Foreign driving licences in Denmark

If, at some point, you have had a driving licence in a country outside the EU, the Faroe Islands, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway, and your current foreign driving licence was issued on the basis of this licence, you must instead read the rules in effect for the area where your original licence was issued.

You must meet these requirements to exchange your driving licence

• You must permanently reside in Denmark. This means that you must be registered with a Danish address in the Civil Registration Office (Folkeregisteret), and you must reside in Denmark at least 185 days a year.
• Your foreign driving licence must have been issued before you entered Denmark.

If you permanently reside outside Denmark, you are allowed to drive in Denmark with your foreign driving licence. The driving licence must be written in the Latin alphabet. Otherwise, you must show an English or Danish translation of the licence when you present it. The translation must have been made by a public authority or organisation in the country where your licence was issued.

Exchanging a licence for driving an ordinary car and/or motorcycle

You are allowed to drive in Denmark with your foreign driving licence until it expires. If it has expired or if you wish to exchange it (even if it has not expired), you must book an appointment for a personal meeting at Citizen Service (Borgerservice). When you attend the meeting, you must bring the following:

For citizens of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland:

• Your foreign driving licence. If you have lost your driving licence, we must ask you to bring confirmation of your licence from the foreign authorities that issued the license. This confirmation must be in Danish or English.
• A valid passport
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

For persons who are not citizens of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland:

• Your foreign driving licence. If you have lost your driving licence, we must ask you to bring confirmation of your driving licence from the foreign authorities that issued the licence. This confirmation must be in Danish or English.
• A valid passport
• A valid residence permit
• Your health insurance card (sygesikringskort).
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

Temporary driving licence

If your foreign driving licence is still valid or if it expired less than three years ago, it is possible to get a temporary Danish driving licence when you come to Citizen Service. The licence is valid in the Scandinavian countries, and you may use it while we process your application.

How to exchange your driving licence

1. Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service.
2. Bring the relevant documents with you to Citizen Service.
3. After your meeting at Citizen Service, we will send your application for approval by the police. The length of time you must wait to receive the licence may vary.

Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

Exchanging a licence for driving vehicles besides an ordinary car or motorcycle

You are allowed to drive in Denmark with your foreign driving licence until it expires. If it has expired or if you wish to exchange it (even if it hasn’t expired), you must book an appointment for a personal meeting at Citizen Service. When you attend the meeting, you must bring the following:

For citizens of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland:

• Your foreign driving licence. If you have lost your driving licence, we must ask you to bring confirmation of your driving licence from the foreign authorities that issued it. This confirmation must be in Danish or English.
• A valid passport
• A medical certificate from your doctor. You will receive it in a closed envelope, which must be unopened when you hand it in at Citizen Service. The certificate must be less than six months old. If you have MitID, you can apply for a medical certificate online.
  Apply for a medical certificate online with MitID (In Danish) (selvbetjening.dk)
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

For persons who are not citizens of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland:

• Your foreign driving licence. If you have lost your driving licence, we must ask you to bring confirmation of your driving licence from the foreign authorities that issued it. This confirmation must be in Danish or English.
• A valid passport
• A valid residence permit
• Your health insurance card (sygesikringskort)
• A medical certificate from your doctor. You will receive it in a closed envelope, which must be unopened when you hand it in at Citizen Service. The certificate must be less than six months old.If you have MitID, you can apply for a medical certificate online.
  Apply for a medical certificate online with MitID (in Danish) (selvbetjening.dk)
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

Temporary driving licence

If your foreign driving licence is still valid or if it expired less than three years ago, it is possible to get a temporary Danish driving licence when you come to Citizen Service. The licence is valid in the Scandinavian countries, and you may use it while we process your application.

How to exchange your driving licence

1. Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service.
2. Bring the relevant documents with you to Citizen Service.
3. After your meeting at Citizen Service, we will send your application for approval by the police. The length of time you must wait to receive the licence may vary.

Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

You are allowed to drive with your Greenland driving licence for up to 180 days after you get a permanent address in Denmark. 

After these 180 days, you have two options for driving a vehicle in Denmark:

1. Supplement your Greenland driving licence with two driving lessons in Denmark.

You may legally drive in Denmark with a Greenland driving licence until it expires, provided that you take two 45-minute driving lessons with a Danish driving instructor and bring documentation of this whenever you drive a vehicle.

On the Danish Road Traffic Authority’s website (Færdselsstyrelsen), you can download a form which the driving instructor must fill in after you have completed the two lessons. This signed form must be kept with your Greenland driving licence and be available whenever you drive a vehicle in Denmark.

