As a citizen from outside the EU, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland, intending to work or study in Denmark you typically have to follow these steps when entering Denmark.

Step 1: apply for a residence permit
Step 2: register your address, get a CPR number and a health insurance card
Step 3: request MitID / NemID
Step 4: apply for a tax card

If you are moving to Denmark with the intent to work or study the first thing you must do is to find out which residence permit you will need for your stay in Denmark.

Please visit newtodenmark.dk where you will also find information on how to apply for a residence permit. Newtodenmark.dk is the website of the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

If you are granted a Danish residence permit, you will receive a residence card, which is proof of your right to reside in Denmark.

Go to www.newtodenmark.dk

 

If you will be staying in Denmark for more than three months, your next step, after having received your residence permit, is to register your address and get a CPR number – your Danish social security number.

You must:

 

Online application for a CPR number

Please have the following documents ready for upload:

  • Residence permit
  • Passport or national ID with photo (must include your place of birth)
  • Proof of your address in Denmark e.g. a rental contract
  • Marriage certificate, if you are married - even if your partner is not accompanying you
  • Divorce certificate, if you are divorced
  • Death certificate, if you are a widow(er)
  • Birth certificate for any accompanying child under 18
  • Documents concerning legal custody, if you are not married to your child's other parent.

Your documents must be in Danish, English or German. 

Register for your CPR-number here

For your subsequent appointment with Citizen Service, please bring the receipt you get from your online CPR application and the original documents mentioned above.

Book an appointment with Citizen Service here (one per person)

Health insurance card (Sundhedskort)

When you appear in person at Citizen Service, you will also choose a general practitioner (family doctor).

Approximately 14 days after your CPR registration has been completed, you will automatically receive a yellow health insurance card (sundhedskort) by post.

The card is your documentation that you are entitled to the services offered under the Danish national health insurance scheme. It carries your CPR number, your address and the name and address of your GP.

You must bring the card when going to see your general practitioner, a hospital or other health care facilities. It is often also used as an ID.

When you register for a CPR number Citizen Service will provide you with a temporary health insurance card on paper which you must use until you get your actual health insurance card by post. 

Read more about the yellow health insurance card

If you already have an administrative CPR number / a tax number or have been issued with a CPR number from a previous stay in Denmark, you must book an appointment to show up in person at Citizen Service (Borgerservice) to register your address and entry to Denmark.

You must bring the following documents: 

  1.  Residence permit (non-EU/EEA-citizens)
  2. EU residence document (EU/EEA-citizens). You must reapply for an EU residence document with SIRI before we can register you in the CPR system if:
    • The date when your EU residence document was issued is more than six months ago. 
    • You were registered in the CPR registration system as having left Denmark 
  3.  Proof of your social security number from your home country (Nordic Citizens. Citizens from the Faroe Islands must bring their P number)
  4. Passport or national ID with photo (must include your place of birth)
  5. Proof of your address in Denmark e.g. a rental contract
  6. Marriage certificate, if you are married - even if your partner is not accompanying you
  7. Divorce certificate, if you are divorced
  8. Death certificate, if you are a widow(er)
  9. Birth certificate for any accompanying child under 18
  10. Documents concerning legal custody, if you are not married to your child's other parent.
  11. The entry form below (fill in the form before appearing at Citizen Service)

Your documents must be in Danish, English or German.

Book an appointment to appear in person at Citizen Service

Q&A - applying for a CPR number and receiving your health insurance card

MitID is your personal secure login for:

  • Using public online self-service solutions
  • Accessing your digital post from public authorities
  • Online banking
  • Verifying your identity on a range of public and private websites
  • Signing documents digitally

MitID allows you to use the same login from different devices via the MitID-app.

Read more about MitID at mitid.dk.(choose English at the bottom of the page)

How to obtain MitID / NemID

PLEASE NOTE: Denmark is transitioning from NemID to MitID as the common secure login solution.

