In Denmark the bank account sits at the end of a chain of steps. A bank wants to know who you are, where you live and what you do for a living, and the whole system is built around the CPR number.
This guide to opening a bank account in Denmark explains the order, the paperwork, the legal right to a basic account and the public account you must designate.
Where does a bank account fit in your arrival?
The chain is: EU residence document, permanent address, CPR number, MitID and, if you work, tax card, then the bank account and finally the NemKonto and Digital Post. Lifeindenmark states that you can only open a Danish bank account after you have your tax card. The page on the NemKonto lists the tax card as optional for opening an account, so documents requirements differ between sources: prepare the tax card in any case. See moving to Denmark for the whole sequence and CPR number in Denmark for the registration.
Do not leave it late. Your employer pays your salary to a bank account, public bodies pay your tax refunds to your NemKonto, and shops and services increasingly expect card or mobile payment.
What does a bank ask for when you open a bank account in Denmark?
Lifeindenmark cites, in general: photo ID, address information, your passport, your tax card, your employment contract and a payslip when you have one. Banks may vary, so ask the bank for its list. US citizens may be asked for their US social security number.
A bank may refuse you if you already hold a payment account at another Danish bank. If a bank turns you down on another ground, you have a legal tool.
What is your right to a basic payment account?
A Danish bank must open a basic payment account (basal betalingskonto, in Danish kroner) for a consumer legally resident in the EU or EEA, even if the person has no Danish address. It has at most 10 working days from a complete file to open it or refuse in writing, with its reasons. A refusal must explain how to complain to the Financial Complaint Board (Det finansielle ankenævn) or the Financial Supervisory Authority (Finanstilsynet). Finanstilsynet reminds banks that the lack of a Danish residence is not a reason to refuse an EU citizen.
The basic services (deposits, withdrawals, card payments, direct debits and transfers) are free or carry "reasonable fees" set with regard to Danish incomes and average charges, and the bank cannot make the account conditional on buying other products. A bank can close it only for reasons listed in the law, such as illegal use, inactivity for more than 24 months, loss of the right to reside in the EU or another account opened in Denmark, generally with at least two months' notice.
For Swiss citizens, the position is not clearly spelled out in our sources: ask the bank or Finanstilsynet. British citizens' right depends on lawful residence in an EU country, so it applies once your Danish residence is in order; before that the bank decides freely (moving to Denmark from the UK).
If a bank is slow or refuses, a clear written request makes a difference. Moovy can draft your request for a basic payment account, or your complaint, in Danish with an English translation, citing the 10-working-day rule. You read it, adjust it and send it yourself.
What is the NemKonto and how do you designate it?
The NemKonto is an ordinary bank account that you designate as the one where public bodies pay you: tax refunds, benefits, public-sector pay, holiday pay from FerieKonto. It is free, it needs a CPR number, and the authorities can only pay into it: they cannot see your balance or transactions. You designate it:
- through your Danish bank, if it offers this (not all do);
- online at nemkonto.dk with MitID, including for a foreign account, under "Foreign NemKonto";
- or on a paper form if you do not have MitID. For a foreign account, the English form from nemkonto.dk needs your name, CPR number, Danish address, IBAN and BIC, signed in front of two witnesses, a notary or a lawyer, with a copy of valid ID.
An activation letter with a code is posted to your CPR address (not email, not Digital Post), usually within 10 to 14 working days. The code is valid for 60 days and the NemKonto is active only after you enter it, so check your registered address first. You can keep your home account as your NemKonto, but a Danish account makes daily life simpler.
What should you bring to the bank?
A practical checklist, since a missing paper means a second appointment:
- your passport or national ID card (valid) and your EU residence document if you are an EU citizen;
- your CPR number and proof of your Danish address, such as the lease;
- your tax card, if you work;
- your employment contract and a payslip if you have one;
- your MitID, or the plan to request it at the branch.
Ask the bank which of these it wants, and whether you can start the file online. If you are paid in euros from abroad, mention it: a bank account in Denmark is in kroner, and conversion charges depend on the bank and must be disclosed.
Can you keep your account at home?
Yes. You can keep your home account and even use it as your NemKonto, as the foreign-account form shows. But for salary, rent and everyday card payments a Danish account is simpler, and a Danish account number is what public bodies, landlords and employers expect. Your Europe, the EU's official portal, explains your consumer rights on bank accounts in the EU in general terms.
What if the bank says no?
Ask for the refusal in writing, with the reasons. If you are legally resident in the EU or EEA, quote your right to a basic payment account and the 10-working-day limit. You can complain to the Financial Complaint Board or to Finanstilsynet, which every refusal must mention. Keep copies of everything you send. If the issue is a missing document, ask what exactly is missing, and bring it.
How do euro payments and cards work?
Denmark does not use the euro. A Danish bank cannot charge more for a euro payment to another EU country than for a national payment in kroner, but conversion fees are allowed and must be disclosed before a card purchase abroad. At shops, many businesses accept only cards or MobilePay, a widely used app linked to your account and card, and some supermarkets or kiosks refuse cash after 20:00. Arrive with a card, and add MobilePay once your Danish account is open. Banks are closed at weekends.
Which tools do you need next to your bank account in Denmark?
MitID opens online banking. Many banks offer it at the branch; otherwise the municipality's Borgerservice can issue it (CPR number in Denmark). Digital Post then brings official letters. If you buy a home, the finance is a mortgage loan (up to 80 per cent of the value of a main home) plus a down payment of around 5 per cent: see buying property in Denmark. If you start a business, keep a separate account.
What are the common mistakes?
- Trying to open the account too early. Lifeindenmark ties it to the tax card.
- Accepting a refusal without a written reason. You are entitled to one.
- A wrong address on the register. The NemKonto code goes there.
- Relying on cash.
- Greenland and the Faroe Islands: an account there can serve as a NemKonto, but the right to a basic account described here applies to mainland Denmark. See Greenland and the Faroe Islands.