Download the form the driving instructor should sign after supplementary driving lessons (In Danish) (Færdselsstyrelsen)

The two lessons with an authorised driving instructor in Denmark must have been taken after 31 August 2019.

2. Exchange your Greenland driving licence for a Danish licence.

You must meet these requirements to exchange your driving licence

• You must permanently reside in Denmark. This means that you must be registered with a Danish address in the Civil Registration Office (Folkeregisteret), and you must reside in Denmark at least 185 days a year.
• The Greenland driving licence must have been issued before you entered Denmark.

If you wish to exchange your Greenland driving licence for a Danish driving licence, you must book an appointment for a personal meeting at Citizen Service. When you attend the meeting, you must bring the following:

• Your Greenland driving licence
• A valid passport
• A valid photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

Verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test
You must take a verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test to receive a Danish driving licence. This happens after we have sent your application to the police and they have approved it.

Temporary driving licence
If you book an appointment with Citizen Service before you have had an address in Denmark for more than 180 days, you have the option of being issued with a temporary driving licence which you may use while we process your application. The licence is valid in the Scandinavian countries. If your appointment is scheduled after the 180-day limit, we cannot offer you a temporary Danish driving licence.

Next step
If you are unsure about what applies to you, you can answer a few questions to find the rules that apply to you specifically.

Answer a few questions and find out which rules apply to you

If you are ready to set the exchange process in motion, then book an appointment with Citizen Service.

Book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

Driving licence issued before January 1, 2021

You can exchange your driving licence according to the rules that apply to EU countries, but with the following restriction:

• If you established your place of residence in Denmark before 1 January 2021: You can use your British driving licence until 30 June 2021. If you want to continue driving in Denmark after 30 June 2021, you must exchange your driving licence for a Danish one.
• If you established your place of residence in Denmark after 31 December 2020: You can use your British driving licence for 180 days from the time you established your place of residence in Denmark. If you want to continue driving in Denmark after the 180 days, you must exchange your driving licence for a Danish one.

See the rules for EU countries above.

Driving licence issued after January 1, 2021

You can exchange your driving licence according to the rules for Group 1 countries, which you can read about below.

If you are in doubt about which rules apply to you, you can answer a few questions and find out.

Answer a few questions and find out which rules apply to you

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

For Ukranians

If you have a physical Ukrainian driving licence and have a temporary residence permit in Denmark because you have fled Ukraine, you can drive with your Ukrainian driving licence.

If you would rather exchange your driving licence for a Danish one, you can do so according to the rules for Group 1 countries described below.

Read more about driving licence rules for Ukranian refugees (in Danish) (Færdselsstyrelsen)

Group 1 countries are

• Australian Capital Territory (the rest of Australia is Group 2)
• Brazil
• Japan
• Russia
• Switzerland
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Ukraine
• United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Jersey (if the driving licence has been issued after January 1, 2021 - if not, read above).

If, at some point, you have had a driving licence in a country outside Group 1, and your current foreign driving licence was issued on the basis of this licence, you must instead read the rules in effect for the area where your original licence was issued.

You may legally drive with your foreign driving licence for up to 180 days after obtaining a permanent address in Denmark. If your driving licence is not written in the Latin alphabet (the script used for writing English, for instance), you must bring a Danish, English or French translation of the driving licence when you drive. The translation must have been made by a public authority in the issuing country or by the country’s embassy/consulate in Denmark.

If you want to drive a car in Denmark after these 180 days, you must exchange your foreign driving licence for a Danish licence.

You must meet these requirements to exchange your driving licence

• You must permanently reside in Denmark. This means that you must be registered with a Danish address in the Civil Registration Office (Folkeregistret) and reside in Denmark for at least 185 days a year.
• Your foreign driving licence must have been issued before you entered Denmark.
• You must have resided in the issuing country for more than six consecutive months while you were qualifying for the driving licence.
• You must be able to present your foreign driving licence and it must be intact. If you have lost your driving licence or if it is damaged or very worn, it is unfortunately not possible for you to exchange it for a Danish driving licence.

When you are ready to exchange your driving licence, you must book an appointment for a personal meeting at Citizen Service. 

What you must bring to Citizen Service

Always bring the following:

• Your foreign driving licence
• A valid passport
• A medical certificate from your doctor. You will receive it in a closed envelope, which must be unopened when you hand it in at Citizen Service. The certificate must be less than six months old. If you have MitID, you can apply for a medical certificate online.
  Apply for a medical certificate online with MitID (In Danish) (selvbetjening.dk)
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (Færdselsstyrelsen)

Bring the following, if it applies to you:

If you are a citizen of an EU countryother than Denmark, Sweden or Finland, we need you to bring your health insurance card and a valid residence permit.

