The right to vote in Denmark

Stemmeret i Danmark
Here you can read about the rules that apply to Nordic citizens concerning the right to vote in elections and referenda in Denmark.

To vote in general elections and referenda in Denmark, you must be a Danish citizen and be permanently resident in Denmark. However, there are some exceptions. If you are not a Danish citizen, you can vote in municipal, regional and European elections under certain conditions.

Parliamentary elections and referenda

You can vote in Danish parliamentary elections and referenda if you are at least 18 years of age, you are a Danish citizen and you live in Denmark. However, you do not have the right to vote if you are disenfranchised (under special guardianship).

If you have the right to vote in a general election or a referendum, you will be sent a voting card about five days before the parliamentary election or referendum.

If you move abroad and are deregistered from the Civil Register in Denmark, you cannot normally be admitted to the electoral roll or vote in Danish parliamentary elections and referenda. Certain groups of people may however be admitted to the electoral roll even if they live abroad. You can read more at the website of the Ministry of the Interior and Health.

Municipal and regional elections

If you are resident in Denmark, you can vote in municipal and regional elections even if you do not have Danish citizenship.

This requires that you are at least 18 years of age, have permanent residence in the municipality or region, and meet at least one of the following conditions:

  • You are a Danish citizen
  • You are a citizen of one of the other EU Member States
  • You are a citizen of Iceland or Norway
  • You have been permanently resident in the Danish Commonwealth (Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland) for the four years previous to the election day.

Residence is counted from the day you are registered in the Danish Civil Register (CPR). 

If you are expelled from the country, however, you cannot vote even if you still have a registered address in Denmark.

If you have the right to vote in a municipal or regional election, you will be sent a voting card about five days before the election.

Elections to the European Parliament

If you are a citizen of an EU country other than Denmark, you can vote for European Parliament elections in Denmark if you have permanent residence in Denmark and are 18 years of age or over, but only if you do not vote in your home country at the same time.

If you are a citizen of one EU country but live in another, you can choose whether you wish to vote in the European Parliament election in your home country or in your country of residence, but you can only vote in one place.

If you are an EU citizen, live in Denmark and wish to vote in the European Parliament election in Denmark, you must apply to your municipality of residence no later than five weeks before election day.

If you are expelled from the country, however, you cannot vote even if you still have a registered address in Denmark.

If you have the right to vote in a European Parliament election, you will be sent a voting card about five days before the election.

Further information

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