A "conventional refugee" is granted asylum in Denmark if he/she fulfils the conditions of the UN Convention on Refugees.
A de facto refugee is one who does not fulfil the conditions of the convention, but such a person could be granted asylum if he/she has good reason to fear persecution or other unjust measures in his/her home country.
Asylum-seekers are interviewed by police upon arrival to clarify their identity, itinerary and personal circumstances. Fingerprints and a photo are taken, to check if the applicant is also seeking asylum in any other EU country. Asylum applications take a year to process on average.
Accommodation: After first interviews an applicant is brought to one of the country's three reception centres, where he or she stays about four weeks. Then the person is transferred to one of 44 regional asylum centres for longer-term stays.
Other Services: Asylum-seekers receive free medical care. For other needs an adult receives 68 Danish kroner (about £9) a day, teenagers 51 kroner (£6.80) and children 37.50 (£5). After 150 days there is a small rise of about 90p per person a day.
Appeals: If an asylum application is rejected a complaint is lodged automatically, unless the rejection is the EU-wide one of "evidently unfounded procedure". Appeals are heard by the board of refugees, an independent body chaired by a judge.
Official status: if the applicant is acknowledged as a legitimate refugee he/she is given a residence permit, but is told in which of Denmark's 275 municipalities he should live.
That municipality is responsible for finding accommodation for the refugee and putting him/her through a three-year familiarisation programme which includes Danish language and social structures.
The refugee now gets a social welfare payment of around 7,400 DKR (£922)a month for a single adult, more for an adult with dependants.
Once the three-year programme is over, the municipality has to inform the immigration service if all conditions have been fulfilled. If so, the refugee is granted full residence. Danish citizenship can be applied for after six years.
Deportation: Even if an asylum-seeker fails and the Danish police deport him/her, they cannot proceed if the home country refuses to admit the person. In that case a further temporary application will be granted in Denmark.
Tomorrow: The situation in Britain, Italy and Australia