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The guide · Denmark

Driving licence and car

Exchanging your licence, registering your car.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Driving in Denmark with a foreign licence: do you need to exchange it, and how?

If your licence was issued in an EU or EEA country (or in the Faroe Islands), you can keep driving in Denmark without exchanging it, for the categories it covers and provided you meet the Danish minimum ages. With a Swiss, British or other-country licence, you can drive for 180 days after you settle, then you must exchange it for a Danish licence, with or without a test depending on the country. The exchange is requested at any Borgerservice (municipal citizen service desk) and costs DKK 520 in 2026; it is Færdselsstyrelsen (the Danish Road Traffic Authority) that decides.

Costs
Exchange for a Danish licence: DKK 520 (2026), DKK 270 for a moped licence
Timeframes
EU/EEA licence: no compulsory exchange; Swiss, British or other-country licence: 180 days after settling

Steps

  1. Identify your situation. EU, EEA or Faroese licence: exchange optional. Licence from a "group 1" country (Switzerland, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine…) or "group 2" country (United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Serbia…): exchange compulsory after 180 days, without a test for category B (car). Other country: exchange within 180 days, with a theory and practical test.
  2. Check your habitual residence. To exchange, you must have your normal residence in Denmark (at least 185 days a year because of personal or professional ties). The municipality assesses this.
  3. Book an appointment at the Borgerservice of the municipality of your choice.
  4. Bring your documents (see below) and pay the fee.
  5. Receive Færdselsstyrelsen's decision by Digital Post, then your Danish licence.
  6. If your foreign licence is about to expire, the exchange gives you a Danish licence valid for up to 15 years, and a medical certificate is then required.

Documents

  • A licence photo (35 x 45 mm, head 30 to 36 mm, light background; some municipalities take it on site, for a fee).
  • Your foreign licence.
  • A valid passport.
  • Depending on the case: medical certificate (required if your licence was not issued in the Faroe Islands, Greenland or the EU/EEA, or if it expires soon), proof of habitual residence (residence permit or EU residence document if you are neither Danish nor Nordic), translation (generally unnecessary for an EU/EEA licence or one in the Latin alphabet; done by a qualified translator in Denmark, at your expense).
  • For a group 1 and 2 licence: a declaration that your licence has not been withdrawn in the last 5 years and has no restriction (group 2: also having driven a car in the last 2 years).

Costs and timelines

2026 fees (Færdselsstyrelsen and borger.dk):

  • Exchange of a foreign licence: DKK 520 (all categories except mopeds); DKK 270 for a moped licence (LK, AM).
  • Renewal of a car licence: DKK 270; free for a time-limited licence (kørekort med tidsbegrænsning).
  • Car driving test (if required): Færdselsstyrelsen's "car driving test (B)" fee is DKK 1,600 in 2026 (including DKK 200 of statutory surcharge); the exact fee for the test required for an exchange is to be confirmed at the Borgerservice. For the practical test, you must also hire a driving-school car (skolevogn) yourself.
  • Timeline: 180 days after settling for non-EU/EEA licences.

Common pitfalls

  • Expired licence: for an exchange without a test (groups 1 and 2), your foreign licence must be valid. And for a Danish licence that expired 3 years ago or more, a new licence is only obtained after a theory and practical test.
  • Multiple categories outside the EU: a group 1 and 2 licence is only converted without a test into category B (car); the other categories generally require a test.
  • Letting the 180 days pass with a Swiss, British or third-country licence: beyond that, you can no longer drive with it.
  • Greenland: a Greenlandic licence can only be exchanged for a Danish licence with a driving test, within 180 days. Instead of the exchange, you can take 2 lessons of at least 45 minutes (town, road, motorway) with an instructor approved in Denmark: you then drive with your Greenlandic licence until its expiry date.
  • Minimum ages: even with a valid European licence, you must be of the Danish age required for the category.

