Living and working in Denmark

The Sundhedskort is your health insurance card. It shows your CPR number and your family doctor's name. Bring it to every appointment and every call to the lægevagten.

Everything non-urgent starts with your egen læge. Seeing a specialist requires a referral (henvisning). Showing up directly at a hospital for a non-emergency gets you sent back.

Region Hovedstaden calls 1813, Region Sjælland calls 1818, other regions have their own numbers. The person on duty decides whether you need phone advice, a clinic visit or the emergency room.

Children and young people born after 31 December 2003 get free dental care until they turn 22. Adults pay most of it themselves: the state refunds 65% of routine check-ups for ages 22-25, and 40% from age 26 onward.

Denmark uses a tiered subsidy scheme (tilskud): the more you spend during the year, the higher the reimbursement rate. Check your level on sundhed.dk before you go to the pharmacy.

Register through your kommune. The kommune has a legal duty to guarantee a place (pladsgaranti) within the statutory deadline. Parents pay part of the cost; the amount is capped by law and varies by kommune.

From 0th grade (around age 6) to 9th grade. Children who don't yet speak Danish usually start in a modtagelsesklasse (reception class) before moving to a regular class.

STX, HHX, HTX and HF are the academic tracks; erhvervsuddannelse is the vocational track, alternating school with paid work placements. Both are free.

Free for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens and for people with permanent residence or certain family-based permits. Non-EU students usually have to pay tuition fees.

Students beyond upper secondary can receive SU every month. Foreigners must be granted equal status (ligestilling); EU/EEA citizens working in Denmark usually qualify. The SU rate changes every year, look it up directly on su.dk, don't trust a copied figure.

From 30 June 2026 the physical Rejsekort is shut down completely, it no longer works for DSB trains, metro or buses anywhere. The blue check-in posts are being replaced with new ones.

Any remaining balance must be claimed back before that date. Accumulated volume discount (mængderabat) must be transferred to the app yourself, and only once.

The Rejsekort app is the main way and works nationwide. The DSB app is handy for frequent train travellers. If you'd rather not use a phone, buy a physical Basiskort, 50 kr for a personal card, 80 kr for an anonymous one.

Different from the old card. Switching from bus to train means you must check out and back in again, otherwise the trip isn't registered correctly.

The DOT Billetter app closed at the end of 2025. Season tickets (Pendlerkort) are now bought via Rejsebillet or the Rejsekort app.

Traffic law applies to bicycles the same as to cars. Front and rear lights are required after dark, signal turns with your arm and raise it to stop. Police fine on the spot, and the fine isn't small.

Five years counted from the day the kommune refers you to the school, not from your first day of class. Not responding to the referral doesn't stop the clock either.

Self-financing students (S-kursist) pay 2,000 kr before starting class. The money is refunded once you pass a module within the deadline: 6 months for modules 1-2, 7 months for module 3, 8 months for module 4, 9 months for modules 5-6. Miss the deadline and you lose it, and must pay again to continue.

People with an au pair residence permit, refugees, and family members reunited with refugees are exempt from the 2,000 kr deposit.

DU1, DU2 and DU3 are grouped by your existing education level. People with a university degree usually go into DU3, ending with Prøve i Dansk 3 or Studieprøven, certificates that many schools and citizenship programmes require.

The language school won't accept students without a CPR number. That's why registering your CPR should be the very first thing you do in your first week.

In Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, students register at International Citizen Service, always book ahead. Bring your passport, SIRI's residence permit letter and rental contract. Without a CPR number you can't open a bank account or get your yellow health card, so do it in your first week.

Opening an account needs a CPR number and MitID; a digital bank approves in about a week, a traditional bank can take up to a month. The authors of Sổ tay du học recommend bringing a Visa or Mastercard from Vietnam to use while you wait, and designating the new account as your NemKonto as soon as you have it.

Non-EU/EEA students with a study residence permit can work 90 hours a month from September to May, and full-time in June, July and August. Go over the limit and you risk losing your permit and a fine, for both you and your employer. Always ask for a written contract before your first day of work.

EU/EEA students working 10 to 12 hours a week may be granted equal status and receive SU. Students with a residence permit issued by SIRI are not eligible for SU, and applying could affect the permit. Check the conditions on su.dk before doing anything.

Without a skattekort, your employer deducts 55% in tax. As a student, you're not fully tax liable until you've lived in the country for 365 days within 2 years. Students from certain countries can also get an extra deduction, apply with form 04.062 along with proof of enrolment.

You apply for a kollegium directly through waiting lists such as findbolig.nu or kollegierneskontor.dk, peak season is July and August, rooms are usually unfurnished. Only pay the deposit once the contract is signed, at most three months' rent, and never in cash. If you get scammed, contact Lejernes Landsorganisation (llo.dk).

Many unemployment funds (a-kasse) and unions such as IDA and Djøf are free for students. Join an a-kasse within two weeks of graduating and you can receive benefits right away if you qualify, otherwise you have to wait. Non-EU students must leave Denmark once their permit expires and usually can't make use of it, ask the a-kasse before paying the membership fee.

If you've completed a full, state-recognised degree programme, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work, 6 months or 3 years depending on the programme, with the same right to work as during your studies. There's a processing fee, check the current rate on nyidanmark.dk.

According to a survey cited by byStudents, about one in four international students in Denmark has felt lonely. Students who've been through it recommend joining a student association, a studenterhus, a club (forening) and Danish classes, keeping up a sport through winter, and taking a vitamin D supplement.