For many internationals arriving in Denmark, the first job is not about career ambition but survival. Hospitality, cleaning, and service work often become the first foothold, a way to pay rent, open a bank account, and start building a life. Yet breaking into the Danish job market can be difficult: the language barrier, the reliance on networks, and the need for a CPR number before employers take you seriously. So when an opportunity finally appears – a bar shift, a restaurant job, anything – you take it, relieved to have something, and hoping it will be the beginning of stability.
That’s exactly where María Quirós Ruiz found herself when she moved to Copenhagen from Spain. She landed a job at a bar, her first in Denmark. It felt like the start of her new life. “I thought everything would fall into place once I had a job,” Maria says. “Denmark has this image of being a country where things just work and people don’t try to scam you.”
I started working there around the same time she did. We were both internationals, both new, and both doing the same work. But there was one major difference: at the end of the month, I got paid. Maria did not. “At first I thought it was just a delay or a mistake,” she recalls. “I kept believing the money would come.”
At first, there was a reason that almost sounded helpful. Maria’s work documentation wasn’t fully in order yet, a common situation for internationals navigating Danish bureaucracy in their first weeks.
The employer used this as justification for withholding her pay, arguing that it was better to wait until her tax card and contract were fully processed. He told her that if he paid her immediately without the paperwork in place, she would be hit with the standard tax rate of 55%. He framed the delay as a favor to her: he was holding the money so she wouldn’t lose half of it in tax. “I trusted what he told me,” Maria says. “I didn’t know these things could happen here.”
But then her papers came through. The bank account was open. The CPR was ready. And still, nothing.
According to lawyer Bárbara Román, who later advised Maria, delayed payment framed as administrative necessity is a situation she has seen before, and one that workers should treat with caution.
She explains that while paperwork delays can complicate payroll, they do not eliminate an employer’s obligation to pay for work already performed. Once an employee has carried out their duties, the right to wages exists regardless of internal administrative issues.
The excuses kept coming. Technical delays, promises of “next week,” and more delays. It reached a point of desperation where Maria even found herself calling the employer’s mother in an attempt to resolve things. Weeks turned into months of work with no pay. “The hardest part was the stress,” she says. “Not being able to pay for anything and depending on other people for money was desperate.”
Delayed payment and repeated explanations
This is the part of the story that isn’t told enough. When you’re a newcomer in a foreign city, you can’t just walk out. You don’t have a fallback. You don’t have parents down the road, old friends who can lend you money, or a network that catches you when you fall.
You are surviving. And surviving means showing up, even when the situation is wrong, because the alternative, no income at all, in a country where you’re still figuring out how the system works, feels worse. “I kept going because I needed the money,” Maria explains. “You don’t want to lose the only job you have when you’re new in a country.”
Lawyer Bárbara Román notes that many internationals continue working without pay because they fear losing their position or believe they have no legal standing. In reality, she emphasizes, employees are not required to keep working if wages are withheld. Continuing to work without payment, she says, can unintentionally weaken a worker’s position by normalizing the situation.
That I was standing right there next to her, doing the same work, in the same bar, and being paid made the situation harder to explain away as simple mismanagement. Whatever the reason, the fact remained: I was paid, and she wasn’t.
The decision to take legal action
At some point, Maria stopped working. But she didn’t walk away quietly. The turning point came when she was asked to attend unpaid training sessions far from her home. “I had to travel an hour on my days off for three or four hours of unpaid training,” she says. “That’s when I realized something was very wrong.”
From a legal standpoint, Bárbara Román considers this a crucial turning point. She advises that when wages are not paid, a formal written demand should be sent and work should not continue until payment is made. Employers cannot compel employees to work without pay, and stopping work in such circumstances is a legitimate response, not misconduct.
In a foreign country, with no safety net, taking legal action against your employer is not a small decision. There is the cost, the complexity, the language barrier, and the fear that nothing will come of it. Most people in Maria’s position never file anything, they cut their losses and move on, or leave Denmark entirely. Maria didn’t. “It was one of the scariest things I’ve done,” Maria admits. “I had no money, no knowledge of the legal system, and I had to handle everything in a language that isn’t my mother tongue.”
Maria found Bárbara Román through a friend on Linkedin and together they took the case to court. “Bárbara guided me through the steps and made the decision to sue much less overwhelming,” Maria says.
What happens when a company closes?
The court ruled in Maria’s favor. She was owed her full wages plus interest.
