You’ve finally landed on Danish soil. Laura Wintemute advises you on all necessary documentation and to-do lists you will need to complete your move here.
Picture: Terumi Mascarenhas
Pick up EU/EEA Residence Permit
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens need to apply for a Residence Certificate at International Citizen Service in Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense or Copenhagen or at SIRI, the State Administration (Statsforvaltningen).
Register for your CPR
Once your work permit is in order, you will have to make a trip to either an International Citizen Service (Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense or Copenhagen) or to your local municipal Citizen Service Centre (Borgerservice) to finalise the registration for your CPR. You will need this for everything, including opening a bank account, getting a Danish phone number, borrowing books from the library, signing up at the gym and taking out insurance. It’s your magical key to Denmark.
Documents needed:
Passport/national ID card with photo
Passport photo
Residence and work permit from the Danish immigration authorities (non-EU/EEA citizens only)
Proof of address in Denmark (signed leasing contract)
Marriage certificate
Birth Certificates of children under 18
Once you’ve successfully registered, the municipality will send you the physical CPR card in the post. This could take up to 2-4 weeks. In connection with your registration, you will be assigned a doctor (GP), which will allow you the same benefits in the Danish Health Care system as other Danish citizens. The name and address of your assigned GP will be written on your CPR card. Consider your GP as “The Gate Keeper” to anything concerning your medical needs. Everything goes directly through them. Your GP is your child’s paediatrician, optometrist, gynaecologist, and sometimes even your family therapist. If they can’t help you, they will refer you to a specialist.
Apply for your Danish Tax card
When you work in Denmark, you will need to pay income tax, and for this, you will need a tax card. When you visit the International Service Center to register for your CPR, you can also apply for your tax card simultaneously, or you can complete the online form 04.063 on www.skat.dk
Documents needed:
Signed work contract
Marriage certificate (if applicable)
Passport/national ID card
Bank Account & Nemkonto
To be paid by your employer, you will need a Danish Bank account. There are many banks in Denmark to choose from; however, you will need your CPR number first, as with everything else in Denmark.
Documents needed:
Your passport/national ID card
Your employment contract (workers) or letter of acceptance from your educational institution (students)
Since 2005, Denmark has had a special regulation that requires all those who live or work in Denmark to report a designated bank account known as a Nemkonto to the state. Nemkonto is a bank account into which payments from your employer and the state are made (e.g. tax refunds). http://www.nemkonto.dk/
NemID, Eboks & Digital Post
NEMID is a secure log on to Internet services. e-Boks is your online mailbox for mail from public authorities (tax, pension etc.). You can apply for your NemID at your Citizen Service Center or your bank.
E-BOKS is a secure electronic mailbox where you can receive and store documents that you usually receive in the post. e-Boks is free of charge. However, this can only be set up once you have your NemID. To create an e-Boks account on www.e-boks.com and follow the instructions or download the e-Boks app.
DIGITAL POST is for all citizens in Denmark above the age of 15, registered with a CPR number must register for Digital Post. Digital Post includes letters from hospitals, pension statements, information about state education support (SU), changes to housing benefits, replies to childcare applications, letters from the Danish Tax and Customs Administration (SKAT), etc. Your digital post can be accessed on either two secure websites - www.lifeindenmark.dk or from your e-Boks.
Media Licenses
In Denmark, anyone owning a radio, a television, a smartphone or a computer capable of receiving and displaying pictures must pay a media fee (medielicens). The fee applies to the entire household. You must pay even if you do not watch or listen to the radio or TV channels. You pay for owning the equipment. The fee is a statutory equipment tax, and it is payable in advance every six months. The fee is DKK 1,353 per year.
Insurances
Some of the essential insurances in Denmark are:
Personal liability insurance (Ansvarsforsikring)
Household insurance (Indboforsikring)
Accident insurance (Ulykkesforsikring)
Unemployment insurance (Arbejdsløshedsforsikring)
Life insurance (Livsforsikring)
Legal protection insurance (Retshjælpsforsikring)
Car insurance (Bilforsikring) – if you have a car
Dog insurance (Hundeforsikring) – if you have a dog
Driver’s License
EU/EEA/Swiss: Valid driver’s licenses issued within the EU are valid in Denmark.
Non-EU: Depending on the country you are coming from, you can drive on your valid foreign driving license for 90 days from the day you establish residence in Denmark.
After 90 days, you must exchange your foreign driving license for a Danish driving license. To exchange your foreign driving license for a Danish one, you are requested to complete a driving test (consisting of a theoretical and a practical part).
Contact the Citizen Service Center, where you live, for further information and exchange your foreign license. It will cost you DKK 280 to exchange your old license for a Danish one.
Documents needed:
A passport photo
Residence documents
Your current driving licence
Your passport/national ID card
A medical certificate issued by your doctor
A written declaration that your driving licence has not been revoked within the last five years and that your right to drive has not been restricted or made conditional in any way
Parking
There are different ways to pay for parking:
Mobile payment: Download an app from one of the providers (EasyPark is the most common)
Residential or commercial parking licence: Different parking licenses are available to permanent residents within the pay zone or in an area with time-restricted parking.
For more information and prices, visit www.parkering.kk.dk/en
The Lolland Kommune website has further details that will be helpful on your arrival: https://newcomers.lolland.dk/citizen-service