Danish state pension when you live abroad

As a pensioner living abroad, you can get MitID using your foreign passport or ID card along with a mobile phone. 

With MitID you can:

• Use Udbetaling Danmark’ self-service solution ’Min Pension’, where you can notify about changes immediately.
• See your upcoming payments and letters online at ‘Din Pension’. 
• Avoid long delivery times on letters - both to and from Udbetaling Danmark. 
• Get easier communication with Udbetaling Danmark.

In just a few steps, you can get MitID. You can follow these guidelines or video guides under the headline ‘Få MitID med udenlandsk pas/ID-kort’ here: 

• Få MitID med pas - MitID

For help go to www.mitid.dk/supportor contact MitID support at +45 33 98 00 10.

As an EU/EEA citizen receiving public benefits from Denmark you can now ease your future usage of the Danish public self-services – even if you do not have af Danish MitID. You just need to connect your non-Danish eID to your Danish CPR-number.

This service is now available for Danish State Pension when you live abroad. It is also available for the ATP Livslang Pension self-service. Soon other Danish self-services will follow.

Connect your eID from these countries

Please note that access is only available with electronic identities from the following countries:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Estonia
• Germany
• Italy
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden

More countries will follow. 

• Connect your non-Danish eID to your Danish CPR number – once only
• Read more about using non-Danish eID for Danish public self-services

When you are connected

When your non-Danish eID is connected to your Danish CPR number you can log in to:

• inform Udbetaling Danmark of changes to your pension
• get an overview of your Danish Pension and letters.

Just click the Start button for non-Danish eID.

• When you receive state pension or disability pension abroad, you are obliged to inform Udbetaling Danmark of changes in your personal situation or income that might affect your pension from Denmark.

For example, if:

• You become single, get married, or get a cohabitant.
• You are moving to another address.
• Your or your spouse's/cohabitant’s assets change, e.g., if one of you inherits, buys, or sell equities and receives a return on the assets.
• There are changes in income for you or your spouse/cohabitant from which you do not pay tax in Denmark, e.g., foreign income.
• There are changes to your or your spouse's/cohabitant’s independent company, and the company is not taxable in Denmark.

You do not need to inform Udbetaling Danmark of income from which you pay taxes in Denmark. Udbetaling Danmark receives this information automatically.

• Inform Udbetaling Danmark of changes to your pension – with MitID

If you do not have a MitID

If you are a citizen in an EU/EEA country, you can use your national electronic ID (eID). Your eID needs to be connected to your Danish Civil Registration Number (CPR number) before you can log in.

• Connect your national eID to your Danish CPR number – once only
• Inform Udbetaling Danmark of changes to your pension (non-Danish eID)
• What is a CPR number?

When you receive state pension or disability pension abroad, you are obliged to inform Udbetaling Danmark of changes in your personal situation or income that might affect your pension from Denmark.

For example, if:

• You become single, get married, or get a cohabitant.
• You are moving to another address.
• Your or your spouse's/cohabitant’s assets change, e.g., if one of you inherits, buys, or sell equities and receives a return on the assets.
• There are changes in income for you or your spouse/cohabitant from which you do not pay tax in Denmark, e.g., foreign income.
• There are changes to your or your spouse's/cohabitant’s independent company, and the company is not taxable in Denmark.

You do not need to inform Udbetaling Danmark of income from which you pay taxes in Denmark. Udbetaling Danmark receives this information automatically.

Use your national eID

If you are a citizen in an EU/EEA country, you can use your national eID. Your national eID has to be connected to your Danish Civil Registration Number (CPR number) before you can log in.

• Connect your national eID to your Danish CPR number – once only
• Inform Udbetaling Danmark of changes to your pension (non-Danish eID)

In the self-service you can

• get an overview of your last and coming payments of Danish State Pension
• read the letters you receive from Udbetaling Danmark – at the time when they are sent.

• Get an overview of your Danish State Pension and letters (MitID)

If you do not have a MitID

If you are a citizen in an EU/EEA country, you can use your national electronic ID (eID). Your eID needs to be connected to your Danish Civil Registration Number (CPR number) before you can log in.

• Connect your national eID to your Danish CPR number – once only

• Get an overview of your Danish State Pension and letters (non-Danish eID)
• What is a CPR number?

