Residence in Denmark for EU citizens and EEA nationals

Foreigners who are Union citizens or EEA/Swiss nationals may stay in Denmark under the EU rules on the free movement of persons and services.

Who are Union citizens and EEA nationals?

Union citizens are nationals of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus (only the Greco-Cypriot territory), the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

EEA nationals are nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.

Nationals of Switzerland are covered by the same rules as Union citizens and EEA nationals. Accordingly, all the rules mentioned below also apply to Swiss nationals.

EU residence

As an EU citizen, you can freely enter Denmark and stay in the country for up to three months without a certificate of registration. If you seek employment, you may stay in the country for up to 6 months without a certificate of registration. The periods of 3 and 6 months are determined on the basis of the date of your entry.

If you expect your stay in Denmark will last more than 3 months, you must apply for a certificate of registration before the expiry of the three months.

A certificate of registration is a document that certifies that as an EU citizen or as an EU citizen's family member you have a right to reside in Denmark.

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO APPLY FOR A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION, YOU NEED TO SHOW UP PERSONALLY IN YOUR REGIONAL STATE ADMINISTRATION.

The regional State Administrations

The State Administration has nine local offices. The body of the State Administration was established to take responsibility for areas where it was considered advantageous that administration and related contact between authorities and citizens should be taken care of at the local level.

The State Administration falls under and refers to the Ministry for Children and Social Affairs.

If you are a citizen of Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden, you do not need to apply for a certificate of registration because as a Nordic citizen you have a right to reside in Denmark without permission.

Rules on the residence in Denmark for EU citizens and their family members are regulated in Government order on a residence of EU citizens