Denmark taxes the registration of a car at up to 150 per cent of its value. That single fact makes driving in Denmark more than a footnote for a newcomer. If you plan to import your car, the tax can decide whether the move makes sense.
This guide covers the driving licence and the car, using the 2026 pages of Lifeindenmark, Motorstyrelsen (the vehicle agency) and Færdselsstyrelsen (the road traffic agency).
Can you go on driving in Denmark on your foreign licence?
It depends on where it was issued.
- EU, EEA or Faroe Islands: you can keep driving on your licence, with no exchange, for the categories it covers, as long as you respect Danish minimum ages. An exchange is optional and needs no test.
- Switzerland, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Serbia, Japan and some others (Færdselsstyrelsen's groups 1 and 2): you may drive for 180 days after settling, then you must exchange the licence. A valid licence is exchanged without a test for category B (car); other categories need a test.
- Other countries: exchange within 180 days, with a theory and a practical test.
- United Kingdom: exchange is mandatory, and you may drive for 180 days after settling. A licence issued before 1 January 2021 is exchanged without a test. For a licence issued after that date, Færdselsstyrelsen says category B is exchanged without a test, other categories need a test, and a medical certificate is required. See moving to Denmark from the UK.
Exchanging a licence requires a normal residence in Denmark, meaning that your personal or professional ties keep you there at least 185 days a year, as judged by the municipality.
How do you exchange a licence?
Book an appointment at any Borgerservice. Bring your foreign licence, a valid passport, a passport-style photo (35 x 45 mm; some municipalities take it on site for a fee) and, where relevant, proof of habitual residence and a translation (usually unnecessary for EU licences or Latin-alphabet ones). A medical certificate is required if your licence is not from the EU, the EEA, the Faroe Islands or Greenland, or if it expires soon. For licences from the lists of Switzerland and similar countries, you declare that the licence has not been withdrawn in the last five years and has no restriction. Færdselsstyrelsen decides, you receive the decision in Digital Post, then the Danish licence follows.
The exchange costs DKK 520 in 2026, according to Færdselsstyrelsen's price list. The Danish licence you receive is valid for up to 15 years and is renewed at your municipality. Your foreign licence must still be valid to be exchanged without a test.
Not sure which group your licence falls into, or whether your UK licence will need a test? Moovy can go through the official pages with you, list the documents to bring and draft your question to the Borgerservice in Danish with an English translation. You decide what to submit, and the municipality makes the final call.
What happens to your car when you keep driving in Denmark?
If you move to Denmark with a car registered abroad, you must register it in Denmark at the latest 30 days after you arrive, and pay the registration tax (registreringsafgift) in principle even for a car coming from the EU. Staying under 185 days in a 12-month period allows you to keep foreign plates without Danish tax. Once you are registered in the CPR system, driving on foreign plates beyond the 30 days is generally forbidden.
The sequence:
- Declare the import to Motorstyrelsen online before you cross the border, and keep the printed receipt in the car.
- Pass the extended technical inspection (registration and customs) at an approved centre with the original registration certificate. It must be less than four weeks old when you ask for the valuation.
- Ask for the valuation on TastSelv (Motor, then the motor register, then registration tax), stating that you have just arrived. Without a CPR number or MitID, write to Motorstyrelsen. You can estimate the tax with the official calculator (in Danish) or request a binding answer (bindende svar).
- Pay the tax by bank transfer; the receipt can take up to seven days.
- Insure the car and buy plates from an approved supplier, with the foreign certificate, old plates, ID, insurance certificate and tax receipt.
- Deregister the car in your home country yourself; the foreign authority is not told automatically.
- Pay the annual owner tax (ejerafgift), billed every three, six or twelve months depending on the vehicle.
How big is the registration tax?
The 2026 passenger car scale from Motorstyrelsen: 25 per cent of the taxable value up to DKK 76,400, 85 per cent from DKK 76,400 to 237,400 and 150 per cent above. The taxable value includes VAT but not the tax itself. Surcharges for CO2 emissions apply, at DKK 294 per gram up to 107 g/km, DKK 587 from 107 to 137 g/km and DKK 1,115 above; the basic allowance is DKK 25,500. For a used car, the value, the allowance and the surcharge are reduced by the percentage of lost value compared with a new equivalent.
Electric cars pay the same calculation, then only 40 per cent of it for a registration before 2027, rising gradually to the full tariff in 2036, with an allowance of DKK 161,300 in 2026, set by Act no. 1777 of 29 December 2025. Plug-in hybrids under 50 g CO2/km pay 68 per cent for a 2026 registration. The scales change every year, so check the year of registration.
The tax can exceed the value of a recent car. Simulate it, or ask for a binding answer, before you move.
From a non-EU country (including Switzerland and the UK), Motorstyrelsen lists 10 per cent customs duty and 25 per cent VAT, with possible reductions for a household move, and you send the original certificate to Motorstyrelsen. Trade agreements can change the duty for a car made in the UK or Switzerland, so ask the Danish customs agency (Toldstyrelsen) before you ship. From the EU there is no customs duty, and VAT of 25 per cent applies only to a new car.
What about short stays and company cars?
If you stay in Denmark without registering in the population register, for less than 185 days in 12 months, you can drive with your foreign plates and pay no Danish tax. That covers seasonal workers and long visits. The moment you register as a resident, the 30-day clock starts.
A company car belonging to an employer in another EU or EEA country can be exempt if you work for that company and drive mainly for it abroad. The exemption must be obtained before you drive the car in Denmark. If you are recruited by a Danish employer, assume the car must be registered. Where you have lived on the Faroe Islands or in Greenland for at least five of the last 12 years, an exemption from the tax is possible for a stay in Denmark of up to three years.
Cars in Denmark share the road with a lot of bicycles, and for many newcomers, especially in Copenhagen, giving up the car is the cheapest way out of the registration tax. Best places to live in Denmark compares the cities.
What insurance and inspection do you need?
Third-party liability insurance is compulsory. In 2026 it must cover at least DKK 152 million for personal injury and DKK 30 million for property damage per accident. Without insurance, the insurers' bureau (DFIM) can claim DKK 250 a day and you face a DKK 1,000 fine in a roadside check. A car older than four years must have passed an inspection in the last two years to change owner.
What are the common mistakes?
- Keeping foreign plates after the 30 days.
- Underestimating the tax on a recent or premium car.
- Missing the 180 days on a Swiss or UK licence.
- Forgetting to deregister the car at home.
- Using a company car from abroad before getting the exemption: it must be granted before you drive it in Denmark.
Before you ship a car, get the tax confirmed in writing with a binding answer from Motorstyrelsen, and ask a Danish accountant or tax adviser if a company car or a tax exemption is involved.
For the monthly budget around a car, see cost of living in Denmark, and for the overall move moving to Denmark. Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own rules; see Greenland and the Faroe Islands.