Driving in Denmark with a Foreign Driver’s License
Individuals who are resident in Denmark may drive a motor vehicle in the country if they have one of the types of driver’s license listed in section 116 (1) of the Executive Order on Driver’s Licenses (kørekortbekendtgørelsen), including driver’s licenses issued in an EU Member State or an EEA country.
The rules for driving in Denmark on a foreign driver’s license is provided on the website of the Danish Road Safety Agency.
How to Exchange Your Foreign Driver’s License to a Denmark Driver’s License
If you establish usual residence in Denmark, you will, in some cases, need to exchange your foreign driver’s license for a Danish driver’s license.
Usual residence means that you have personal or professional ties to Denmark i.e., you spend a minimum of 185 days in Denmark within a calendar year. Usual residence in Denmark is established from the date when you move to Denmark with an intention to establish usual residence in Denmark.
If you exclusively have professional ties to Denmark but personal ties to another country, you will be regarded as having usual residence in the country where you have personal relationships if you regularly return to that country.
Individuals with Temporary Residence in Denmark
If you do not have usual residence in Denmark, you may drive on your foreign driver’s license in Denmark in the following cases:
- It’s a driver’s license issued in the Faroe Islands.
- It’s a driver’s license issued in Greenland.
- It’sa driver’s license issued in an EU Member State or an EEA country (Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein).
- It’s a provisional driver’s license issued in Finland, Iceland, Norway, or Sweden.
- It’s a foreign driver’s license (not issued in an EU Member State or an EEA country) drawn up in Latin letters or accompanied by a translation into Danish, English, or French. The translation must be by an official authority or an organization authorized to perform this task by the issuing country.
- It’s an international driver’s license.
You may drive the same vehicles in Denmark as you are allowed to drive in the country where the driver’s license was issued.
Individuals with Driver’s Licenses and Usual Residence in Denmark
If you have a foreign driver’s license and you have established usual residence in Denmark, you must in certain cases exchange your driver’s license for a Danish driver’s license.
Whether you have to pass a driving test to check your skills depends on the country in which your driver’s license has been issued. There are various rules for how long you can wait before exchanging your foreign driver’s license for a Danish driving license. It depends on which country issued your current driver’s license. Please see more details on the website of the Danish Road Safety Agency.
Note: Information may not be up-to-date. Please check official government information for latest laws and regulations.