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The guide · Denmark

Healthcare

Registering, the European Health Insurance Card, the S1 form.

In Denmark

Checked on 23 October 2026

How do I access healthcare when I settle in Denmark?

In Denmark, there is no insurance fund to choose: you come under the national health insurance, and most examinations and treatments are free. You access them with the yellow health card (sundhedskort), sent to your address about 2 to 3 weeks after you register for the CPR, which shows your general practitioner. If you come from an EU, EEA or Swiss country, you must also declare your "health insurance country" to Udbetaling Danmark, which decides which country pays for your care.

Costs
Health card free on first order; most examinations and treatments are free
Timeframes
Health card: about 2 to 3 weeks after CPR registration

Steps

  1. Before your CPR registration: use your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for care during your temporary stay, in the public system only. Third-country nationals cannot use their EHIC in Denmark, except refugees residing in an EU state and family members of an EU citizen (Your Europe).
  2. Register for the CPR (see DK-NIF-TOUS-001): you are then registered with a general practitioner, whose name and address will appear on your card.
  3. Receive your yellow card at your address. Keep it on you: it is requested at the doctor's, the dentist's and at hospital. A digital version exists in the Sundhedskortet app (available in Danish and English).
  4. If you are over 18, declare your health insurance country to Udbetaling Danmark, even if you are missing documents. It is compulsory if you are a citizen of the EU, the EEA, Switzerland or Liechtenstein, or if you were living in one of these countries just before your arrival.
  5. Tell Udbetaling Danmark of any change affecting your cover (for example a job in another EU country).

Documents

  • For declaring the health insurance country, depending on your situation: S1 form (or the former E 106, E 109, E 121 forms), S072, valid EHIC, or A1 decision (or A1 refusal). If you have both an EHIC and a form, the form is enough. Write your CPR number on each page sent.
  • For care: your yellow card (or the app).

Costs and timelines

  • Care: most examinations and treatments are free once registered.
  • Yellow card: free on first order, sent about 2 to 3 weeks after CPR registration.
  • Medicines, adult dentist: the out-of-pocket cost varies depending on the product and the dentist.

Common pitfalls

  • Forgetting the declaration to Udbetaling Danmark. It determines which country pays for your care, in particular if you remain insured elsewhere (posting, work in another country, foreign pension).
  • No name on the letterbox. Without your name, the yellow card does not reach you.
  • Relying on the blue EHIC once settled. In Denmark, at your doctor's, it is the yellow card that counts.
  • Family left in another country: your dependent family members who live in another EU or EEA country or in Switzerland can apply for a special health card (særligt sundhedskort) from Udbetaling Danmark.

What changes by country of origin

  • EU and EEA citizens: yellow card after the CPR, plus declaration of the health insurance country to Udbetaling Danmark.
  • Swiss citizens: same rule, including the declaration of the health insurance country.
  • British citizens (Scots included): third country since Brexit; yellow card after obtaining the residence permit and registering for the CPR. For a British retiree, the S1 issued by the United Kingdom is registered in Denmark (GOV.UK); for others, ask Udbetaling Danmark which country pays.
  • Greenland and the Faroe Islands: outside the EU, separate health systems; this sheet applies to mainland Denmark.
Official sources (7) ›
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "Healthcare when working in Denmark"
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "Health insurance card"
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "Moving to Denmark: you must provide information about your current health insurance country"
  • Lifeindenmark.dk, "When you arrive"
  • Your Europe, "Health insurance cover in your host country"
  • Your Europe, "Health cover for temporary stays"
  • GOV.UK, "Healthcare for UK nationals living in Denmark" (last updated on 19/10/2021)
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The European framework

These European rules also apply in Denmark.

Checked on 23 October 2026

Health insurance required for visas and permits: what EU rules ask (short and long stays)

For a Schengen short-stay visa, you must show travel medical insurance covering urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment and repatriation (including in case of death), valid in all Schengen countries, with at least €30,000 of cover (Visa Code, Article 15). For long stays, the EU directives ask for sickness insurance covering the risks normally covered for nationals of the destination, for example for students, family members, Blue Card holders and long-term residents. The exact proof, and whether you must buy private insurance or can join the public system, depend on the destination.

Who decides
Consulates (Schengen visas); the immigration authority of the destination (long stays)
Costs
Set by insurers; Schengen visa insurance must cover at least €30,000 (Visa Code, Article 15)

Before you act

  • No promise. The consulate or immigration authority decides whether your insurance is acceptable. This page is general information, not legal advice.
  • Scams. Buy insurance only from a real, identifiable insurer, and check the policy before paying. A fake or inadequate insurance certificate can lead to refusal of your application.
  • Ask a professional (the insurer, the consulate or a lawyer) if you have a chronic illness, are pregnant, or are over the age limits of standard policies.
  • Be honest in insurance forms about your health and your plans.

