What to do before leaving Denmark?

When you have decided to leave Denmark, there are a number of things, you need to take care of. This entails for instance reporting to the public Denmark that you are leaving. 

Deregister your Danish address when you leave

You have to report that you are leaving Denmark to the Civil Registration Office in 2 instances:

  • You will be gone for more than 6 months. Please note that if you go to Denmark on holiday during your stay abroad, this will not interrupt the 6-month period.
  • You are gone for less than 6 months and you sublet or hire out your residence while you are gone. That is also called giving up the right of disposal.

You deregister from the Civil Registration System (CPR) in the self-service using MitID. It can be done as early as 4 weeks before your departure and until 5 days after. If you report your departure later than that you will be fined DKK 1,000 (2024).

If you do not have MitID, you can book an appointment with Citizen Service, and you can fill in a departure form and submit it to your municipality of residence.

When leaving Denmark, you must destroy (cut up) your yellow health insurance card ('sundhedskort') as it only applies to individuals living in Denmark.

Moving to a Nordic country

If you move from Denmark to another Nordic country, you must first register with the local registration authority in the country to which you move before you deregister your address from the Civil Registration System (CPR) in Denmark.

To be registered in another Nordic country, you must bring your ID and provide your civil registration number (CPR number) as well as your previous address in Denmark.

You will only be registered as having left Denmark once the municipality to which you are moving has informed the Danish municipality which you are leaving.

Scandinavian flags on a blue sky.
Yellow health insurance card

Cut up your health insurance card (the yellow card) 

When leaving Denmark, you are no longer covered by the Danish health insurance system.

You must destroy (cut up) your yellow health insurance card ('sundhedskort') as it only applies to individuals living in Denmark.

If you need a certificate stating your periods of social security coverage in Denmark, please ask the health insurance authority in the country you are currently living in to contact Udbetaling Danmark. Udbetaling Danmark can be reached by phone at +45 70 12 80 81.

You lose your social security in Denmark

Leaving Denmark entails a number of changes to your rights. When you have been registered in the Danish Civil Registration System (CPR) as relocated to another country, you simultaneously lose your social security in Denmark.

The rights that you lose are for instance the right to sick insurance, maternity allowance, unemployment pay, child benefits, pension etc.

Before you leave Denmark, you should check which social security rights you will have in the country to which you are moving.

Same sex couple enjoying a cuddle together at home, with their baby daughter and their pet dog.

Remember to notify the Danish Tax Agency

When you leave Denmark, your job and your place of residence determine where you have to pay tax.

We recommend that you call the Tax Agency on +45 72 22 27 80 once you have deregistered from the Civil Registration System (CPR) and left Denmark.

If possible, the Tax Agency will determine your tax liability instantly and tell you which documents you need to submit when you leave Denmark.

Take your pension with you

You can have your pension paid out abroad if you do not live in Denmark. Please contact your Danish pension company, your pension fund or your financial institution if you want to learn more about your individual pensions.

ATP Livslang Pension

ATP Livslang Pension is payable when you have reached the Danish retirement age. ATP Livslang Pension cannot be paid out earlier than your Danish retirement age, regardless of other circumstances, for instance: living abroad, disablement, earlier retirement etc.

If you are living outside of Denmark, ATP Livslang Pension is not automatically notified of address changes. Therefore, remember to inform ATP Livslang Pension of your new address abroad. It is important that you contact ATP in order for you to benefit from the rights and savings you have accrued:

Ung asiatisk kvinde står på gaden med sin telefon og sin cykel

MitID: What happens to my MitID when I leave Denmark?

It is still possible to use your MitID when you have moved from Denmark.

If you change your mobile phone number

If you change your mobile number to a foreign number, you can update the number in your MitID app, on MitID.dk, via the MitID Support or at a Citizen Service Centre in Denmark. 

You can read more about changing your mobile number:

Make sure to have a spare MitID

It can be a good idea to have a spare MitID. Especially if you live abroad and do not have the option to seek help at a Citizen Service centre in Denmark. You can choose a MitID code viewer or an extra app on, for example, a tablet.

You can read more about the options regarding a spare MitID:

Young happy friends

Claim your holiday allowance

If you leave Denmark and stop working for a Danish employer, you can have all your holiday allowance paid out without taking a holiday.

Check your insurance policies

When you move abroad, it will affect your insurance needs. Your insurance policies may not cover you for the entire time you are abroad. In those cases, you may need to find new insurance policies in the country you are moving to. Contact your Danish insurance company to ask them about your options. If you want to terminate your insurances, please note that there may be a notice period. You can also ask about your insurance coverage in connection with your relocation.

