🇩🇰 Denmark Working Holiday Visa: Is Medical Insurance Mandatory?

Volare Editorial | August 23, 2026

Travel insurance is, alongside economic solvency, the fundamental pillar for the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) to approve your residency application. In Denmark, social security is of excellence, but the initial access for foreigners under the Working Holiday program is conditioned on holding a private policy.

Is medical insurance mandatory?

The answer is a resounding yes, except for Australia. For the residence and work permit to be issued, you must prove that you will be covered by health insurance throughout your entire stay.

• Approval requirement: Without the coverage certificate attached to your application (or presented at biometrics), SIRI will not process the visa under any circumstances.

• Duration: The policy must cover the 365 days of your stay, starting from the exact day you land in Danish territory.

Technical policy requirements for SIRI

Not any travel insurance is valid. To comply with strict Danish standards, your policy must obligatorily certify the following parameters:

Required Condition	Specification for SIRI
⏳ Duration	Must cover the 365 days of your stay, starting from the exact day you land in Danish territory.
💰 Minimum Coverage	At least 30,000 EUR (or its equivalent in dollars) for emergency medical expenses and hospitalization.
🏥 Scope	Must obligatorily include illness, accidents, and, exclusively, medical and funeral repatriation.
🗣️ Language	The insurance certificate must be issued in English or Danish.
🚫 Deductibles	It is recommended that the insurance responds from the first euro, as policies with high deductibles may be questioned.

Are there differences by nationality?

Although the general rule of having insurance is universal for the WHV, the interaction with the Danish health system varies slightly depending on your passport:

Region / Nationality	Mandatory Insurance for Visa?	Details of Regulation and Health System
🇦🇷 Argentina and 🇨🇱 Chile	✅ Yes, exclusive	Private insurance is your only initial safety net. SIRI requires you to maintain the policy as mandatory backing.
🇳🇿 New Zealand and 🇨🇦 Canada	✅ Yes, exclusive	Although these countries usually have reciprocal health agreements, SIRI maintains the requirement for private travel insurance.
🇯🇵 Japan and 🇰🇷 South Korea	✅ Yes, exclusive	They follow the same strict rule; the insurance certificate must be presented in English or Danish to be validated.
🇦🇺 Australia	❌ Not mandatory	Presenting medical insurance is not mandatory for visa approval, but it is highly recommended to cover repatriations.

Medical insurance and the CPR

It is vital to understand that travel insurance is your bridge coverage. From the time you arrive in Denmark until you register and receive your yellow health card (which can take between 4 and 8 weeks to be issued), private insurance is the only thing that covers you.

Only once you obtain your CPR (Personal Registration Number) and your "Yellow Card" (health card), will you have access to the Danish public health system. Even after having public health coverage, many travelers keep private insurance for the repatriation coverage, which is not included in the Danish social system.

To know more details about how to put together your file flawlessly and avoid rejections, we recommend consulting our Official Denmark Working Holiday Visa Guide.