Civil registration in Denmark
You can be registered in the Danish Civil Register (CPR) when you move to Denmark. Your rights and duties in this connection will vary, depending on the country of which you are a citizen and the country from which you are moving.
People moving between the Nordic countries, including the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland, are covered by what is known as the inter-Nordic civil registration agreement, under which you can only be registered at one address in the Nordic Region.
How do you register as a resident in Denmark?
You must notify your change of address to your municipality of residence within five days of moving to Denmark, and you must meet the conditions for registration. You cannot be registered as a resident unless you have a permanent place of residence, are legally resident in Denmark and will be staying in the country for more than three months.
To register as a resident, contact the citizen service centre (Borgerservice) in your municipality. You can find more information on the procedure on the municipality’s website. In many cases, it is also possible to register at one of the country's six International Citizen Service centres. Several centres allow you to upload documents and book appointments online. You can read more at borger.dk (in Danish).
Once you are on the Civil Register, you will be issued with a Danish Civil Registration (CPR) number.
If you are a citizen of another Nordic country and are moving to Denmark from another Nordic country, you must register in Denmark if you will be staying in the country for more than six months.
You have the right – but not the obligation – to register with the Danish Civil Register if you will be staying in the country for more than three months.
If you are moving from another Nordic country, the civil registration agency in the country from which you have moved will be automatically informed that you are now registered in Denmark. You will then be deregistered from the Civil Register in the country from which you have moved. In some Nordic countries, you must also report your move to the local civil registration office before leaving the country.
If you are a citizen of a non-Nordic EU or EEA country or Switzerland, you can be registered with the Civil Register in Denmark if you will be staying in the country for more than three months.
You must be registered in Denmark if you will be staying in the country for more than six months.
The same applies to any family members from third countries who are subject to EU rules regarding freedom of movement, establishment and exchange of services, etc., but who are not nationals of an EU or EEA country or Switzerland.
If you are moving from another Nordic country, the civil registration agency in the country from which you have moved will be automatically informed that you are now registered in Denmark. You will then be deregistered from the Civil Register in the country from which you have moved. In some Nordic countries, you must also report your move to the local civil registration office before leaving the country.
If you are a citizen of a country outside the Nordic Region, EU and EEA and are moving to Denmark, you must report the move to the Civil Register if you will be staying in the country for more than three months, unless you are moving to Denmark from another Nordic country, in which case you are only required to register the move if your stay will last more than six months.
Your move can only be entered in the Civil Register if you have a residence permit. You can apply for a residence and work permit at nyidanmark.dk.
If you are moving from another Nordic country, the civil registration agency in the country from which you have moved will be automatically informed that you are now registered in Denmark. You will then be deregistered from the Civil Register in the country from which you have moved. In some Nordic countries, you must also report your move to the local civil registration office before leaving the country.
Moving from Denmark or Greenland to another country
If you are moving abroad from Denmark or Greenland, you must report your move to your present municipality of residence before leaving, even if you are moving to another Nordic country.
If you are moving to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands or Greenland from Denmark, you must register your move with the municipality in the area where you will be living. Your previous municipality in Denmark or Greenland can only register your departure from the country when it has been informed by the registration authority in the country to which you are moving that you are now registered there.
You can register your move abroad at borger.dk (see below).
Registration number if you cannot be registered with the Danish Civil Register
If you do not meet the conditions for being registered with the Danish Civil Register, but you are required to pay tax (for example because you work in Denmark), SKAT can assign you a so-called administrative civil registration number (personal tax number).
You can apply for a tax card and a personal tax number at skat.dk. If you have any questions about this, you can contact the Tax Agency.
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.
