Organisations helping migrants in Denmark: Danish Refugee Council, Red Cross, free advice

The Danish Refugee Council for free asylum counselling and its 140 volunteer groups, Refugees Welcome for individual legal advice, the Red Cross clinic for care without a CPR number: the organisations helping migrants in Denmark, what each one does, and the role of the Danish Immigration Service and SIRI.

Espero AKPOLI

Founder · Compatri, the social network for diasporas

Information checked on 2 November 2026.

In an emergency in Denmark: call 112; 114 reaches the police when it is not urgent. For free advice on an asylum application, contact DRC Asyl, the Danish Refugee Council's asylum service. Without a CPR number or health insurance, the Red Cross clinic gives free care in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg.

Denmark has few organisations, but one very large one: Dansk Flygtningehjælp (the Danish Refugee Council), which advises on asylum and runs volunteer groups across the country. This guide tells you who does what. It is part of our guide to organisations helping migrants in Europe and the Americas.

Organisations helping migrants in Denmark, in one table

Organisation	What it does	For whom	Where	Link
Danish Refugee Council (DRC Asyl)	Free, impartial counselling on asylum, return and repatriation	Asylum seekers, refugees, rejected applicants	National, remote	DRC Asyl
Danish Refugee Council (volunteers)	Advice on residence, family reunification and citizenship, language, homework, network families	Refugees, people with a minority background	140 groups across the country	DRC Frivillig
Refugees Welcome	Free individual legal advice	Asylum seekers, refugees	Denmark, by email, phone or meeting	Rådgivning
Røde Kors (Red Cross)	Free health clinic, tracing relatives, language, homework, psychosocial support	People without a CPR number or insurance, refugees	Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, 80 municipalities	Refugees and migrants

Compatri is not linked to any of these organisations: we list them because they are recognised references in the country.

Public services, listed separately

Udlændingestyrelsen (the Danish Immigration Service) handles cases on foreigners' right to visit and reside in Denmark, including family reunification. It has offices in Næstved, Sandholm and Copenhagen, and service desks in Næstved, Aalborg, Aarhus and Odense.
SIRI (the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) handles residence and work permits, issues residence documents to EU and EEA citizens, and supports municipalities' integration work.
Both publish their procedures on the official portal nyidanmark.dk, which is available in English.

Asylum: free counselling from the Danish Refugee Council

DRC Asyl, the Danish Refugee Council's asylum service, gives free and impartial counselling on asylum, return and repatriation. It serves asylum seekers, refugees and immigrants in Denmark, as well as volunteers and caseworkers supporting them. A rejected asylum seeker can get advice there on the refusal, return and reintegration programmes. All advisers are bound by confidentiality. You get in touch by email or phone from the DRC Asyl contact page.

Refugees Welcome offers free individual legal advice to asylum seekers and refugees in Denmark, drawing on many years of experience with Danish immigration law. You ask by email, phone or meeting, from its "Spørg os" section. The organisation also informs about refugees' situation and defends their rights.

Residence, family and integration: the volunteers

The Danish Refugee Council's volunteer network has more than 4,000 volunteers in 140 groups across Denmark, with some activities online too. You can use them if you are a refugee or have an ethnic minority background:

Frivilligrådgivningen, volunteer advice on residence, family reunification and citizenship;
help with everyday practical problems (hverdagsrådgivning);
Danish practice;
a network family or person (netværksfamilier) to build connections;
homework help for children and leisure activities for young people.

Information is available in Arabic, Farsi, English, Russian, Somali, Sorani, Tigrinya and Ukrainian. Find the nearest group with the search tool on DRC Frivillig.

Health: the Red Cross clinic

Sundhedsklinikken, the Danish Red Cross clinic, provides free basic healthcare to people living in Denmark without a CPR number, and therefore without access to the public health system, and without health insurance. It does not serve tourists or students. You can walk in without an appointment and without ID, in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg. Opening days vary by city: see the clinic's page.

Family, language and support: the Red Cross

Røde Kors, the Danish Red Cross, also runs asylum centres and offers refugees and migrants, in some 80 municipalities: cafés and meetup groups with guidance, language practice and homework help, volunteer "friends", support for unaccompanied minors, psychosocial support and a tracing service (Eftersøgningstjenesten) for people who have lost track of a family member.

Where to start, depending on your situation

Your situation	First contact
You are claiming asylum, or your application was refused	DRC Asyl, then Refugees Welcome for individual legal advice
You want your spouse or children to join you	Frivilligrådgivningen (Danish Refugee Council volunteers), then nyidanmark.dk for the application
You are ill and have no CPR number	The Red Cross Sundhedsklinikken; 112 in an emergency
You have lost track of a relative	Eftersøgningstjenesten, the Red Cross tracing service
You feel isolated and want to practise Danish	A local volunteer group (DRC Frivillig or Red Cross)

Beware of scams

A genuine organisation never promises you a residence permit. Only the authorities, led by Udlændingestyrelsen and SIRI, decide.
DRC Asyl and Refugees Welcome advise for free. Nobody has to pay to "book" their help.
Applications are made on nyidanmark.dk. A site that charges for an official form is not the authority.
Legal advice comes from a lawyer or a recognised organisation, not from an intermediary who guarantees a result.

Finding your compatriots in Denmark

An organisation advises you; a community surrounds you. On Compatri, the Denmark page brings together cities and meetups, and diaspora pages lead to communities, for example Somalis in Denmark. Join your country's community from the communities page, and read how mutual aid between compatriots works. The directory of associations also lists diaspora associations.

Elsewhere in Scandinavia, see organisations helping migrants in Sweden and in Norway. Compatri gives no legal advice: for your situation, contact one of the organisations listed here or a lawyer.

Sources

Help for migrants Settling in Newcomers Mutual aid Integration

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Where can I get free advice on asylum in Denmark?

DRC Asyl, the Danish Refugee Council's asylum service, gives free and impartial counselling on asylum, return and repatriation, by email or phone. Refugees Welcome also gives free individual legal advice to asylum seekers and refugees.

Can you get healthcare in Denmark without a CPR number?

Yes, at the Danish Red Cross clinic (Sundhedsklinikken), which gives free basic healthcare to people without a CPR number or health insurance, except tourists and students. You can walk in without an appointment or ID, in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg. In an emergency, call 112.

What is the difference between Udlændingestyrelsen and SIRI?

Udlændingestyrelsen (the Danish Immigration Service) handles cases on foreigners' right to visit and reside in Denmark, including family reunification. SIRI handles residence and work permits, residence documents for EU and EEA citizens, and supports integration in municipalities. Both publish their procedures on nyidanmark.dk.

Who helps with family reunification in Denmark?

Danish Refugee Council volunteers (Frivilligrådgivningen) advise on residence, family reunification and citizenship, in 140 groups across Denmark. The application itself is made to Udlændingestyrelsen, on nyidanmark.dk.