Public transport in Denmark: Rejsekort, Rejseplanen and DOT explained

Do you need a travel card in Denmark at all?

You can travel on a single ticket, but most people who live here use a travel card because it is cheaper and simpler. In the DOT area - Copenhagen, the rest of Zealand, Lolland, Falster and Møn - bus, train, Metro and light rail share one zone-based ticket, and the same ticket works whichever one you take Din Offentlige Transport. Funen and Jutland have their own traffic companies and fare tables, but the Rejsekort app works across the country Rejsekort.

The blue plastic Rejsekort that everyone used to carry was retired on 30 June 2026 DOT. Its replacements are the Rejsekort app, the personal Basiskort and the anonymous Basiskort Rejsekort. If you had a balance on a personal card, it was transferred to your NemKonto automatically in August 2026; holders of anonymous cards have to claim their balance themselves, by 29 June 2027 Rejsekort and Rejseplan.

How does the zone system work, and why do prices vary?

The DOT area is divided into 211 fare zones, and you pay for the number of zones you cross, not for the distance. A journey inside central Copenhagen is two zones; the airport to the centre is three DOT fare table.

The 2026 adult single-ticket prices are DKK 24 for two zones, DKK 30 for three and DKK 40 for four, and then they rise further for longer journeys. Two zones is the cheapest standalone ticket: a one-zone ticket (DKK 12) is sold only as an add-on to a commuter card DOT fare table. On the Rejsekort app the same two-zone journey costs DKK 22, and you get 20% off outside peak hours and at weekends Rejsekort.

Prices vary for two reasons: the zones you cross, and the product you bought.

What is the Rejsekort today?

The name now covers the app and the Basiskort.

The Rejsekort app is a phone app. You create a profile and check in with one swipe; the app checks you out, either when you tell it to or automatically through its Smart Check Out feature Rejsekort. You can check in extra travellers on your own phone, and there is no card fee or delivery time.

The Basiskort is a physical card for people who would rather not travel on a phone. The personal Basiskort costs DKK 50 and is ordered through Rejsekort; the anonymous Basiskort costs DKK 80 and is sold in kiosks, sales outlets and DSB 7-Eleven shops Rejsekort. The personal one is charged to your card or MobilePay once a day, so there is no balance to top up. Both give the same off-peak discount as the app. Neither works on Bornholm.

If you forget to check out, the app charges you as though you travelled further than you did. Switch on Smart Check Out, or correct the journey afterwards through self-service or Rejsekort customer service on 70 11 33 33 Rejsekort.

What are Rejsebillet and DOT Tickets?

These are ticket apps, not travel cards. Rejsebillet sells single journeys and commuter cards in advance, and can renew your commuter card automatically each month Rejsekort. DOT Tickets is the app for Zealand, Lolland, Falster and Møn, and the easiest place to buy a bike ticket for the Metro DOT.

Buy a ticket for a one-off journey; use a travel card if you travel several times a week.

How do you plan a journey with Rejseplanen?

Rejseplanen is the national journey planner, and it is the most useful transport tool in the country.

1. Open Rejseplanen on the web or in the app Rejseplanen.
2. Enter where you are, where you are going, and when.
3. Read the result as a chain of legs: which bus, train or Metro, and how many zones the whole trip touches.
4. Check that zone count against the fare table before you buy, so you do not underpay.
5. If you commute, run the journey through Pendlertjek, which tells you which ticket type is cheapest Pendlertjek.

Rejseplanen also shows live departures and disruptions, which matters in winter when trains are delayed.

Who runs what?

• DSB runs the Copenhagen S-tog, regional trains and the long-distance InterCity services DSB.
• Metroselskabet runs the Copenhagen Metro, lines M1 to M4 Metroselskabet.
• Movia runs the buses in Copenhagen and the rest of Zealand Movia.
• BAT, FynBus, Sydtrafik, Midttrafik and Nordjyllands Trafikselskab (NT) run local buses in their own regions. Some local railways are run by other operators rather than by DSB, such as Lokaltog on Zealand Lokaltog.

How do commuter cards and student discounts work?