In the self-service you can

• get an overview of your last and coming payments of Danish State Pension
• read the letters you receive from Udbetaling Danmark – at the time when they are sent.

Use your national eID If you are a citizen in an EU/EEA country, you can use your national eID. Your national eID has to be connected to your Danish Civil Registration Number (CPR number) before you can log in.

• Connect your national eID to your Danish CPR number – once only
• Get an overview of your Danish State Pension and letters (non-Danish eID)

You can apply to receive social pensions such as the state pension, payments from ATP and disability pension even if you move to an EU country or a country outside the EU. There are, however, different rules depending on which country you live in. 

As an EU/EEA citizen living in an EU/EEA member country you must fulfill the following conditions:

• you must be an EU/EEA citizen
• you must have permanent residence within a member country
• you must have lived in Denmark for at least three years between the age of 15 and 65.

If you have worked in other EU countries and have earned qualifying years towards state benefits there, then the rule of three years of residence in Denmark will not necessarily apply to you.

In such case one year of residence in Denmark will be enough for you to receive Danish state pension abroad, as Udbetaling Danmark must take into account the years you have worked in the other member state.

If you have worked in several EU countries, then you might have accumulated pension rights in each country.

Apply in the country you are currently living in

When the time comes for you to claim your pension, you normally have to apply in the country where you are living or in the country where you last worked. That country is then responsible for processing your claim and bringing together records of your pension contributions from all the countries you have lived in.

If you live in a country you never worked in

If you have never worked in the country where you now live, you should apply to the relevant authority in the last country where you worked. Your application will then be processed there.

If you have worked in several countries

If you have worked in several countries, you should apply for your pension in the country where you live, unless you never worked there. In the latter case, you should apply in the country where you last worked.

Apply for Danish state pension when you live abroad 

If you live outside of Denmark and wish to apply for Danish state pension:

• Apply for Danish state pension - when you live abroad

Your pension will be paid out on the last banking day of the month.  

If you want to have your pension paid out to a Danish account, e.g. your NemKonto, you must inform Udbetaling Danmark, International Pension about your registration and account number. Udbetaling Danmark, International Pension does not receive this information automatically.  

You can also choose to have your pension paid out into a local account in your country of residence. However, be aware that you will have to pay fees yourself and that the payment of your pension will be made in the currency used in your country of residence.  

If you have Mit ID or eID you can change your bank account via the self-service solution.  

• Change bank account if you have MitID
• Change bank account if you have non-Danish eID
• Chose a danish bank account when you live abroad
• Choose a foreign bank account if you live abroad

Once a year Udbetaling Danmark readjusts your state pension to ensure that you have received the right amount to which you were entitled for the year. The readjustment leads to one of three possible outcomes:

• You received the right amount of pension to which you were entitled last year.
• You received too much pension last year, and you will have to pay back some of the pension which you have received. Please note that you will only have to pay back pension if you have received more than DKK 249 too much last year.
• You received less pension than you were entitled to last year, and you will be paid the outstanding pension.

Why should I pay back pension or have more pension paid out?

Udbetaling Danmark uses your tax assessment notice from Skattestyrelsen (Danish Tax and Customs Administration), as well as the information provided by you about the income received by you and your spouse/cohabitant which is not taxed in Denmark.

You must pay back some of your pension if your tax assessment notice shows that your total income was higher than the income on which your pension was based. You will have extra pension paid to you if your total income was lower than the income on which your pension was based last year. Your spouse/cohabitant’s income is also included in the calculation of your pension.

How do I pay back pension?

If you live in Denmark: If you live in Denmark and have to pay back pension, you have the option to pay the full amount or set up a payment plan. You can do this online (in Danish only):

• Betal penge tilbage til Udbetaling Danmark

If you do not use the online option to pay the full amount or set up a payment plan, Udbetaling Danmark will send you up to three letters with a payment code.

If you live outside of Denmark: If you live outside of Denmark and you must pay back pension you can transfer money to Udbetaling Danmark's bank:

• Danske Bank
• Reg. nr. 0216
• Konto nr. 4069046312
• SWIFT-adresse: DABADKKK
• IBAN nr.: DK7102164069046312
• Remember to type in your CPR number.

How do I make sure that I am paid the right pension during the year?

Make sure to always inform Udbetaling Danmark about any changes to your and your spouse’s or cohabitant’s income. 

