Military service in Denmark

Military service (also called conscription service) in Denmark can be served:

• in the Army
• in the Navy
• in the Air Force
• in the Emergency Management Agency.

You may serve civilian military service if it is not compatible with your conscience to do
military service in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Emergency Management Agency.

It is important that you are able to speak and understand Danish if you are interested in doing your military service in Denmark.

Men – you are called in for assessment of ability to do military service at 18

Military service is mandatory for all males who are Danish citizens living in Denmark, and it is mandatory that you show up to be assessed (to see if you are fit for military service) in the year you turn 18.

You will: 

1. first receive a letter about the assessment (Forsvarets Dag) and fill out a health form.
2. then be assessed for military service on a day called Forsvarets Dag.

Women – you are invited to military service at 18

As a woman, you will receive an invitation to Forsvarets Dag (military assessment) when you turn 18. If you want to complete military service on an equal footing with men, you must, however, apply to attend Forsvarets Dag. 

On Forsvarets Dag both men and women will be assessed to see if they are:

• fit (egnet)
• limited fit (begrænset egnet)
• unfit (uegnet).

If a woman is assessed as fit or limited fit, she can voluntarily enter into an agreement to be employed on the same terms as men doing mandatory military service.

It is important that you are able to speak and understand Danish if you are interested in doing your military service (conscription service) in Denmark.

• Danish military service (in Danish)

The military assessment is called Forsvarets Dag. The assessment lasts up to 6 hours.

Everything at Forsvarets Dag is in Danish, therefore it is important that you are able to speak and understand Danish.

In short, the day contains the following:

• Information about military service and the different armed forces or the Emergency Management Agency
• A written test (containing questions about Danish, math, logical thinking and figure composition) 
• Vision and hearing test
• A medical examination with a doctor (please note that you are required to strip down to your underwear during the examination)
• A concluding conversation, where you get your results and draw a number
• Voluntary guidance on opportunities within the Danish Defence.

Drawing a number

If you are declared fit or limited fit for military service as a man, you must draw a number. There are 3 types of numbers:

• ‘Free to go number’ (‘frinummer’): You will not be called up for military service.
• ‘Maybe number’ (‘måske-nummer’): You may be called up for military service and must await notification of this. If you select the target number, you must specify 2 binding wishes: 1 place of service and 1 area where you wish to serve your military service should you be called up for compulsory military service. An attempt will be made to fulfill your wishes and cannot be changed.
• ‘Compulsory number’ (‘Skal-nummer’): You are required to perform military service (these numbers are currently not in use).  

You will be called up to be assessed for military service, if:

• you are moving to Denmark for a longer or short period (that is, you have registered your address in Denmark)
• you are male
• you have a Danish citizenship
• you are between 18 and 30 years old. 

When you have registered your address in Denmark, your obligation for Danish military service is activated, and you are obligated to take part of the assessment on whether or not you are qualified for military service in Denmark.

If you are moving to Denmark and you do not speak Danish, it is important to reach out to parents, friends or someone who speaks or understand Danish, since all information regarding military service in Denmark is in Danish.

Get MitID and check your Digital Post

You receive your letter concerning the assessment for military service digitally via Digital Post. In order to access your Digital Post, you need MitID, the Danish National eID:

• Read more about MitID
• Read more about Digital Post

When you arrive in Denmark, there are some important information you need to be aware off:

• MitID: It is important that you get your MitID, and get access to your Digital Post (digital mailbox).
• Digital Post: All letters regarding Forsvarets Dag (the assessment for military service) are sent through Digital Post; unless you have unregistered yourself from Digital Post in which case the letters will be sent as ordinary mail on paper.
• Assessment for military service is mandatory: It is important not to disregard a letter regarding Forsvarets Dag, since you as a man are obligated to take part of the assessment of whether or not you are qualified for military service in Denmark, even if you do not understand what the letter says due to the fact that the letter you may have received is in Danish.