If you travel the same route most days, a commuter card (pendlerkort) is usually much cheaper than single tickets. It is sold by zones and period, and you buy it in Rejsebillet, in the DSB app or from your traffic company. Check your route on Pendlertjek first, because the cheapest product is not always the obvious one Pendlertjek.

Young people get real discounts. On the Rejsekort you travel as a child (0-15), a young person (16-25) or an adult, and you choose the customer type when you order the card; you must be able to prove your age if an inspector asks Rejsekort. Children’s single tickets cost half the adult price, and one paying adult can bring two children under 12 free on buses, trains and the Metro in the DOT area DOT. Students in eligible education can apply for an Ungdomskort, a discounted travel card for the trip between home and their place of study Ungdomskort.

What happens if you travel without a valid ticket?

You get a kontrolafgift (fine), and the amounts are not small. As of 2026:

• DSB trains (InterCity, InterCityLyn, Lyn+, regional and Øresund): DKK 750 adults, DKK 375 children and dogs, DKK 100 bicycle DOT.
• Movia buses: DKK 1,000 adults, DKK 500 children and dogs.
• Metro: DKK 750 adults, DKK 375 children and dogs, DKK 250 bicycle.
• Light rail (Letbane): DKK 750 adults, DKK 375 children and dogs.

There is no “I forgot” defence. The fine is issued by the company that caught you, and it also counts as a ticket for the rest of that journey DSB.

If you think the fine is wrong, complain to the issuing company first; while they handle your complaint you do not have to pay, and no reminder fee is added DOT. Only once they have refused can you take the case to Ankenævnet for Bus, Tog og Metro, the independent appeals board, which charges a DKK 160 fee (DKK 80 if the disputed amount is smaller) and suspends collection while it reviews the case Ankenævnet.

Can you take a bike on the train and Metro?

Usually yes, but the rules differ by vehicle Movia.

• S-tog: free, all day. You may not get on or off with a bike at Nørreport on weekdays between 07:00-09:00 and 15:30-17:30.
• Metro: a bike ticket costs DKK 15, and bikes are banned on weekdays 07:00-09:00 and 15:30-17:30 Metroselskabet.
• InterCity, InterCityLyn and Lyn+ trains: your bike always needs a Cykelpladsbillet (bike ticket with a space reservation), DKK 20 DSB.
• Regional trains: free on weekdays between 09:00-15:00 and 18:00-06:00 and all weekend; in weekday rush hour (06:00-09:00 and 15:00-18:00) you need the same DKK 20 Cykelpladsbillet DSB.
• Movia buses: free on ordinary buses outside rush hour - bikes are not allowed in weekday rush hour on lines 1-100 and S-buses, nor ever on minibuses - and the driver decides whether there is room Movia.

How do you get from Copenhagen Airport to the centre?

Two options, both from inside Terminal 3, both on the same DKK 30 three-zone ticket DOT fare table.

1. Metro M2 from Lufthavnen station, 24 hours a day, about 13 minutes to Kongens Nytorv and 15 to Nørreport. Step-free and easy with a suitcase Metroselskabet.
2. DSB regional train to København H, about 13-15 minutes, every 10 minutes in the day. Take this one for Vesterbro, Tivoli, or onward travel to Malmö - but the three-zone city ticket stops at the bridge, so you need a separate Øresundsbillet for Sweden DSB.

Buy your ticket before you board. Inspectors do work the airport line.

What it costs and how long it takes

A personal Basiskort is posted to you and can take around two weeks to arrive Rejsekort.

Common mistakes

• Checking in but not out. The app charges you for the journey it thinks you made. Switch on Smart Check Out.
• Buying a ticket for too few zones. Inspectors count zones, not stops.
• Assuming fines are the same everywhere. Movia buses charge DKK 1,000; DSB and the Metro charge DKK 750.
• Trying to take a bike in the Metro at 08:00. Bikes are banned in weekday rush hour.

If something goes wrong

If your card or phone will not check in, tell the driver or an inspector before you travel, not after. Staff can usually let you travel while you sort it out.

If you are fined and believe the machine or app failed, keep the fine, note the time and vehicle, and complain in writing to the issuing company. You must be refused before you can escalate to the appeals board Ankenævnet. If the Rejsekort app was showing an error, customer service on 70 11 33 33 can see your travel history Rejsekort.