What changes by country of origin

  • EU and EEA countries: no compulsory exchange, no test for a voluntary exchange.
  • Swiss citizens: group 1 country: 180 days of driving, then exchange generally without a test.
  • British citizens (Scots included): exchange compulsory, driving allowed for 180 days after settling. According to Færdselsstyrelsen's Brexit page, a licence issued in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or Gibraltar before 1 January 2021 is exchanged without a test, with a declaration on your honour (licence neither withdrawn nor restricted). A licence issued after that date is exchanged without a test for category B (car), with a medical certificate; the other categories require a driving test. Great Britain and Northern Ireland are also in "group 1".
  • Faroe Islands: like an EU licence, no compulsory exchange.
Official sources (7) ›
  • borger.dk, "Udenlandsk kørekort i Danmark" (2026 prices)
  • Færdselsstyrelsen (fstyr.dk), "Priser på kørekort" (2026)
  • Færdselsstyrelsen (fstyr.dk), "Ombytning af udenlandsk kørekort" (groups 1 and 2, 2026)
  • Færdselsstyrelsen (fstyr.dk), "Udenlandsk kørekort i Danmark" (2026)
  • Færdselsstyrelsen (fstyr.dk), "Kørekort i UK efter Brexit" (2026)
  • Færdselsstyrelsen (Danish Road Traffic Authority), "Foreign driving licences, exchanges and Visitor's Driving Licences" (former English-language site)
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "How to obtain a driving license in Denmark" (updated on 11/06/2026)
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Checked on 23 October 2026

Settling in Denmark with your car: registration, registration tax, technical inspection and insurance

If you settle in Denmark with a foreign-registered car, you must register it in Denmark no later than 30 days after your arrival, and pay the registration tax (registreringsafgift), which is very high: in 2026, 25% of the value up to DKK 76,400, 85% up to DKK 237,400 and 150% above that, calculated on the market value in Denmark for a used car. Electric cars only pay 40% of the tax if they are registered before 2027, after an allowance. Before driving, you also need a registration technical inspection (syn) and compulsory third-party liability insurance.

Costs
Registration tax 2026: 25% up to DKK 76,400, 85% up to DKK 237,400, 150% above, then CO2 surcharge and allowances
Timeframes
30 days after you settle to register your car in Denmark

Steps

  1. Before crossing the border, declare the import to Motorstyrelsen (the Danish Motor Agency) using the online form, print the receipt and keep it in the car.
  2. Have the extended technical inspection done (registration and customs) at an approved centre, with the original registration certificate. It must be less than 4 weeks old when you request the valuation.
  3. Request the valuation on TastSelv (Motor > Motorregister > Registreringsafgift > Anmod om værdifastsættelse), stating that you have just arrived. Without a CPR or MitID, write to Motorstyrelsen via its contact form. You can estimate the tax beforehand with the calculator (in Danish) or request a binding reply (bindende svar).
  4. Pay the tax by transfer; the receipt can take up to 7 days to arrive.
  5. Insure the car (compulsory third-party liability) and buy your number plates from an approved provider, with: foreign registration certificate (parts 1 and 2), old plates, ID document, insurance certificate and tax receipt.
  6. Report the vehicle's departure yourself in your home country: the foreign authority is not notified automatically.
  7. Then pay the annual owner's tax (ejerafgift), billed according to the vehicle every 3, 6 or 12 months.

Documents

  • Original foreign registration certificate (parts 1 and 2).
  • Receipt for the import declaration.
  • Technical inspection report.
  • ID document, insurance certificate, registration tax receipt.
  • Outside the EU/EEA: registration authorisation from Motorstyrelsen after sending the original certificate to Sakskøbing.

