Moving to Denmark: first steps and the Danish you need

Moving to Denmark starts with a residence permit, unless you are a Nordic or EU citizen. Then you register your address, get a CPR number and the yellow health card, and sign up for MitID and the free language school. I am Lui, a Danish teacher, and my students go through this every year. This page is the short version, with the Danish words you will meet on the way, each one with audio.

How easy is it to emigrate to Denmark?

It depends on your passport. Citizens of the Nordic countries can move and work in Denmark freely. EU and EEA citizens and the Swiss can live and work there under EU rules, with a registration certificate if they stay more than three months. Everybody else needs a residence permit before they move, usually for work, study or family. For most people outside the EU, the permit is the hard part; the Danish comes after.

• en opholdstilladelsea residence permit
• en arbejdstilladelsea work permit
• familiesammenføringfamily reunification

What is the 24 rule in Denmark?

The 24-year rule (24-års-reglen) is about family reunification of spouses and partners. Both of you must normally be at least 24 years old before the partner abroad can get a permit to live with the partner in Denmark. There are exceptions, and there are other requirements as well, so read the page about spouses on nyidanmark.dk.

If you came this way, you also have the A1 and A2 Danish tests with deadlines. They are explained on the page Danish tests for residence and citizenship.

What is the 11 hour rule in Denmark?

It is a rule about work: you have the right to at least 11 hours of rest in every 24 hours. In practice it means your employer cannot ask you to finish late at night and start again early the next morning. In Danish it is called hviletid, rest time, and you also have the right to a day off every week.

What is the 5 year rule for foreigners in Denmark?

There is no single five-year rule; people mean different things. Two of them matter to newcomers. The free Danish education is offered for up to five years from the day you are referred to it, so do not wait too long to start. And if you have not lived in Denmark for five years, you normally need permission to buy property. For anything about permanent residence, the number of years is set in the rules on nyidanmark.dk and changes with new governments.

Your first weeks: the checklist

1. Find an address. You need one to register. Put your name on the letterbox, or your post will not arrive.
2. Register and get a CPR number. The CPR number (et CPR-nummer) is your personal number. You need it for the bank, your salary, the doctor and almost everything else.
3. Get the yellow card. The health card (det gule sundhedskort) shows your doctor. Take it to every appointment.
4. Get MitID. MitID is the digital ID you use to log in to the bank, the tax office and public websites.
5. Read your Digital Post. Letters from the authorities arrive in Digital Post, not in your letterbox.
6. Start at the language school. Your municipality (kommunen) refers you to a language centre (et sprogcenter). The teaching is free. If you support yourself, for example with a job, you pay a deposit of 2,000 kroner per module and get it back when you pass the module test on time.

The Danish words you will meet first

These are on the forms, the signs and the letters in your first month. Tap a word to hear it.

And the sentences you will use at every desk:

• Jeg er lige flyttet til Danmark.I have just moved to Denmark.
• Jeg taler lidt dansk.I speak a little Danish.
• Kan du tale lidt langsommere?Can you speak a little slower?
• Hvad betyder det?What does that mean?

Do you need Danish to live in Denmark?

Not on the first day. You can work in English in many companies, and most Danes switch to English when they hear an accent. But the letters from the authorities are in Danish, the parents’ meetings at school are in Danish, and the people at the bakery are in Danish. For permanent residence and citizenship there are Danish tests, explained on the residence and citizenship page. My advice: start the language school in your first months, and practise at home in between.

What this part of the guide covers

The articles below are about life in Denmark for newcomers: work, papers, the doctor, housing and the Danish you need for each. They are written for people who are moving or have just arrived. If you want to practise the Danish now, the free course starts with how to introduce yourself.