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 (4)
- 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
- Where to live in Copenhagen: the neighbourhoods compared Compare Copenhagen's neighbourhoods for foreigners: what each area feels like, what rent costs in 2026, commute times, and how to
- 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
- Home internet in Denmark: check your address, then compare plans Get home internet in Denmark: check your address on Tjekditnet and Tjekbredbånd, compare fiber, cable and 5G, and avoid
Money (9)
- 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 policies that are mandatory, the contents cover almost everyone needs, typical 2026 prices in DKK, and
- MobilePay, Revolut and Wise: how to pay for things in Denmark without a Danish bank How to pay in cashless Denmark before you have a Danish bank account: what MobilePay requires, NemKonto with a foreign IBAN, and
- Danish phone number and plans: SIM cards, contracts and costs How to get a Danish phone number and pick a plan: prepaid SIMs without CPR, subscriptions, intro prices, credit checks, number
- 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
- Supermarkets in Denmark: chains, differences and what to expect Netto, Lidl, Rema 1000, føtex, Bilka, Coop and Meny explained: which chain is for what, pant, tilbud, member apps, bags and
- Online shopping in Denmark: best sites, Amazon, delivery and returns Where people in Denmark shop online, why Amazon.de is the usual Amazon, the customs bill on non-EU parcels, parcel shops, and your
- Buying second-hand in Denmark: DBA, Marketplace and avoiding scams Where to buy used in Denmark (DBA, Facebook Marketplace, Vinted), how a deal runs, how to spot scams, and why private sales carry
Health (2)
- 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
- Gyms in Denmark: chains, prices and cheaper options (2026) PureGym, LOOP, FitnessX and SATS compared on price, joining fee and notice period, plus municipal pools, sports clubs and personal
Family (4)
- 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
- Danish education system explained: stages, costs, SU and holidays Folkeskole, efterskole, gymnasium, vocational school and university: what each stage costs, who can get SU, and how the Danish
- International schools in Denmark: Copenhagen list, fees and admission Which international schools exist around Copenhagen, what they charge in 2026-27, how admission works, and when the free local
Work (5)
- Insurance through your job in Denmark: what you have and who pays Work-injury insurance, pension, group life and health insurance through your Danish job: who pays, how it is taxed and how to see
- 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
- The role of unions in Denmark: what a foreign worker needs to know Denmark has no statutory minimum wage. How collective agreements set your pay, what the Danish model means, union density today,
- Do you need a union and an a-kasse in Denmark? What they cost and what they do The difference between a Danish union and an a-kasse, what dagpenge requires, counting EU/EEA insurance after you move, fees and
- 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 (4)
- 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
- Free Danish lessons: how to find and use Danish language courses (DU1, DU2, DU3) Who gets free danskuddannelse in Denmark, how DU1, DU2 and DU3 work, what Prøve i Dansk 2 and 3 unlock, prices if you are not
- 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 (7)
- 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
- Car sharing, mini lease or buying a car in Denmark: costs and rules GreenMobility, KINTO Share and GoMore compared, how mini leasing works, why rentals cost so much, registration tax and Copenhagen
- 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
- Commuting in Copenhagen: the daily guide to Metro, S-tog, bikes and fares How commuting in Copenhagen really works: Metro, S-tog, buses, bikes and harbour buses, 2026 fares, commuter-card prices, journey
- 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 before you pay.
- 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,