Therefore, some international first time users will be issued with NemID (1) and some will be issued with MitID (2)  - please see if you’re in category 1 or 2 below.

During the transition you will experience that some online public self-service solutions require NemID and some require MitID.

  1. If you DO NOT have an administrative CPR number, e.g., a tax number, or a CPR number from a previous stay in Denmark Citizen Service will issue you with NemID. NemID cannot be used to access online banking.

With NemID you log on e.g., a self-service solution using your CPR number, a self-made password, and a code from a physical code card (sent to you by mail). When you’ve activated NemID you can also use the NemID app. Read more about NemID at nemid.nu

After having acquired NemID you may obtain MitID in two ways:

a. You may use NemID to acquire MitID

b. You may obtain MitID by downloading the MitID-app on your smartphone to scan your passport or ID (from Schengen countries). You can obtain MitID 24 hours after having been issued with a CPR number. To do this your passport or ID card must contain a chip which is scanned using the MitID-app on your smartphone.

Please follow the guide on mitid.dk to Get MitID with a foreign passport / ID card

  1. If you already have an administrative CPR number (e.g., a tax number) or a CPR number from a previous stay in Denmark you can get MitID by following the guide Get MitID with a foreign passport / ID card on mitid.dk. The guide will tell you to scan your passport or ID card using your smartphone.

Are your experiencing trouble getting MitID?

If you have followed the guide on mitid.dk scanning your passport or ID card (from Schengen countries) please book an appointment with Citizen Service (Borgerservice) and bring an attesting witness. IMPORTANT: Please familiarize yourself with what is required for Citizen Service to help you get MitID before your appointment.

Requirements to follow for Citizen Service to issue your MitID

Book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you do not have a smartphone or are unable to use the MitID app

If this is the case, there are alternatives to using MitID. Please contact Citizen Service at 89 40 22 22 to know how to get MitID without using the MitID-app when moving to Denmark.

If you need to obtain NemID to use certain online self-service solutions

Please contact Citizen Service at 89 40 22 22

If you have any income in Denmark, you need to apply for at tax card from the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen).

Exactly how much you must pay depends on your earnings and the tax deductions and allowances you are entitled to.

If you do not apply for a tax card, your employer will deduct 55% from your salary.

Apply for a tax card on the website of the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen)

 

CPR Number
In Denmark, each person has a personal registration number, which is called a CPR number. CPR stands for Central Person Register.
The CPR number is essential in relation to any contact with the Danish authorities and especially in connection to tax and social security issues.
The CPR number gives you the right to use the Danish health care system.

Picture of temporary health insurance card

A temporary health insurance card
The document is your temporary health insurance card until you receive the actual card. It contains the name, address, and phone number of your doctor. Until you receive your actual health insurance card, you must bring the temporary document if you are going to the doctor, hospital, or dentist.

Picture of health insurance card

The actual yellow health insurance card
About 14 days after your entry has been registered, you will receive a yellow health insurance card (sundhedskort) by post (please have your name on your mailbox). The card carries your Danish CPR number (social security number). You are advised to always carry your yellow health insurance card with you as you will need to use it when contacting your doctor, hospitals, and dentists. The yellow health insurance card is also available as an app.

Click here to read more about healthcare in Denmark

MitID

MitID is your personal secure login for:

  • Using public online self-service solutions
  • Accessing your digital post from public authorities
  • Online banking
  • Verifying your identity on a range of public and private websites
  • Signing documents digitally

MitID allows you to use the same login from different devices via the MitID-app. If you don’t have a smartphone or are able to use the app, MitID can be used via other devices.

Read more about MitID at mitid.dk.

PLEASE NOTE: As Denmark is transitioning from NemID to MitID as the common secure login, internationals with an administrative CPR number (e.g., a tax number) or a CPR number from a previous stay in Denmark will, until further notice, be issued with NemID. NemID may be used to obtain MitID.

NemID can no longer be used after June 30 2023.