How to get MitID in Denmark

What is MitID and why do you need it?

MitID is Denmark’s national electronic ID. It is how you prove who you are when you log in to your bank, skat.dk, your digital post, the health service and almost every other online service in Denmark MitID.dk.

Without it, most of the country runs offline for you. You cannot check your tax, read letters from public authorities, or manage your bank account. Newcomers often get MitID at the same appointment where they register for a CPR number Life in Denmark.

What are the two ways to get MitID?

You either do it yourself in the MitID app using your passport, or you do it in person at Borgerservice (Citizen Service). Both routes prove your identity so that nobody can pretend to be you MitID.dk.

The app route is faster and needs no appointment, but it only works if you have a valid passport or national ID card with a chip, and a phone that can read that chip Life in Denmark. Most biometric passports issued in recent years have a chip; MitID publishes a list of accepted passports and ID cards on its site MitID.dk.

How do you get MitID in the app with your passport?

This is the route most newcomers use.

1. Check that your phone can read your passport. Generally you need an iPhone 7 or newer, or a recent Android phone with an NFC reader Life in Denmark.
2. Download the MitID app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Make sure it is the app published by the Danish Agency for Digital Government MitID.dk.
3. Open the app, tap the menu and choose to get MitID using your passport MitID.dk.
4. Scan the passport code, hold your phone against the passport to read the chip, then scan your face. The app compares your face with the passport photo Life in Denmark.
5. Create a user ID and choose how you want to approve logins: the app on this phone, an app on another device, or a code display, audio code reader or chip MitID.dk.

You can also use your own phone to help someone else, such as a relative, get their MitID. Nothing from their passport or face scan is kept on your phone MitID.dk.

How do you get MitID at Borgerservice?

If your passport has no readable chip, if the scan fails, or if you simply want help, book an appointment at Borgerservice MitID.dk.

Bring valid ID, such as your passport or driving licence, and be ready to pick a user ID. If you have not started the setup online, writing your chosen user ID on paper is enough City of Copenhagen.

Staff will ask control questions based on your CPR record to confirm who you are. If you have lived in Denmark for under three years there may not be enough data for those questions, so bring a witness who can confirm your identity. The witness must be at least 18 and have a MitID that is at least 30 days old City of Copenhagen.

What if you do not have a CPR number yet?

You can still get a MitID, but you use a P code instead of a CPR number. A P code is an eight-digit code that you enter in the MitID app when you create or change a MitID with your passport or ID card MitID.dk.

Get the P code by contacting MitID Support. It is valid for 60 days and can be used for three attempts; once it has worked once, it stops working MitID.dk.

Be aware of the limit. Most public self-service solutions still require a CPR number, so a MitID made with a P code will not open everything. It is useful for some bank and private services MitID.dk.

Which authenticator should you choose?

• MitID app: the everyday choice. Works on your phone with a PIN, and you can copy it to a new phone MitID.dk.
• Code display (kodeviser): a small device that shows one-time codes. Good if you do not want to depend on a phone MitID.dk.
• Audio code reader: reads the code aloud, designed for people with impaired vision MitID.dk.
• MitID chip: a USB-style device for people who approve many logins a day, usually at work. It costs 143.60 DKK and you can only have one active chip at a time MitID.dk.

Whatever you choose, set up a spare. If you only have the app and you lose your phone, you are locked out until you regain access MitID.dk.

How does MitID work for children?

MitID is available from the age of 13. It is meant for young people who need access to self-service solutions, for example to use online banking or see a tax card if they have a part-time job. The age of 13 is the limit for getting MitID; each service decides separately whether it lets 13 and 14 year olds in MitID.dk.

When your child turns 15, they are registered for Digital Post from the public sector automatically and must have MitID to read it. Parents can help them understand and set it up, but a parent cannot take over a child’s MitID, because MitID is personal MitID.dk.

What it costs and how long it takes

• Creating MitID: free MitID.dk.
• Code displays and audio code readers: you can get up to three free of charge. Beyond that, they cost extra City of Copenhagen.
• MitID chip: 143.60 DKK as of 2026 MitID.dk.
• In the app: a few minutes, once your passport is ready MitID.dk.
• At Borgerservice: you must book first, and appointment waiting times vary by municipality City of Copenhagen.

What to do if you lose your MitID or phone

Block it first. MitID has a blocking service so nobody else can use it MitID.dk.

Then regain access. If you have a passport, you can often get back in through the app on a new phone by scanning the passport and your face. If the app cannot scan your passport, book an appointment at Borgerservice and bring valid ID MitID.dk.

If you have a code display or reader and have typed the code wrong six times, you cannot reactivate it. You order a new one City of Copenhagen.

One deadline to know. When your bank tells you it is your turn to create MitID, you usually have 30 days to do it City of Copenhagen.

Common mistakes

• Choosing only one authenticator. If you have just the app and lose your phone, you are stuck MitID.dk.
• Turning up at Borgerservice without an appointment. Booking is usually required City of Copenhagen.
• Forgetting that a P-code MitID does not open most public services MitID.dk.
• Sharing your user ID or codes with anyone, including family. MitID is personal MitID.dk.
• Assuming an old NemID still works. It does not MitID.dk.

What happened to NemID?

NemID was the previous Danish digital ID and has been closed. It moved into limited operation in 2023 and then stopped, which is why you are now asked for MitID everywhere MitID.dk. If you are newly arrived, you never needed NemID at all; MitID is the only thing to set up.