the day you leave the Schengen Area; GCC citizens bring their UAE ID card instead.
• Payslips, a credit card with bank statements, or bank statements for the last three months. Every adult must show pocket money in their own name even on a fully sponsored trip: about DKK 350 a day, or DKK 500 if you stay in a hotel.
• An original employer letter giving your employment status, position, length of contract and salary; the self-employed bring a valid trade licence.
• Travel insurance that, if issued in the UAE, can be verified by QR code.
• A full itinerary and a return flight reservation; the consulate advises against buying the ticket before the visa is granted.
• For a minor, a cover letter signed by the parents; a minor travelling without them also needs their authorisation, signed in front of a visa officer or legalised.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90, paid online on ApplyVisa

Children aged 6 to 11

€45

VFS service fee

AED 77.68 (listed as €19), paid at the centre (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

About 15 calendar days at the minimum, according to VFS Global

ApplyVisa says fee-exempt applicants, such as children under six, may still have to pay the standard €90 in its web shop to finish registering; the money is refunded once the consulate starts processing the case.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Denmark in the UAE received 17,288 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 5.8% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 7th most of any Schengen country. They refused 31.8% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

17,288

Rank in the UAE

7th of 27 Schengen countries

Refused

31.8%

All Schengen countries in the UAE

24.2% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

Not enough applicants in the UAE have reported a Denmark visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 42 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 24 days.

Reports

42

Appointment to passport back (median)

24 days; typically 19–34 days

Approved

83% of 42 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

105 days

Multiple entry

77%

See every Denmark report · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

Dubai. Our monitors saw new Denmark appointments appear in Dubai 4 times in the last 90 days, on 3 different days. The latest release we saw was on 3 November at 12:12 UAE time.

Abu Dhabi. Our monitors saw new Denmark appointments appear in Abu Dhabi 3 times in the last 90 days, on 3 different days. The latest release we saw was on 3 November at 12:11 UAE time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date at the Denmark visa application centre: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

The live status of each Denmark route is on its own page, and every UAE route is on the UAE appointment board. For how the booking portal itself works, see how to book a VFS Global appointment in the UAE.

• Denmark visa appointment, Dubai
• Denmark visa appointment, Abu Dhabi

Questions

Who decides Danish visa applications from the UAE?

The Royal Danish Consulate General in Dubai. VFS Global takes the applications at its centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and passes them on.

Do I pay the Denmark visa fee online or at VFS?

The visa fee is paid online on ApplyVisa, before you can book. The VFS service charge is separate and is paid when you hand in the application at the centre.

Do I need a host in Denmark for a tourist visa?

Not necessarily. The Danish Immigration Service says you can normally get a visa, whatever your nationality, if it is clear you will go home before it expires. Where there is doubt, it weighs which of five nationality groups you belong to: group 1 citizens can as a starting point get a visa for a purely tourist trip with no host, group 2 citizens must be hosted by someone in Denmark, and groups 3 to 5 face stricter conditions. The groups are listed on New to Denmark, the Danish Immigration Service’s website.

Can I send my Denmark visa application by courier from the UAE?

Only if your fingerprints were taken for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months and you confirm this in the ApplyVisa form. Contact VFS Global first; if your fingerprints cannot be used, you will be asked to come to the centre in person.

What is the refusal rate for Denmark Schengen visas in the UAE?

In 2025, the consulates of Denmark in the UAE refused 31.8% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 17,288 applications, the 7th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Royal Danish Consulate General in the UAE: tourism checklist (July 2026, PDF)
• ApplyVisa: the Danish online visa application and its fees
• New to Denmark (Danish Immigration Service): visas for private and tourist visits
• VFS Global Denmark, UAE: how to apply
• VFS Global Denmark, UAE: tourism visa, fees and processing time
• VFS Global Denmark, UAE: book an appointment
• VFS Global Denmark, UAE: centres
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.