However, the employer pulled a move that, while not typical, does occur in some cases within the hospitality sector: he closed all of his businesses, declared bankruptcy, and disappeared. “I started to worry I would never see the money,” Maria remembers. “I was stressed, thinking that if he wasn’t in the country anymore, it would be impossible to get paid.”
While such situations can feel like the end of the road, Román explains that in Denmark, employers cannot simply “vanish” to avoid obligations. Because businesses and individuals are tied to national registration systems, authorities can locate responsible parties if formal claims are filed. Even when a company closes, legal responsibility does not automatically disappear.
In many countries, this would be the end of the road. If the company is gone, the money is gone. But in Denmark, the story continues. Because the employer declared bankruptcy, the state stepped in via Lønmodtagernes Garantifond (The Employees’ Guarantee Fund). This fund ensures that Maria gets paid what she is owed, and the state then takes on the burden of pursuing the former employer to recover the funds. “It feels empowering,” Maria says. “Receiving the money I earned reassures me that justice was served.”
What this means for everyone else
Maria won. But she shouldn’t have had to fight in the first place.
Cases like this persist partly because many newcomers don’t feel able to push back. You’re new, you don’t know how things work here, and you’re just happy to have a job. They’re counting on that.
When I got my contract, something was off right away. There was no payment date. I emailed the employer and asked if we could set it to the 1st of each month so it’d line up with my rent. Pretty normal request.
He said no. He told me the vague wording was “protection against litigation from our side” and that he couldn’t control the banks. Then he added that the contract was fine as is, and that “we do not have an administration department, as such that part is not the fastest in the world”.
Read that again. He was telling me, in writing, that paying people on time isn’t a priority. That’s a huge red flag.
What protections exist for workers?
Employees in Denmark are entitled to:
- A written contract (if employment lasts longer than one month and exceeds eight hours per week)
- Clear payment terms
- Payment of agreed wages on time
- Holiday pay
- Protection through trade unions (if members)
- Access to free legal aid services
If an employer fails to pay wages, employees can:
- Send a formal written demand for payment
- Contact their trade union
- Seek assistance from free legal aid organizations such as Københavns Retshjælp
- Ultimately file a claim or, in certain cases, initiate insolvency proceedings
Román stresses that a written contract, while highly recommended, is not the only proof of employment. In Danish law, a contract is fundamentally an agreement between parties. Emails, messages, schedules, payslips, coworker testimony, and bank transfers can all serve as documentation if a dispute arises.
Where to get help
If you experience problems with unpaid wages or unclear working conditions, the following resources may be useful:
Trade Unions (Fagforeninger)
Trade unions can provide legal assistance, contract review, and representation in disputes.
- HK Danmark – Organises workers in retail, office, and administrative roles
- FOA – Organises workers in public sector roles such as care and social services
You must already be a member before a dispute arises in order to receive full legal support.
Beyond unions and legal aid offices, lawyer Barbara Román points out that several volunteer-based associations in Copenhagen offer guidance to newcomers navigating employment disputes. Such organizations can help workers understand their rights and next steps, particularly if they are unfamiliar with Danish administrative procedures.
Settlementet – Offers free legal and social counseling, including employment-related guidance for vulnerable residents and newcomers.
Retshjælpen – A volunteer-driven legal aid network providing free advice on labor rights, contracts and disputes.
Kirkens Korshær – Provides social counseling and support services, including help navigating workplace issues and public systems.
Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke – Runs community programs and offers guidance for internationals on rights, integration and civic participation.
International House Copenhagen – While not volunteer-run, it connects newcomers with guidance, workshops, and referrals to relevant support services.
Why international workers are particularly vulnerable
International workers often face additional challenges:
- Limited familiarity with Danish labor law
- Lack of union membership
- Smaller professional networks
- Financial vulnerability during their first months in the country
Román adds that the Danish system is generally well-equipped to protect workers, including internationals, but only for those who are part of it, meaning they have a CPR number and are registered. Those working outside the system or without documentation face significantly greater risks and fewer practical protections.
Maria describes the emotional toll of continuing to work while unpaid, unsure whether legal action would succeed. “You need supportive people around you,” she says. “That’s what helped me the most.”
A system that works, when used
Maria’s case did not resolve quickly. It required persistence, legal action, and patience. But ultimately, the system functioned as intended.
The court ruled in her favor. The state guarantee fund ensured she would be paid.
For international workers navigating their first job in Denmark, her experience offers a reminder: the protections exist, but they depend on knowing them, and using them.
“Don’t be scared to take a step in the right direction,” Maria says. “It’s not your fault this happens.”