If your additional income is taxed in Denmark, you do not have to inform Udbetaling Danmark. All you must do is change your preliminary income assessment.

If you have additional income which is not taxed in Denmark or if your spouse/cohabitant has such income, for example foreign income, then you must inform Udbetaling Danmark.

In most cases, Udbetaling Danmark uses your preliminary income assessment to calculate your pension. However, Udbetaling Danmark cannot use your preliminary income assessment if you were not a pensioner for the whole year, or if your spouse/cohabitant was not a pensioner throughout the year, or if you started cohabiting with somebody new in the course of the year. In such cases, you must inform Udbetaling Danmark about any changes to your income.

As a pensioner living abroad, you must confirm that you are alive every year. You do this by submitting a life certificate. You only need to submit a life certificate when Udbetaling Danmark requests it in a letter.

Udbetaling Danmark has sent out letters about life certificates for 2025. If you are a pensioner living abroad, you must submit the life certificate, so Udbetaling Danmark has it no later than 31 August 2025.  

• Send life certificate - with MitID
• Send life certificate - without MitID

Udbetaling Danmark International Pension passes on your completed life certificate to the following authorities if you receive benefits from one or more of the following:
ATP Livslang Pension, Arbejdsmarkedets Erhvervssikring and/or Udbetaling Danmark Tjenestemandspension.

This means you only have to confirm you are alive once.

If you do not confirm that you are alive, your pension may be stopped by Udbetaling Danmark. 

In some countries, you do not get a life certificate

For pensioners in some countries, you will generally not receive a life certificate. The reason is that Udbetaling Danmark has an agreement with the pension authorities in these countries to exchange information.

It is only if Udbetaling Danmark requests further information that you will receive a life certificate.

So, you only need to take action when Udbetaling Danmark asks you to.

Therefore, in the following countries you will not normally receive a life certificate:

• Australia
• France
• Germany 
• Iceland
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Udbetaling Danmark, International Pension would like to have the option to send you reminders via SMS. This could be in situations where we need additional information from you.   

Please note that reminders by SMS are an extra help and service for you. You will still receive letters from us even if you provide your mobile number.   

You can provide your mobile number here: 

• Register your mobile number  
• Register your mobile number - with MitID 
• Register your mobile number - with eID 

When you live abroad and receive a pension from International Pension, you are required to provide your new address when you move from one address to another abroad. 

Here you can provide your address change: 

• Provide address
• Provide address with MitID
• Provide address with eID 

A heating supplement is a supplement to your heating expenses, for example your expenses for electricity, gas, oil and other forms of heating.

You can apply for a heating supplement if you live abroad and are a state pensioner or were granted disability pension before 2003. If you receive heating supplement, you will receive it together with the payment of your state pension or disability pension. 

Please note that only one person per household can get the heating supplement. 

Udbetaling Danmark will assess once per year around late December/early January if you are still entitled to receive a heating supplement. You will therefore get a form that you need to fill out and return so that it can be included in the calculations.

Documentation of your heating expenses

When applying for heating supplement, you must document your heating expenses. As a general rule, you must document your heating expenses for the past three years. 

If you do not have documentation of your heating expenses for the past three years, you must send documentation for the periods you can or state the heating expenses you expect to have for the next year.

• Apply for heating supplement as a pensioner living abroad

You must notify Udbetaling Danmark of changes

When you already receive heating supplement, you only need to send the latest documentation to Udbetaling Danmark, and only in these cases:

• If the average of your heating expenses for the past three years changes by 10 per cent or more in relation to the basis of which we calculate your heating supplement
• If Udbetaling Danmark requests it
• If your heating expenses on account increase by 10 per cent or more, e.g. due to rising energy prices. Here you must send an on-account bill

If changes occur, Udbetaling Danmark will make a new calculation of what you can receive in heating supplement. We will send you a letter where you can see your new heating supplement.

You can notify of changes here:

• Send documentation of your heating expenses

If you receive a state pension from Denmark and live in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland or United Kingdom you may be entitled to an elderly cheque for pensioners abroad (the supplementary pension allowance).

You are not entitled to an elderly cheque if you receive disability pension. 

If you have previously received an elderly cheque

If you have previously received an elderly cheque, and you meet the conditions for receiving it, it will automatically be paid out to you together with your state pension at the end of January.

