Driving licence in Denmark

You must have a valid driving licence to drive a car, lorry, bus, moped or motorcycle in Denmark. You also need a special driving licence to drive with a large trailer. If you are 15, 16 or 17 years of age, you must have a driving licence to drive a small moped.

What kinds of driving licences are there in Denmark?

Danish driving licences are divided into various categories:

• Moped: small (LK), large (AM)
• Motorcycle: small (A1), medium (A2), large (A)
• Car: ordinary (B)
• Lorry: van (C1), lorry (C)
• Bus: small (D1), large (D)
• Trailer: large (E)
• Vehicle with trailer: normal car (B/E), van (C1/E), lorry (C/E), small bus (D1/E), large bus (D/E)

If you have not previously had a driving licence, or if you wish to extend your licence to a new category, you must take the course of driving lessons required for the category. You must also pass a driving test, which normally consists of a theory test and a practical test.

In order to obtain a driving licence in Denmark, you must also be ordinarily resident in the country. ‘Ordinarily resident’ usually means that you live in Denmark for at least 185 days a year because of your personal or business connections with the country. It is the Citizen’s Service (Borgerservice) that assesses whether you are ordinarily resident in Denmark when you apply for a driving licence.

When applying for a driving licence, you will normally need the following:

• Driving licence application
• Driving licence photo
• Personal ID
• Doctor’s certificate
• Certificate for a course in traffic-related first aid

If you are not a Danish or Nordic citizen, the Citizen Service may also ask you to document that you have the right to reside in Denmark.

When can you obtain a driving licence for an ordinary car in Denmark?

With a category B driving licence for an ordinary car, you can drive a passenger car or a van.

If you intend to obtain a driving licence at age 18, you can start driving at the earliest when you are 17 years and 9 months of age. You cannot obtain a driving licence until you are at least 18.

You must usually do the following:

• Enrol in a driving school
• Fill in the driving licence application form with your driving instructor
• Complete your driving lessons
• Complete a course in driving-related first aid
• Pass a theory test and a practical examination.

The driving licence application is normally filled in together with your driving instructor, and is a digital solution for learner drivers, driving instructors and the Citizen Service.

You can also obtain a driving licence for an ordinary car, category B, at age 17, but special rules apply until you are 18 years of age.

To obtain a driving licence at age 17, the following applies:

• You can begin taking driving lessons at age 16 years and 9 months.
• You can drive unaccompanied between the hours of 5:00 am and 8:00 pm.
• You must have a companion in the car if you drive between the hours of 8:00 pm and 5:00 am.
• You may only drive a car in Denmark.
• Your driving licence will only become a fully valid EU category B driving licence when you turn 18.

The accompanying person must meet special requirements. You can read more about the applicable rules at the website of the Danish Road Traffic Authority and at borger.dk.

The various categories of driving licences have different periods of validity.

Driving licences for ordinary cars, mopeds and motorcycles are generally valid for 15 years at a time. However, the period may be shorter if there are health reasons for this.

Driving licences for vans, lorries and buses are generally valid for five years at a time.

You can renew your driving licence at the Citizen Service. The expiry date is on your licence.

Your Danish driving licence is usually sufficient in the Nordic countries, the EU, the EEA, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

If you will be driving in a country outside the EU or EEA, you may need an international driving licence. An international driving licence does not replace your Danish driving licence, so you will also need to bring your normal Danish driving licence with you.

You should check the rules of the country where you will be driving before you travel.

Whether you can use your foreign driving licence in Denmark depends amongst other things on:

• Which country the driving licence has been issued in
• Whether you are ordinarily resident in Denmark
• Whether the driving licence is valid
• Whether the driving licence text is in Latin letters or accompanied by an approved translation.

If you are staying temporarily in Denmark and do not have your ordinary residence in Denmark, you can normally drive with your foreign driving licence provided the licence meets the Danish requirements.

You can generally use valid driving licences in Denmark if they have been issued in a Nordic country, an EU country, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or the Faroe Islands. Special rules apply to Greenlandic driving licences.

In order to exchange a foreign driving licence for a Danish driving licence, you must be ordinarily resident in Denmark.

You can contact the citizen service centre (Borgerservice) in your municipality. You will normally be required to bring the following:

• Your driving licence
• A photo and documentation
• Your application
• A doctor’s certificate if your driving licence has not been issued in an EU or EEA country, or in the Faroe Islands or Greenland.

The municipality may require a translation of your driving licence, particularly if the driving licence text is not in Latin letters.

If you have questions about applying for or exchanging a driving licence, contact the citizen service centre (Borgerservice) in your municipality. If you have general questions, you can contact the Danish Road Traffic Authority.