The Government to Tighten Residence Rules for Ukrainians

The government proposes to restrict who can in future obtain a residence permit in Denmark under the Special Act for Displaced Persons from Ukraine. The Special Act was adopted by a broad majority in the Danish Parliament shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and has since formed the basis for residence permits for many Ukrainians who were displaced.

The government now wishes to adjust the rules so that persons from specific areas of Ukraine that are less affected by hostilities, as well as persons covered by the Ukrainian rules on mobilization, will no longer be able to obtain a residence permit under the Special Act.

“From the Danish side, we must do everything we can to help Ukraine against the brutal Russian attacks. The war has now been ongoing for four years, and Danish municipalities are currently hosting around 45,000 displaced persons from Ukraine. Therefore, the government will now adjust the rules for residence under the Special Act so that persons from less war-affected areas of Ukraine and persons covered by the Ukrainian rules on mobilization will no longer be able to obtain a residence permit in Denmark. This is both to accommodate the Ukrainian government, which has repeatedly urged that Ukrainian men called up for military service should not be granted residence permits in Europe. But it is also to relieve the municipalities, which are under significant pressure to find housing for newly arrived Ukrainians and to receive them into local communities,” says Minister for Immigration and Integration Rasmus Stoklund.

According to the government, the municipalities have played a crucial role in receiving the displaced persons and have taken on great responsibility. In the second half of 2025, the number of displaced persons from Ukraine seeking to come to Denmark increased after Ukraine eased its exit rules for young men. The trend peaked in October 2025 with around 2,300 applications for residence under the Special Act. Since then, the number has declined, and in December and January 2026 approximately 1,700 and 1,400 applications, respectively, were received.

The government expects to present a bill on the adjustments in April 2026. The changes will not affect persons who have already obtained a residence permit under the Special Act.

The government proposes that displaced persons from a number of specific regions in Ukraine assessed to be less affected by hostilities be excluded from access to residence under the Special Act. At present, this concerns the regions of Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Ivano-Frankivsk, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, the Kyiv region (not the city of Kyiv), Lviv, Poltava, Rivne, Ternopil, Vinnytsia, Volyn, Zakarpattia and Zhytomyr.

In addition, it is proposed that men covered by the Ukrainian rules on mobilization, currently men aged 23–60, be excluded from access to residence under the Special Act. Men who are exempt from military service will still be able to obtain a residence permit. Male applicants under the age of 23 will in future only be able to obtain a residence permit until they turn 23 and will not be able to have their permit extended unless they can document exemption from military service.

The government also proposes that displaced persons from Ukraine who receive cash assistance benefits will in future be subject to the work obligation on equal terms with other recipients of cash assistance. A transitional arrangement will be introduced, giving municipalities until 1 October 2026 to implement the work obligation for the new group. It is estimated that around 12,000 persons from Ukraine will be covered if the bill is adopted.

The bill will also contain amendments within the area of the Ministry of Children and Education, where the current special rules for displaced persons from Ukraine are proposed to be repealed.