Costs and timelines

2026 scale (Motorstyrelsen):

  • Registration tax for a passenger car: 25% of the taxable value up to DKK 76,400, 85% from DKK 76,400 to DKK 237,400, 150% above that (2025: thresholds of DKK 72,900 and DKK 226,500). The taxable value includes VAT but not the tax itself.
  • CO2 surcharge: DKK 294 per gram up to 107 g/km, DKK 587 from 107 to 137 g/km, DKK 1,115 above 137 g/km.
  • Basic allowance: DKK 25,500 for a passenger car.
  • Electric car (zero emission): tax calculated normally, then only 40% is due for a registration before 2027; gradual increase to the full rate in 2036. Specific allowance of DKK 161,300 in 2026 (DKK 165,000 in 2025), set by Act No. 1777 of 29 December 2025, in force on 1 January 2026 (it postponed by a year the gradual increase of the tax on zero-emission vehicles).
  • Plug-in hybrid (under 50 g CO2/km): 68% of the tax due for a registration in 2026 (65% in 2025), allowance of DKK 43,000 (2026).
  • Used car: the value, the allowance and the surcharge are reduced by the percentage loss in value compared with an equivalent new vehicle. Car over 35 years old: tax capped.
  • VAT and customs: car coming from the EU: no customs duty, VAT of 25% only if it is new. Outside the EU: 10% customs duty and 25% VAT.
  • Third-party liability insurance (2026): cover of at least DKK 152 million for personal injury and DKK 30 million for property damage per accident; without insurance, DKK 250 per day claimed by the insurers' bureau (DFIM) and a DKK 1,000 fine if checked.
  • Periodic technical inspection: a car over 4 years old must have been inspected in the last 2 years to change owner.

Common pitfalls

  • Driving on foreign plates once registered in the CPR. As a general rule, this is prohibited: beyond the 30 days, your car can no longer be driven with its original plates.
  • Underestimating the tax. With a rate of 150% above DKK 237,400, it can exceed the value of a recent or high-end car: run a simulation (or a bindende svar request) before moving with your car.
  • Electric scales change every year. The allowance falls and the share due rises: check the scale for the year of registration.
  • Foreign company car: an exemption is possible if you work for a company in another EU or EEA country and mainly drive for it abroad, but you cannot drive it in Denmark before obtaining the exemption.
  • Annual tax (ejerafgift): according to Motorstyrelsen's page, it depends on weight for cars first registered in Denmark before 1 July 1997 (vægtafgift), on fuel consumption for those registered in Denmark between 1 July 1997 and 30 June 2021 (grøn ejerafgift), and on CO2 emissions for those first registered from 1 July 2021, in Denmark or abroad. For a car already registered abroad before July 2021, check the applicable regime with Motorstyrelsen. Amounts to be checked on the motorst.dk calculator.
  • Faroe Islands and Greenland: possible exemption from the tax for a stay in Denmark of at most 3 years if you lived there for at least 5 of the last 12 years.

What changes by country of origin

  • Car coming from the EU, the EEA, the Faroe Islands or Greenland: you hand over the registration certificate yourself to the plate provider.
  • Car coming from a third country (Switzerland, United Kingdom included): customs duty of 10% and VAT of 25% (reduced rates possible for a move, see customs, Toldstyrelsen), and the original certificate sent to Motorstyrelsen before registration.
  • Temporary stay without CPR registration (less than 185 days in 12 months): you can drive with your foreign plates without paying the Danish tax.
Official sources (7) ›
  • Motorstyrelsen (motorst.dk), "Non-Danish vehicles"
  • Motorstyrelsen (motorst.dk), "Importing vehicles" (five steps)
  • Motorstyrelsen (motorst.dk), "Registration tax and rates" (2025 and 2026 rates)
  • Motorstyrelsen (motorst.dk), "Periodic taxes" (grøn ejerafgift)
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "Compulsory liability insurance for motor vehicles" (2026 amounts)
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "Purchase and sale of a motor vehicle" (technical inspection)
  • Retsinformation, Lov nr. 1777 af 29/12/2025 "Lov om ændring af registreringsafgiftsloven" (postponement of the increase of the tax on zero-emission vehicles, in force on 01/01/2026)

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