Exchanging a foreign driving licence for a Danish one

Can you drive on your foreign licence in Denmark?

It depends entirely on where the licence was issued borger.dk.

• EU, EEA (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein), Faroe Islands and Greenland: your licence is valid in Denmark. You may drive on it until it expires, or exchange it for a Danish one with no test Færdselsstyrelsen.
• Everything else (any other licence, whether or not it is on one of the lists below): it is valid for 180 days from the date you take up habitual residence in Denmark. After that you must hold a Danish licence: you exchange yours, and unless your licence is on one of the two exemption lists below you must also pass a controlling theory and practical test Færdselsstyrelsen.

Two exemption lists sit between the EU/EEA rule and a full test: group 1 and group 2. A licence from either list can be exchanged for a Danish category B (car) licence without a controlling test Færdselsstyrelsen. The conditions are that the licence is valid and written in Latin letters (or accompanied by an official Danish, English or French translation), and that you sign a solemn declaration that you have not been disqualified from driving in the past five years. Group 2 adds one more condition: a declaration that you have held a category B licence and actually driven on it for at least the last two years. If you also want other categories (A, C and so on) exchanged, you must sit a controlling test in category B. Both lists require a medical certificate.

• Group 1 (as of 2026): Australia (Australian Capital Territory), Brazil, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Japan, Jersey, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Northern Ireland, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Ukraine and the UK (England, Scotland and Wales).
• Group 2 (as of 2026): Australia (outside the ACT), Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, Chile, Israel, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Serbia, Singapore, the Isle of Man and the USA.

UK licences are a special case since Brexit. A UK licence issued before 1 January 2021 is exchanged on the same terms as an EU/EEA licence: no controlling test and no medical certificate, but you must sign a declaration that your driving right has not been revoked, restricted or withdrawn Færdselsstyrelsen Kørekortbekendtgørelsen. A UK licence issued on or after 1 January 2021 counts as a group 1 licence: you can exchange it for a category B licence without a controlling test, but the application must include a medical certificate and a written sworn statement that you have not been disqualified from driving in the past five years Færdselsstyrelsen.

Ukrainian licences are also a special case. Ukraine is a group 1 country, so a category B licence can be exchanged without a controlling test. If you have temporary protection in Denmark because you were displaced from Ukraine, you may instead keep driving on a valid physical Ukrainian licence for as long as that protection lasts; Ukrainian electronic licences cannot be used in Denmark Færdselsstyrelsen.

When does the clock start, and what is habitual residence?

Denmark defines habitual residence for licence purposes as settling here with the intention of staying at least 185 days because of personal or professional ties Rudersdal Kommune.

The 180 days run from the date you take up habitual residence (sædvanlig bopæl) in Denmark. That is usually, but not necessarily, the date you register your address and get your CPR number, so do not assume the clock starts only when you register, or when your plane lands, or when your contract begins borger.dk. If you move here in March and only deal with the licence in October, you may already be driving illegally.

How do you apply, and where?

1. Book an appointment at a Borgerservice office - any municipality, not only your own borger.dk.
2. Turn up in person with your foreign licence and the documents below. Borgerservice takes the payment borger.dk.
3. Borgerservice forwards the application to Færdselsstyrelsen, which assesses it and sends you the decision in your Digital Post borger.dk.
4. If a controlling test is required, you book it after Færdselsstyrelsen has approved the application, and there are two bookings to make: the theory test at Borgerservice, and the practical test through the driving school whose car you rent. There is no requirement to take driving lessons first, but the practical test has to be taken in a car with pedals on the passenger side borger.dk.

You cannot apply by post or online only. The police and Færdselsstyrelsen deal with the assessment; Borgerservice is the counter where you start.

What documents and photos do you need?

• Your original foreign licence. If it is lost, get written confirmation from the authority that issued it, in Danish or English City of Copenhagen.
• Passport or national ID card borger.dk.
• A medical certificate (lægeattest) where one is required.
• A passport-style photo meeting the official requirements: 35 x 45 mm, head 30-36 mm high, plain light background, face evenly lit, both eyes fully visible, mouth closed, no tinted or reflective glasses Politi.

Your photo may be taken at Borgerservice for a fee if you would rather not bring one.

What happens to the foreign licence you hand in?

Danish rules allow you to hold only one driving licence at a time, so when you submit the application you hand in the licence you want to exchange, and it stays with the authorities instead of coming back to you Kørekortbekendtgørelsen. Once your Danish licence has been issued, the municipality sends the licence you handed in to Færdselsstyrelsen. Færdselsstyrelsen then sends Faroese, Greenlandic and EU/EEA licences back to the country that issued them, with an explanation; licences from outside the EU/EEA are archived in Denmark instead Færdselsstyrelsen - Kørekortvejledningen.

In practice City of Copenhagen:

• A licence issued in the EU cannot be handed back to you once you have your Danish licence. If you later leave Denmark, you have to get a new licence from the authorities there.
• A licence issued outside the EU stays with Færdselsstyrelsen, and you can apply to get it back - for example because you are moving back to the country that issued it. Write an application with your name, CPR number and the reason, hand it in at Borgerservice, and the answer arrives in your Digital Post.

