Belgium
All work permit applications must be submitted visa new One-Stop portal
Brussels Economy and employment has announced that, effective 4 May 2026, all applications for work permits for non-European nationals must be submitted through a new federal portal called the “One-Stop counter”.
From that date both short-term and long-term work authorisation applications must be submitted through the portal, and PDF forms submitted via email will no longer be accepted.
Applications will continue to be processed by the authorities in the relevant region – Flanders, Wallonia or Brussels.
Denmark
New digital passport applications
The Danish Immigration Service has launched two new digital solutions for applying for passports for foreign nationals in Denmark – one for adults and one for children. Foreign nationals in Denmark who wish to apply for a new passport or extend the validity of their current passport must use these new digital applications
If the application concerns a child
If the applicant is a child under the age of 18, a parent or guardian must submit the application on behalf of the child.
If the child has two parents, the other parent must generally give consent. If the other parent lives in Denmark and is registered for Digital Post, they must give their consent digitally as part of the digital application.
Payment and appearance in person
Applicants for a new passport must pay a fee online on nyidanmark.dk during the application process, before submitting the application.
Once the applicant has submitted their digital application, they must appear in person at the Danish Immigration Service’s Citizen Service in order to:
- have their passport photo taken
- provide their signature
- have their fingerprints recorded.
Children under the age of 12 are not required to have fingerprints recorded.
Applicants do not need to bring a passport photo (even if they have previously been instructed to bring one). However, they must bring the receipt confirming they have submitted their application digitally.
Extension of passport validity
In certain cases, passport holders can have the validity of their current passport extended. It is free of charge to extend the validity of a passport, and applicants do not need to appear in person at the Danish Immigration Service’s Citizen Service.
New salary level for herdsmen and farm managers
The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) has announced that 3F (agricultural trade union) and GLS-A (agricultural employers’ association) have entered into a new collective agreement (the Agricultural Agreement).
Under the agreement, valid from 1 March 2026, they have decided on a new indicative salary level for herdsmen and farm managers in the agricultural sector. Applications submitted to SIRI on 23 April 2026 and later will be covered by the new salary level.
When SIRI processes applications for residence and work permits for herdsmen and farm managers, it assesses, among other things, whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards. If the salary is lower than the indicative salary level, SIRI will assess that the salary does not correspond to Danish standards.
Herdsmen
The monthly salary for a herdsman will be considered to correspond to Danish standards if the total salary, including or excluding pension contributions, amounts to:
- as of 1 March 2026, at least DKK 35,352.96.
- as of 1 June 2026, at least DKK 35,705.18.
For employment that is not covered by the agricultural agreement entered into between GLS-A and 3F or the interdisciplinary agreement entered into between Arbejdsgiverforeningen KA (Christian employers’ association) and Det Faglige Hus (trade union), it also applies that overtime and supplemental rates for work during specific hours should be paid in accordance with the agricultural agreement.
Supplemental rates for working overtime:
- DKK 225.95 per hour for the first two hours after the end of normal working hours;
- DKK 312.86 per hour for the subsequent hours as well as for work carried out on Sundays and on public holidays.
Supplemental rates for work during specific hours:
- DKK 25.35 per hour when working before 5:00 a.m.
- DKK 154.74 per day for working after 12 p.m. on Saturdays,
- DKK 327.75 per day for working on Sundays and public holidays.
Farm managers
The monthly salary for a farm manager will generally be considered to correspond to Danish standards if the salary exceeds the salary of herdsmen and at the same time reflects the managerial content and responsibility of the position. If SIRI is in doubt whether the salary level corresponds to Danish standards, the matter will be sent to the Regional Labour Market Councils for consultation, which will then assess whether the salary corresponds to Danish standards.
Finland
Russian citizens are recommended to apply for visa with biometric passport starting from May 2026
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs decided in March 2026 that, from 1 June 2026, Finland will not accept non-biometric passports issued by the Russian Federation. The objective of the decision is to ensure that travel documents are as reliable as possible.
On 20 April 2026, the Ministry advised holders of non‑biometric passports who plan to apply for a visa or residence permit to prepare well in advance for the change.
The Ministry recommends that visa applications be submitted with a biometric passport from 1 May 2026, as it cannot guarantee that it will be able to process later applications before the decision is applied on 1 June 2026.
The decision includes a transition period from 1 June to 31 December 2026. During the transition period, Finland will accept non-biometric passports issued by Russia when they contain a valid visa that was issued by Finland before 1 June 2026. During this period, Finland will also accept non-biometric passports that contain a valid visa or a residence permit that was issued by another EU Member State or Schengen country before 1 June 2026.
There are three exceptions to the decision. Finland will continue to accept, including after the transition period, non-biometric passports as follows:
- Finland will accept non-biometric passports issued to persons under the age of 18;
- Finland will accept non-biometric passports if Finland has granted the holder of the passport a residence permit before 1 June 2026. A holder of a non-biometric passport may apply for an extension on a residence permit granted by Finland;
- Where there is a special reason for a person to apply for an entry permit or to reside in the country, a non-biometric passport may be accepted based on individual consideration.
Finland has restricted the entry of Russian citizens by issuing two government resolutions, the first in 2022 and the second in 2023: non-essential travel by Russian citizens to Finland and through Finland to the rest of the Schengen area is banned for the time being.
