Newly arrived international staff at AU
When you arrive in Denmark, you'll need to get a few things in place before you can settle into daily life. Read our step-by-step guide below.
Arrival 1-4 weeks
Step 1: Register for a CPR number and MitID
If you're staying for more than 90 days you need to register with Citizen Service to get a Civil Registration Number (CPR number) and MitID.
Your CPR number is your key to life in Denmark. You need a CPR number to access public services, open a bank account, pay your tax and receive a salary. When you register for your CPR number, you will also be assigned a general practitioner (GP).
MitID is a personal digital ID that ensures you can sign in securely to public and private online services. Everyone living in Denmark is required to have MitID, and it is used by all public authorities and many businesses. You will need MitID for almost all aspects of your digital life in Denmark, such as internet banking, changing your adress, booking a vaccination, registering your child for daycare, checking your tax statement and much more.
How you register for your CPR number and MitID depends on your nationality. Visit our registration page and choose your nationality to learn more.
Step 2: Register with the Danish Tax Agency
Most people who work or live in Denmark are required to pay tax in Denmark and to register with the Danish Tax Agency. As an international /non-Danish researcher, you can choose between different tax schemes according to your status.
Step 3: Open a bank account
When you have your CPR number and yellow health insurance card, you can open a Danish bank account.
Step 4: Log on to Digital Post
When you have your CPR number and MitID, you can log on to your Digital Post.
Digital Post is a platform that gives you access to mails from public authorities. You will automatically be registered for Digital Post when you register for a CPR number at Citizen Service.
It's important that you check your Digital Post regularly as it is the main channel of communication between you and the public authorities. Emails in your Digital Post could be about anything from hospital appointments to pension statements, housing benefit and childcare.
Visit the Lifeindenmark website to read more about Digital Post
Step 5: Register your car
If you bring a car to Denmark, you are legally required to register it within 30 days of arrival and to pay a registration tax. It is very expensive to bring a car to Denmark, so many people choose not to do so.
Can I drive in Denmark without registering my car?
If you are staying in Denmark for a limited period of up to 185 days, you may drive a foreign registered vehicle during your stay in Denmark without paying the registration tax.
Read more about foreign vehicles and how to register your car on The Danish Motor Vehicle Agency webpage
Liability insurance
If you own a motor vehicle in Denmark, you are legally required to take out liability insurance on the vehicle. Read more about liability insurance for motor vehicles in the insurance guide Insurance and pension for everyday needs.
Within 8 weeks
Step 6: Take out unemployment insurance (optional)
In Denmark, you can take out unemployment insurance by applying for admission to an unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse). This is not a requirement - it is optional.
Please read the following guide before you sign up with an a-kasse, especially if you are a non-EU citizen, because you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits.
Within 180 days
Step 7: Exchange your driver's licence (non-EU/EEA)
Driver's licences issued in a non-EU/EEA country
If you have a non-EU/EEA driver's licence, you may be required to exchange it for a Danish driver's licence within 180 days of arriving in Denmark. You may also need to complete a driving test (a theoretical and practical test) prior to the exchange. This will depend on where your driver's licence was issued and whether you need to change your licence.
Where and how to exchange your driving licence
You can obtain a Danish driving licence at your local Citizen Service (Borgerservice).
You must bring your current driver's licence. Your current licence must display the date of issue. If it does not, you must bring documentation from the country in which the licence was issued stating when this licence was first issued.
If your current driving licence is not in the Latin alphabet, you must present a certified translation of the licence. If you have any questions, or need to find a certified translator, please contact your local Citizen Service for help.
For more information on exchanging your driver's licence, visit Lifeindenmark.dk or Færdselsstyrelsen.
Driver's licences issued in an EU/EEA country
You do not need to convert a driver's licence that was issued in an EU country, Iceland, Lichtenstein or Norway.
No deadline
Step 8: Take out private insurance
When you have a CPR number, you can take out Danish private insurance. While most vital services are covered by the public healthcare system, most people in Denmark also take out private liability, home contents, accident, and travel insurance. You are legally required to have third party insurance if you own a car.
Step 9: Learn Danish
When you have a CPR number, you can sign up for Danish lessons through the the state-supported language-learning programme. The programme is free of charge (you only need to pay a deposit) and is available to both you and your accompanying partner. Your lessons will be held at a language school or at an AU location.
Read more about learning Danish through the state-supported programme
Step 10: Choose a dentist
In Denmark, dental care is partly subsidised by the state. You will have to pay for check-ups and treatments, but part of the bill is paid by the government - and this part will be automatically deducted before you are charged. You are free to choose any dentist. People under 18 get free dental treatment.
Read more about dental care on Borger.dk (in Danish)
If you have children
Step 11: Sign your children up for childcare and school
Childcare
In Denmark, most children under the age of six attend a daycare institution or are looked after by a childminder during working hours from Monday to Friday. It is the task of the municipal authorities to provide day care facilities, and childcare options vary from municipality to municipality. It is your job to contact the municipal authorities to book a daycare place for your child. To sign your child up for childcare, you need a CPR number for your child and an address in Denmark.
Primary and lower secondary education
In Denmark, education is mandatory for children aged between 6 and 16. Education is free at state or public schools (Folkeskole). It is also possible for your child to attend a private school (or an international school), but these schools charge a monthly fee. Children start school in the year they turn six - and the school year starts in August. Regardless of the type of school you want your child to attend, you must register them for a school place online.
Read more about enrolling your child at school on Lifeindenmark.dk
