Guides to living in Denmark
Step-by-step English guides for foreigners in Denmark: CPR, MitID, bank accounts, tax, housing, insurance, healthcare, schools, jobs and social life. Free, sourced, updated.
Every guide here is written for someone who has just landed — or is about to — and does not know the Danish words for anything yet. Each one answers the question in the first sentence, tells you which office and which form, gives you the real cost and the real waiting time, and links the authority that sets the rule so you can check us.
Start here if you have just arrived: the arrival order — CPR number → MitID → bank account → tax card → doctor → housing → insurance → school or daycare → work. In that order, everything else gets easier.
If you only read one thing: get your CPR number registered first. Almost every other piece of Danish life is locked behind it.
Paperwork (4)
- How to get a CPR number in Denmark How to register for a CPR number in Denmark: when you must register, how to apply online, what to bring, and how long the card
- How to get MitID in Denmark How to get MitID in Denmark: create it with your passport in the app, get it at Borgerservice, what it costs, and what to do if
- Do you need a visa or residence permit for Denmark? EU vs non-EU explained Do you need a Danish visa or residence permit? EU free movement and the SIRI residence document versus non-EU work, study and
- Your first 90 days in Denmark: the arrival checklist A week-by-week arrival checklist for Denmark: CPR, MitID, bank account, NemKonto, tax card, doctor, transport and housing, with
Housing (2)
- How to rent an apartment in Copenhagen as a foreigner How to rent in Copenhagen as a foreigner: deposit and prepaid rent costs, landlord screening, CPR and MitID, waiting lists, scams
- Apartment deposit and moving out in Denmark: how to get your money back How Danish rental deposits work: the legal cap, the indflytningsrapport, the move-out inspection, what a landlord can charge for
Money (4)
- How to open a Danish bank account as a foreigner How to open a Danish bank account as a foreigner: what you need, which banks to try, why banks refuse, and your right to a basic
- How to get a tax card and understand Danish tax How to get a Danish tax card (skattekort): apply in E-tax, understand your tax rate, claim deductions, and use the researcher tax
- Insurance in Denmark: what is mandatory, what is critical, what you can skip Insurance in Denmark: the three mandatory policies, the contents cover almost everyone needs, typical 2026 prices in DKK, and how
- What it actually costs to live in Copenhagen in 2026 Copenhagen living costs in 2026: rent by area, deposits, monthly budgets for a single person, a couple and a family, plus food and
Health (1)
- How to get a doctor in Denmark and how the healthcare system works for newcomers Get a doctor (egen læge) in Denmark: group 1 vs group 2, the yellow health card, what is free and what you pay, 1813, dentist
Family (2)
- How to get your children into school and daycare in Denmark Vuggestue, børnehave, SFO, folkeskole and international schools: how to apply, what daycare costs in Copenhagen, and what to
- Bringing your family to Denmark: family reunification and accompanying family Three routes for bringing family to Denmark: EU free movement, an accompanying-family permit with a work or study permit, and
Work (2)
- How to find a job in Denmark when you don't speak Danish English-friendly sectors, where to search (Jobindex, Jobnet, Workindenmark, EURES), the Danish CV, a-kasse and unions, salary
- Holiday pay (feriepenge) in Denmark: how to find and use the money you earned How Danish holiday pay works: the 12.5% rate, the holiday year, ordering feriepenge on borger.dk, tax on the payout and what to do
Social (3)
- How to join clubs, play sport and make friends in Denmark Foreninger, sports clubs, volunteering and the social norms that surprise newcomers, plus cheap Danish courses and where
- Surviving your first Danish winter: light, warmth and the practical kit How to handle your first Danish winter: daylight hours, vitamin D, warm clothing, cycling on ice, heating a flat and the snow
- Weekends in Denmark: what Danes actually do, and where to start The Danish weekend explained: Friday social nights, quiet Sundays, fællesspisning, clubs, free culture, opening hours and a
Transport (5)
- How to insure your bike in Denmark and how bike theft works in Copenhagen How bike insurance works in Denmark: coverage and excess, stelnummer and lock rules, reporting a theft to the police, and buying a
- How to rent a car in Denmark: licences, insurance, tolls and parking Age limits, driving on a foreign licence, licence exchange, excess (selvrisiko), Brobizz, bridge tolls, Copenhagen parking zones
- Public transport in Denmark: Rejsekort, Rejseplanen and DOT explained How public transport in Denmark works: the zone system, Rejsekort and Basiskort, the Rejsebillet app, Rejseplanen, commuter cards
- Cycling in Denmark: the rules, and how to buy a used bike without getting scammed Danish cycling rules, the kit your bike must legally have, the fines, and how to check a used bike's frame number against the
- Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Danish one How to swap a foreign driving licence for a Danish one: the 180-day rule, which countries skip the test, the medical certificate,