If you have not received an elderly cheque before

If you have not received an elderly cheque before, you must apply for it. The due date for application is July 31.

• Apply for supplementary pension allowance

From January 1, 2024, you can, in certain cases, bring your pension supplement to an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom if you receive the supplement due to a congenital or early-onset disability.

You can apply to bring pension supplement abroad if you:

• Move or already reside in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, and
• Have never been economically active because,
• You suffer from a congenital or early-onset disability (long-term physical, mental, sensory, or intellectual impairment).

It is a condition that, due to your disability, you have either never worked or have worked very minimally. You must be medically diagnosed with a long-term physical, mental, sensory, or intellectual impairment that renders you unable or unlikely to take on regular employment.

You can apply retroactively

If you apply before June 30, 2024, you can be granted dispensation to bring the pension supplement with you to an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom retroactively from January 1, 2024. 

If you apply for the supplementary pension benefit on or after July 1, 2024, the supplementary pension benefit will be paid from the 1st of the month following the date when Udbetaling Danmark has made a decision in the case.

• Apply for a pension supplement when residing in or relocating to the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom (using MitID)
• Apply for a pension supplement when residing in or relocating to the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom (without MitID)
• Apply for a pension supplement when residing in or relocating to the EU/EEA, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom (using eID)

You should be aware that if you meet the conditions for including the pension supplement in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom, you retain the right to include it in another EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.

However, if you move to a third country, the right to take the pension supplement with you will lapse, and you will need to reapply for the supplement upon returning to an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom.

When you transition to old age pension

If you receive the disability pension supplement and continue to reside in an EU/EEA country, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom when you transition to old age pension, you will automatically receive the old age pension supplement.

If you need to help someone else

If you need to help someone else with communicating with Udbetaling Danmark, you must provide a power of attorney. This even applies if you live together, and you just need to talk to Udbetaling Danmark about the other person’s case.

If someone else is going to help you

If you need someone else to help you communicating with Udbetaling Danmark, you must first give that person power of attorney. This even applies if you live together, and the other person just need to talk to Udbetaling Danmark about your case.

How to give a power of attorney

If you want to give a power of attorney, you can do so with MitID or by signing a written power of attorney (Letter of attorney)

• Give or send power of attorney to Udbetaling Danmark, Pension (with MitID)
• Letter of attorney

If you are applying for one of the following social benefits from abroad, your application must be handled by Udbetaling Danmark, International Pension. 

In the chart below you can see the case processing time limits:

The case processing time limit period begins the same day Udbetaling Danmark receives your application. 

You can help ensure that your application is processed as soon as possible by:

• Attaching the required documentation
• Ensuring that your information in the Civil Registration System (CPR) is correct.

If you are not satisfied with how Udbetaling Danmark has dealt with your case, you are welcome to contact Udbetaling Danmark, Pension. Sometimes misunderstandings can occur and can easily be resolved with a verbal explanation.

If you disagree with a decision

You may file a complaint about a decision from Udbetaling Danmark if you disagree with it. A decision can for example be classified as the amount you receive in pension – or any other decision that Udbetaling Denmark makes in your case. You will always receive a letter from Udbetaling Denmark, in which the decision will be stated along with a complaint guide. 

Udbetaling Danmark must receive your complaint no later than four weeks after your receipt of the decision. They will then assess the matter again.

If Udbetaling Danmark reject your complaint, they will forward it to the National Social Appeals Board. The National Social Appeals Board is an independent state institution and the highest complaint board for Udbetaling Danmark amongst others. 

Complaints about other matters

Udbetaling Danmark will also consider complaints received about other matters in your case and investigate whether there is anything that should have been done differently. You will always receive an answer to your complaint. 

How to file a complaint

You can file a complaint by calling Udbetaling Danmark or sending your complaint to Udbetaling Danmark, International Pension, preferably marked ‘Complaint about Pension’:

• Contact Udbetaling Danmark, International Pension

You can read more in

• Retssikkerhedsloven (in Danish)

• Udbetaling Danmark-loven (in Danish)

• Lov om social pension (in Danish)

• Gammelførtidspensionsloven (in Danish)

• Lov om delpension (in Danish)

• Lov om fleksydelse (in Danish)

• Databeskyttelsesforordningen (in Danish)

• Databeskyttelsesloven (in Danish)