As a man, who is a Danish citizen and living in Denmark, you are obligated to take part of an assessment on whether or not you are qualified for military service in Denmark. The assessment is called Forsvarets Dag.

It is important that you react when you receive a letter regarding Forsvarets Dag, because there are consequences if you do not show up at Forsvarets Dag, when you have been sent a letter with a specific date for Forsvarets Dag.  

Fines

• If you miss 1 Forsvarets Dag, you will get a fine.
• If you miss 2 Forsvarets Dag, you will get a fine.
• If you miss 3 Forsvarets Dag, you risk being arrested and transported to the nearest Recruitment Centre for assessment as to whether or not you are qualified for military service. 

If you do not speak Danish when you arrive in Denmark and receive your first letter regarding Forsvarets Dag (the assessment for military service), it is important that you contact Værnepligtssektionen (the section for compulsory military service):

Værnepligtssektionen

Phone: + 45 72 81 99 55

Monday to Thursday: 10.00-14.00
Friday: 10.00-12.00   

If you are studying, and have more than 1.5 year left, you can apply for postponement of Forsvarets Dag until 1 year before you are finishing your studies. You can read more at the website of the Danish Defence:

• Postponement of Forsvarets Dag (in Danish)

All information is in Danish: the letter concerning Forsvarets Dag (the assessment for military service), the online information, Forsvarets Dag with all the tests etc. is in Danish.

If you do not speak or understand Danish, we recommend that you get help from someone in your family or a friend, who speaks or understands Danish in order to guide you through the process. 

If you move abroad after having lived in Denmark for a shorter or longer period of time, it is important that you report that you are leaving:

• Leaving Denmark: Deregister your Danish address when moving abroad

If you forget to report that you have left Denmark after you have indeed left, you might still be called up to be assessed for military service in Denmark, if you fit the terms of being called up, because you are registered as still living in Denmark.

If you receive a letter in your Digital Post concerning attending military assessment, you are obligated to attend the assessment.

Please remember to check your Digital Post regularly – even though you have moved and now live outside of Denmark.

If you are a Danish citizen living abroad, Danish military service is not mandatory. However, if you are between 18 and 30 years old, and wish to do Danish military service, you may be able to. 

In order to apply to do military service, you apply to attend Forsvarets Dag (the assessment for military service) via the self-service ‘Apply to attend Forsvarets Dag’. You need MitID, the Danish National eID, to access the self-service.

If you do not have MitID, you can find the application on the website of the Danish Defence:

• Read more about Forsvarets Dag and apply to attend (in Danish)

Please note that Forsvarets Dag and military service is in Danish. Therefore, we recommend that you learn to speak and understand Danish before you apply to do Danish military service.

All information is in Danish: the letter concerning Forsvarets Dag (the assessment for military service), the online information, Forsvarets Dag with all the tests etc. is in Danish.

If you do not speak or understand Danish, we recommend that you get help from someone in your family or a friend, who speaks or understands Danish in order to guide you through the process. 

If you are a foreign citizen, you can apply to do military service in Denmark.

In addition to residency in Denmark, consideration is given to:

• whether you have a residence and work permit in Denmark
• your other ties to Denmark
• whether you have applied or intend to apply for Danish citizenship.

• More information on military service i Denmark for foreign citizens

All information is in Danish: the letter concerning Forsvarets Dag (the assessment for military service), the online information, Forsvarets Dag with all the tests etc. is in Danish.

If you do not speak or understand Danish, we recommend that you get help from someone in your family or a friend, who speaks or understands Danish in order to guide you through the process. 

As a man you are able to complain to 'Værnepligtsnævnet' (the military service board) about you assessment on Forsvarets Dag. You are able to complain if you have been at 2 different assessments.  

If you have applied for postponement of your military service, you are also able to complain about this to 'Værnepligtsnævnet'. 

• Act on Danish military service (in Danish)
• Act on Forsvarets Dag (in Danish)

• Danish military service (in Danish)
• Read more about Forsvarets Dag and apply to attend (in Danish)
• Conscientious objector (in Danish)