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 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

NemID is your personal secure login for:

  • Using public online self-service solutions
  • Accessing your digital postbox
  • Online banking
  • Validating online purchases
  • Varifying your identity on a range of public and private websites. 
  • Signing documents digitally

NemID allows you to log on using the same logon solution whether you are checking your digital post from public authorities, checking your accounts, your insurances or your tax information, etc. Besides using NemID as secure login, NemID also works as your signature online. It is just as valid as the one you put on paper.

Your NemID allows you to log on from different devices.

With NemID you log on using your CPR number, a personal password, and a code card with printed codes. It is a so-called two-factor authentication. 

When you have used all of the codes, you will automatically receive a new code card by mail. 

How to obtain NemID

Your NemID is issued by Citizen Service and can be issued in relation to when you register for a CPR number or later.

Getting a NemID that is ready to use (your NemID is activated and you are issued with the code card) requires that you:

  • must bring an attesting witness who is at least 18 years old, has a CPR number, and who must present valid photo identification and must sign a solemn declaration under penalty of law.
  • must bring a valid photo ID, e.g. your passport or your residence permit with a photo issued in Denmark.

If you are not able to bring an attesting witness, your NemID will be set up for you at Citizen Service. Then, after 3-11 days, you will receive a letter with your code card. 

You can also obtain NemID at your bank. Let them know, that you also wish to use NemID for public online solutions, otherwise it will only work for checking your NetBank and you will not be able to log on to see important digital mail from public authorities.

Read more about NemID

NemID as an app

NemID is available as an app. You can download and activate the app after your NemID has been activated. You activate the app using your NemID code card. 

NemID app

NemID is replaced by MitID in 2022

During 2022 NemID will be replaced by MitID. MitID is the next generation of online two factor authentication as used for the same purposes as NemID. 

Transition from NemID to MitID

 

 

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.

Click here to read more about healthcare in Denmark

Picture of NemID

A NemID
NemID is your personal secure login for digital contact with public authorities, for your Digital Post, for net banking, and a wide range of online self-service solutions. You log on with NemID via your personal user-ID, a personal password, and a code card with one-time passwords on. Your NemID is set up by Citizen Service (Borgerservice) when you do your registrations.
Then, after 3-11 days, you will receive two letters, one with your code card and one with an activation password which you must use in order to activate your NemID.
Click here to read more about NemID