Steps

  1. Short stay with a visa: buy travel medical insurance that meets Article 15 of the Visa Code (below) for the whole trip; for a multiple-entry visa, it must cover the first trip, and you sign a statement that you know you need insurance for later trips. Exceptions: the requirement may be considered met where adequate cover can be presumed from the applicant's professional situation (for example seafarers, Article 15(6)), and holders of diplomatic passports are exempt (Article 15(7)).
  2. Visa-exempt short stay: insurance is not among the entry conditions listed in the Schengen Borders Code (Article 6), but medical care abroad can be expensive: travel insurance is your choice.
  3. Long stay: read the destination's list for your route. Denmark and Ireland did not take part in the five directives below and are not bound by them (see the recitals of each text), so their rules are purely national. In the other EU countries, the directives ask for insurance "for all risks normally covered for nationals" for:
    • students and researchers, valid for the whole planned stay (Directive (EU) 2016/801, Article 7(1)(c));
    • family reunification, for the sponsor and the family, if the country requires it (Directive 2003/86/EC, Article 7(1)(b));
    • Blue Card and seasonal workers, for periods not already covered through the job (Directive (EU) 2021/1883, Article 5(1)(e); Directive 2014/36/EU, Article 5(1)(b) for stays up to 90 days and Article 6(1)(b) for stays over 90 days);
    • EU long-term residents, for themselves and for dependent family members (Directive 2003/109/EC, Article 5(1)(b)).
  4. After arrival: ask whether your permit gives access to the public health system, and from when (see the destination's health fiche).

Documents

  • An insurance certificate in the name of each person, with dates, cover, amount and territory.
  • For a Schengen visa: proof that the cover is valid in all Schengen countries and is at least €30,000 (Article 15(3)); for a visa with limited territorial validity covering several Member States, the cover must be valid at least in the Member States concerned.

Costs and timelines

  • Price: set by insurers. The Visa Code asks you to take insurance, in principle, in your country of residence, or in another country if that is not possible (Article 15(4)).
  • Check: consulates verify that claims against the insurer can be recovered in an EU country (Article 15(5)).

Common pitfalls

  • Cover too low or not valid everywhere. For a Schengen visa: at least €30,000 and valid in all Schengen countries.
  • Wrong dates. The insurance must cover the whole stay or transit (Article 15(3)).
  • Travel insurance for a long stay. A short-trip policy may not meet the "all risks normally covered for nationals" standard required for long-stay permits, and what each country actually accepts varies: ask the immigration authority directly before you buy.
  • Gaps between the visa and the permit. Keep cover until you are registered in the public system or have the insurance the permit requires.

What changes by profile

  • Workers may be covered through their job; the Blue Card and seasonal directives ask for insurance only for periods not covered by, or resulting from, the work contract.
  • Retirees and people living on passive income follow national rules for national visas (for Portugal, see PT-VISA-TIERS-050).

Official links

  • Visa Code (consolidated), Article 15: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:02009R0810-20240628
  • Commission, applying for a Schengen visa: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen/visa-policy/applying-schengen-visa_en
Official sources (9) ›
  • European Commission, « Applying for a Schengen visa » (medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death), page dated 2 December 2025
  • Regulation (EU) 2016/399 (Schengen Borders Code), consolidated text of 12 October 2025 (latest consolidated version in the Publications Office database on 23 October 2026), Article 6(1) (entry conditions for short stays: no insurance condition)
  • Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (Visa Code), consolidated text of 28 June 2024 (latest consolidated version in the Publications Office database on 23 October 2026), Article 15 (travel medical insurance)
  • Directive (EU) 2021/1883 (EU Blue Card), Article 5(1)(e) (sickness insurance) and the recitals on the position of Denmark and Ireland
  • Directive (EU) 2016/801 (students and researchers), Article 7(1)(c) (sickness insurance, valid for the duration of the planned stay; same text in the consolidated version of 17 November 2021) and the recitals on the position of Denmark and Ireland
  • Council Directive 2003/86/EC (family reunification), Article 7(1)(b) (sickness insurance for the sponsor and his or her family) and the recitals on the position of Ireland and Denmark
  • Directive 2014/36/EU (seasonal workers), Article 5(1)(b) (stays up to 90 days) and Article 6(1)(b) (stays over 90 days) (sickness insurance), and the recitals on the position of Ireland and Denmark
  • Council Directive 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), consolidated text of 12 June 2026 (latest amendment: Regulation (EU) 2024/1347, which leaves Article 5(1)(b) unchanged), Article 5(1)(b) (sickness insurance, for the person and dependent family members)
  • Council Directive 2003/109/EC (long-term residents), text as adopted, recitals 25 and 26 (position of Ireland and Denmark)

These guides give the general rules. Your situation can change the answer: Moovy looks at it with you and tells you when you need a professional.

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