How to open a Danish bank account as a foreigner

Can you open a Danish bank account as a foreigner?

Yes, but not on day one. A Danish bank will normally want a CPR number, and in practice MitID as well, before it opens a full account for you. To open an account you contact a bank of your choice and bring photo ID such as your passport and your address details Life in Denmark.

There is a second route for people without a CPR number. Under Danish rules on payment accounts, anyone lawfully resident in the EU/EEA has a right to a basic payment account, and a bank cannot refuse you simply because you have no Danish address Finanstilsynet.

What should you have ready before you apply?

• Your CPR number, or a tax number if you are here briefly Life in Denmark.
• MitID, which the banks use to confirm your identity Vipps MobilePay.
• Photo ID, such as a passport. Nordea asks for the original, not a copy Nordea.
• Proof of your Danish address. Lunar suggests the yellow health card, a utility bill or a screenshot from the CPR register Lunar.
• Your residence permit or EU residence document, an employment contract or proof that you are enrolled in study Nordea.
• If your stay is under three months, documentation from the tax authorities and proof of your home address Nordea.

Which banks should you look at?

The big Danish banks and the digital banks all handle international customers, and several explain the process in English.

• Danske Bank: non-Danish residents apply online and upload proof of identity. Danske Bank says it processes the application within 10 working days Danske Bank.
• Nordea: if you already have MitID, a Danish address and a Danish phone number you can apply online; otherwise you call and book a service meeting. Newcomers are given its Basic Payment Account Nordea.
• Lunar: a regulated digital Danish bank. You apply in the app in English with photo ID, MitID and your CPR number, and the account is free Lunar.

Whatever bank you choose, expect questions about your income, where your money comes from, and how you will use the account. Banks ask because they must comply with anti-money-laundering legislation, not because of you personally Nordea.

What is a basic payment account, and why does it matter?

A basic payment account (basal betalingskonto) is the account the law guarantees. With it you can deposit and withdraw cash, make and receive payments, pay with a payment card and set up direct debits (betalingsservice). You get netbank access, and you can register it as your NemKonto Finanstilsynet.

It may be offered free or for a reasonable fee Finanstilsynet. If a bank will not give you a normal account, ask about the basic payment account. Finanstilsynet is clear that banks must not push you to another bank instead Finanstilsynet.

Why do banks refuse people?

A bank can refuse a basic payment account only for the reasons set out in the law. Those are: you have no real interest in opening the account; you already have a basic payment account in Denmark; you have committed criminal acts against that bank; you have behaved offensively towards its customers or staff; or opening the account would breach the anti-money-laundering rules Finanstilsynet.

What a bank cannot do is refuse you just because you do not have a fixed address in Denmark, or because you came to Denmark from another country Finanstilsynet. If it refuses, the bank must give you a concrete written reason, free of charge, and tell you how to complain Finanstilsynet.

A common real-world issue is documentation. If you cannot show who you are to the bank’s satisfaction, the anti-money-laundering rules let it say no. That is why banks may ask for extra papers that seem excessive.

What if you cannot get an account straight away?

Two things are worth knowing.

First, MobilePay will not bridge the gap. To use MobilePay you need MitID, a Danish social security number, a Danish or Greenlandic phone number, a Danish bank account and a Danish card, and you must be at least 13 Vipps MobilePay. So it depends on the things you are trying to get.

Second, if you are an EU/EEA citizen you can ask specifically for the basic payment account. That is the route open to you even before you have a Danish address, as long as you are lawfully resident in the EU/EEA Finanstilsynet.

What is NemKonto, and do you have to set one up?

A NemKonto is not a special account. It is one of your ordinary bank accounts that you register so Danish public authorities can pay money to you, such as a tax refund NemKonto.

Every citizen over 18 is obliged to have a NemKonto Agency for Digital Government. You can view, change or assign it by logging in to the NemKonto self-service with MitID, or you can ask your bank to set it up NemKonto. If you do not have one, payments from public authorities cannot reach you.

What it costs and how long it takes

• Basic payment account: the bank must open it or give a reasoned refusal no later than 10 working days after receiving a complete application Finanstilsynet.
• Cost: free or a reasonable fee, depending on the bank Finanstilsynet.
• Nordea’s Basic Payment Account: 135 DKK per quarter as of 2026 Nordea.
• Danske Bank, non-Danish resident application: processed within 10 working days as of 2026 Danske Bank.
• Lunar: account free of charge as of 2026 Lunar.
• NemKonto: assigning or changing it costs nothing NemKonto.

Common mistakes

• Applying before you have a CPR number or MitID. Most banks will stop there Life in Denmark.
• Leaving it too late. Open the account as soon as your CPR and MitID are ready, because your salary needs somewhere to land Life in Denmark.
• Not asking for the basic payment account after a refusal. It is a specific product with specific rules, not just a downgrade Finanstilsynet.
• Assuming no address means automatic refusal. That is not a lawful reason to refuse Finanstilsynet.
• Forgetting to set a NemKonto after the account is open, then wondering where your tax refund went NemKonto.
• Turning up at a branch without the originals of your documents Nordea.

If something goes wrong

If you get a refusal you believe is unlawful, ask for the written reason. The refusal must explain how to complain to the bank’s complaints officer and how the decision can go to the Financial Appeals Board (Det finansielle ankenævn) and Finanstilsynet Finanstilsynet.

If the bank has not decided within 10 working days of your complete application, you can complain to the bank’s complaints officer. That contact has to be published on the bank’s website Finanstilsynet.

Banks are regularly told off for handling this badly. Finanstilsynet surveyed nine banks and found five were not following the rules, and issued orders to fix it Finanstilsynet. Knowing your rights is not being difficult; it is the law working as intended.