If you still need to be able to drive at home, check that before you exchange: after the swap you hold a Danish licence only.

What is a lægeattest, and where do you get one?

The lægeattest is a medical certificate covering eyesight and fitness to drive. It must normally be filled in by your own GP (egen læge), and it is digital: you complete your part on borger.dk, then attend a consultation where the doctor finishes the attest and sends it to the municipality handling your licence application borger.dk Færdselsstyrelsen.

This is where new arrivals get stuck, because “your own doctor” assumes you are already in the Danish system. You need a CPR number and a registered GP first: the municipality registers you in the CPR (folkeregister) and you choose a doctor (or are assigned one), and the health insurance card (sundhedskort) that follows shows both your CPR number and your GP’s name lifeindenmark.borger.dk. Sort that out before you try to book the lægeattest, and allow time for it.

Your doctor charges a fee for issuing the attest and sets that price, so ask what it costs when you book; Færdselsstyrelsen does not set it Færdselsstyrelsen.

You need one if your licence is not from the EU, EEA, Faroe Islands or Greenland - which includes Switzerland, a group 1 country - and in some other cases, for example if your foreign licence is about to expire and the Danish one will carry a fresh validity period borger.dk. Book the GP appointment early, because it is the step most people forget.

What is the temporary licence?

If your foreign licence is still valid, or expired less than three years ago, Borgerservice can give you a temporary Danish licence that you can use while the application is being processed. It is valid in the Nordic countries City of Copenhagen.

That matters if your foreign licence is expiring: you can keep driving legally in Denmark and its neighbours instead of waiting at home.

What if your licence is not in Latin script?

If your licence is not written in Latin letters, you must carry either an international driving licence or a translation into Danish, English or French. The translation must come from a public authority or an authorised body in the country that issued the licence borger.dk.

If your licence is in Latin script, no translation is normally needed. Sort the translation out before your Borgerservice appointment, because the counter cannot accept a document they cannot read.

Can you take the test in English?

Assume not. Danish driving tests are normally conducted in Danish, and since 1 January 2025 it is no longer possible to take the theory or practical test with an interpreter Færdselsstyrelsen.

What you can do is find a driving school that teaches the theory in English and prepares you for a Danish-language test. Ask about this before you pay a deposit.

How long does it take, and what does it cost?

The first controlling test is free: the fee regulation waives the fee for the first controlling test, so you pay Færdselsstyrelsen again only if you fail part of it or do not turn up - then the fee is DKK 1,690 Færdselsstyrelsen Retsinformation. A driving school also charges for renting its car for the practical test, and sets that price itself City of Copenhagen. Færdselsstyrelsen publishes the full, current list of fees, and it is worth checking it before your appointment because the amounts change Færdselsstyrelsen.

Expect roughly two weeks from appointment to card for a straightforward exchange, and longer if a test or a translation is involved. Many municipalities say the card arrives by post in about 14 days, or can be collected after about 10 Odense Kommune.

Which Danish driving rules surprise newcomers?

• The alcohol limit is 0.5 promille. Above that you are prosecuted, with a fine based on your net salary and a conditional loss of your licence; the penalties escalate sharply above 1.2 Sikker Trafik.
• Speed limits are 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads and 130 km/h on motorways, unless signs say otherwise Sikker Trafik.
• Headlights and daytime running lights are expected at all times, not just at night.
• Parking fines are issued by municipalities and private operators, and they escalate if you ignore them.
• Right-hand priority applies on many unsigned urban junctions, and cyclists have real priority when you turn right.

What about buying a car?

Cars in Denmark carry a very heavy registration tax (registreringsafgift), which is why new cars cost far more here than in most of Europe, and why plates must be registered with Motorstyrelsen when you buy borger.dk. Check the current rules before you commit to a purchase.

Common mistakes

• Waiting too long. For third-country licences the 180 days run from the date you take up residence here, which may be earlier than the date you register with the CPR system. Apply well before day 180, because a test can take weeks to book.
• Forgetting the lægeattest. It is the most common reason an appointment stalls.
• Bringing a photocopy of the licence. Borgerservice needs the original.
• Expecting to keep your foreign licence. You hand in the original, and an EU/EEA licence is sent back to the country that issued it, not to you.
• Assuming you can test in English. Interpreter tests ended on 1 January 2025.
• Booking a driving school before the application is approved. The test can only be booked once Færdselsstyrelsen has accepted the application.

If something goes wrong

If your application is refused, the decision comes to your Digital Post with the reason. Færdselsstyrelsen handles foreign licence cases directly and publishes its guidance in English, so start there Færdselsstyrelsen.

If your licence expires while you wait, ask for the temporary licence; you may be eligible for one if your foreign licence is valid or expired less than three years ago City of Copenhagen.

If the photo is rejected, take a new one to the published specification, or have it taken at the counter Politi.