Work Document Translation for Denmark

What it means that the official translator title has been abolished

Denmark is an exception in Northern Europe: since the country’s title of state-authorised translator (translatør) was abolished, the approval of a translation no longer rests on a central authorisation but on the statement of the party who made it and, where required, on notarisation or consular legalisation. For a candidate putting a work file together this cuts two ways. On one hand the choice of translator becomes more flexible; on the other, uncertainty rises, because which form of approval will be accepted can differ from one institution to the next. The sound approach is to ask the receiving office what approval it expects before ordering the translation. A translation whose statement is incomplete may be treated as unverifiable, however faultless its language.

In a SIRI file it is the terms of employment that come to the fore

Work and residence permit matters in Denmark are handled by SIRI. The weight in the assessment falls on whether the terms of the employment offered fit the standards established in the country, which is why the employment contract, the job description and the annexes setting out working conditions sit at the centre of the file. The candidate’s diploma and experience certificates show that the qualification suits the post. In regulated professions a separate authorisation route runs alongside, and that route asks for a list of documents of its own. Our document types page sets out the scope of these documents.

Recognition of the diploma and professional authorisation are separate matters

What a higher education diploma corresponds to within the Danish system is settled by an assessment carried out within the Uddannelses- og Forskningsstyrelsen. That assessment shows the level of the qualification; in fields such as the health professions, however, the right to practise turns on the decision of a separate authority and generally carries language and practice requirements with it. A file prepared without separating the two routes can end with the candidate unable to start work even though the residence permit has been granted. Preparing the documents in separate copies for the two routes saves time.

The set of documents and the form of approval

Document	Why it is asked for	Typical approval
Employment contract	Scrutiny of the terms of employment	Translation with a statement of accuracy
Diploma and transcript	Assessment of the qualification	Apostille + translation with a statement of accuracy
Curriculum	Examination for authorisation	Translation with a statement of accuracy
Social security employment record	Proof of experience	Apostille + translation with a statement of accuracy
Criminal record certificate	Suitability for residence	Apostille + translation with a statement of accuracy

The ground of refusal met with most often

In Danish files the negative outcome seen most often is that the terms of employment cannot be read clearly from the documents; where pay, working hours and the job description contradict one another, the application comes back with a request for further information. The second frequent ground is that the form of approval does not meet what the receiving institution expects. Third, leaving the apostille certificate outside the scope of the translation weakens the verifiability of the document; the certificate has to be translated too.

The digital application system and the form of the documents

Applications in Denmark run largely through online systems, and the documents are uploaded digitally. Under a regime resting on a statement of accuracy, that arrangement calls for particular care: when the declaration of accuracy is left on a separate sheet, it may not be clear at upload which translation it belongs to. Putting the statement in the same file as the translation, preferably on the last page, removes that risk. The image of the original document and its translation are also expected to be submitted together and in a form that allows them to be matched up; uploading the translation alone makes it impossible to verify the document. Because the seals and signatures are the only mark of a document’s official character, their coming out legibly in the scan matters all the more.

A second point of detail is that the employer and the candidate log in to the system separately. Part of the application is filled in by the employer while the rest is completed by the candidate, and the information the two enter must not conflict. Items such as the job title, the start date and the duration of the employment have to match their counterparts on the documents exactly. Finding out what the employer will enter in the system before ordering the translation allows the job title in the contract translation to be chosen accordingly, and removes the need for corrections later.

The flexibility of a regime resting on a statement of accuracy places the reliability of the documents on the candidate’s shoulders, and so calls for extra care. A brief reference in the statement to the professional standing of the translator or the agency inspires confidence at the institution; it is not compulsory, but it is preferred. In the same way, giving the page number and the total number of pages on every page of the translation prevents arguments about missing pages. A detail particular to Denmark is that the documents may be used again in local registration formalities: translations of marriage and birth certificates can be asked for once more at steps such as address registration, obtaining a tax number and entering the health system. Translations should therefore be prepared in more than one copy with the formalities that follow settlement in mind, not for the immigration file alone, and digital copies should be kept in an orderly archive.

This page is for general information; because work permit categories and approval practice can change, confirm the current requirements from the official announcements of SIRI and of the relevant authorising body. You can request a quotation for your documents, see the charges on our pricing page, and compare other countries in our country directory.