Stabel af mønter

Notify your bank – but consider keeping your account open for a while

If you have opened an account in a Danish bank, you should notify the bank of your relocation. Make sure you keep your account open for approximately 1 year or at least until the next tax assessment is available from the Danish Tax Agency. If you are entitled to a refund – it could be tax, heating in your home, vehicle taxes etc. – it will be deposited into your Danish bank account/NemKonto.

Yngre mand sidder i sofaen med gips på en ene fod og krykken ved siden af

GP and hospital: Bring your medical records

Before you leave the country, remember to obtain your medical records from your GP (family doctor) and from medical specialists and hospitals. In case you are here with family, you need to make sure you obtain the medical records for all family members.

Mor og datter på badeværelset mens de børster tænder

Dentist: Bring your dental record

Contact your Danish dentist and obtain your dental records, before you leave Denmark. In case you are here with family, you need to make sure to obtain the dental records for all family members.

Postnord: You can have your mail forwarded

The Danish postal service PostNord can forward your mail to an address abroad

Registration is only in Danish and via an online form. In the form, you enter your name, contact information and your Danish address. Afterwards you enter the address you are moving to as well as the date you want to start forwarding your mail. You need to upload a copy of your passport, driving licence or other ID as identification.

Parcels, magazines and newspapers will not be forwarded in connection with a change of address to another country.

If PostNord does not receive any information about a new address in connection with relocation outside of Denmark, your post will be returned to sender.

Your family and belongings

5 børn løber i en skolegård

Deregister your child from daycare facility, school and after-school scheme

Before leaving Denmark, you should notify your child’s daycare facility, school, after-school scheme or other care arrangement that you are going to leave. The term of notice is generally 1 month. Many places demand a written notice in advance.

In some cases you can deregister from municipal childcare services digitally. Most of the online self-services are in Danish, but you can always get help to fill in forms and online applications at the local Citizen Service centre. Remember to book an appointment. 

If you do not have MitID, please contact Digital Pladsanvisning (the Placement Service) or book an appointment with Citizen Service to have them help you withdraw your child from childcare.

How to bring your personal belongings, your pet and your car

Lille familie med far, mor og barn i lejlighed

Bring your personal belongings

If you bring your personal belongings with you when you leave Denmark, you should check the customs regulations in the country to which you are moving. There might be certain restrictions or rules you need to follow, or you might need to pay customs in order to enter the country.

Hund kigger ud ad vinduet i aftensollys - der er planter i vindueskarmen

Bring your pet

Depending on the species of the pet and which country you are moving to, there might be certain requirements for you and your pet to meet. Please consult with the competent authority in the country of destination, before you leave Denmark.

Biler på Storebæltsbroen i aftensol

Your car – what to do when leaving Denmark

Deregistration

When you leave Denmark, you have to hand over your number plates to the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency (Motorstyrelsen). You also need to notify one of the 4 vehicle registration offices (motorekspeditioner) in Denmark. And when you do that you have to include a copy of the original registration certificate (Part I and Part II) of the car and registration form 21.044:

Partial refund on registration tax 

If you leave Denmark and take your car that is registered in Denmark with you, you may be entitled to a refund on part of the paid registration tax.

If you pay the registration fee in instalments, your instalments will expire when you have deregistered your car.

A possible refund will be transferred to the owner of the car when:

  1. the current market value of the car has been determined
  2. the car has been deregistered from the Register of Motor Vehicles
  3. when the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency (Motorstyrelsen) has received documentation that the car has been exported out of Denmark.

For further guidance on how you deregister your car and how you get a possible registration duty refund, please contact the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency or find further information about how you export your car:

Your housing

To kvindehænder der overdrager en nøgle

Termination of a lease

If you paid a deposit when renting an apartment or a house in Denmark, you might be entitled to get some or the entire deposit back. You are required to leave the apartment or house as when you took it over. If it is necessary to repair, paint or in other ways make the apartment or house ready for the next resident, the expenses for this might be taken out of your deposit. Any surplus of utilities will also be reimbursed.

Elmåler

Read and report your electricity

Please remember always to read your meters before you move and inform your electricity provider. Otherwise you risk paying for more than you have consumed and you will be held responsible for the consumption until the next resident registers as a consumer.

Billede af en radiator

Read and report your heating

Please remember always to read your meters before you move and inform your heating provider. Otherwise you risk paying for more than you have consumed and you will be held responsible for the consumption until the next resident registers as a consumer.