If you are not a citizen of an EU country, Norway or Iceland, we need you to bring a valid residence permit.

If your driving licence is not written in the Latin alphabet(the script used for writing English, for instance), we must ask you to bring a Danish, English or French translation of the driving licence. The translation must have been made by a public authority in the issuing country or by the country’s embassy/consulate in Denmark.

Temporary driving licence

If your foreign driving licence is valid you can get a temporary Danish driving licence at Citizen Service and use it while we process your application. The licence is valid in the Nordic countries.

Verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test

If your driving licence has expired or you want to exchange a driving licence that not only authorises you to drive a car (category B), you must take a verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test to get your Danish driving licence. This happens after we have sent your application to the police and they have approved it.

How to exchange your driving licence

1. Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service.
2. Bring the relevant documents with you to Citizen Service.
3. After your meeting at Citizen Service, we will send your application for approval by the police. The length of time you must wait to receive the licence may vary.

Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

Group 2 countries are

• Australia (except for Capital Territory which is Group 1)
• Bosnia-Herzegovina
• Canada
• Chile
• Isle of Man
• Israel
• New Zealand
• North Macedonia
• Serbia
• USA.

If, at some point, you have had a driving licence in a country outside Group 2, and your current foreign driving licence was issued on the basis of this licence, you must instead read the rules in effect for the area where your original licence was issued.

You are allowed to drive with your foreign driving licence for up to 180 days after you get a permanent address in Denmark. If your driving licence is not written in the Latin alphabet (the script used for writing English, for instance), you must bring a Danish, English or French translation of the driving licence when you drive. The translation must have been made by a public authority in the issuing country or by the country’s embassy/consulate in Denmark.

If you wish to drive a car in Denmark after these 180 days, you must exchange your foreign driving licence for a Danish licence.

You must meet these requirements to exchange your driving licence

• You must permanently reside in Denmark. This means that you must be registered with a Danish address in the Civil Registration Office (Folkeregistret) and reside in Denmark for at least 185 days a year.
• Your foreign driving licence must have been issued before you entered Denmark.
• You must have resided in the issuing country for more than six consecutive months while you were qualifying for the driving licence.
• You must be able to present your foreign driving licence and it must be intact. If you have lost your driving licence, or if it is damaged or very worn, it is unfortunately not possible for you to exchange it for a Danish driving licence.

When you are ready to exchange your driving licence, you must book an appointment for a personal meeting at Citizen Service.

What you must bring to Citizen Service

Always bring the following:

• Your foreign driving licence
• A valid passport
• A medical certificate from your doctor. You will receive it in a closed envelope, which must be unopened when you hand it in at Citizen Service. The certificate must be less than six months old. If you have MitID, you can apply for a medical certificate online.
  Apply for a medical certificate online with MitID (In Danish) (selvbetjening.dk)
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

Bring the following, if it applies to you:

If you are a citizen of an EU country other than Denmark, Sweden or Finland, we need you to bring your health insurance card and a valid residence permit.

If you are not a citizen of an EU country, Norway or Iceland, we need you to bring a valid residence permit. 

If your driving licence is not written in the Latin alphabet (the script used for writing English, for instance), we must ask you to bring a Danish, English or French translation of the driving licence. The translation must have been made by a public authority in the issuing country or by the country’s embassy/consulate in Denmark.

If you have had a driving licence for more than two years, but your current physical driving licence was issued less than two years ago, we must ask you to bring confirmation that you have had a driving licence for more than two years. The confirmation must have been issued from the authorities who issued your previous physical driving licence, and it must be in Danish or English.

Temporary driving licence

If your foreign driving licence is valid you can get a temporary Danish driving licence at Citizen Service and use it while we process your application. The licence is valid in the Nordic countries.

Verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test

If one or more of these conditions apply to you, you must take a rules-of-the-road and driving test.

• Your driving licence has expired
• You want to exchange a driving licence that is not only for an ordinary car (category B)
• You have had a driving licence for less than two years after turning 18.
• You have not driven a car during the past two years.

You must take the verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test after we have sent your application to the police and they have approved it.

How to exchange your driving licence

1. Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service.
2. Bring the relevant documents with you to Citizen Service.
3. After your meeting at Citizen Service, we will send your application for approval by the police. The length of time you must wait to receive the licence may vary.

Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

You are allowed to drive with your foreign driving licence for up to 180 days after you get a permanent address in Denmark. If your driving licence is not written in the Latin alphabet (the script used for writing English, for instance), you must bring a Danish, English or French translation of the driving licence when you drive. The translation must have been made by a public authority in the issuing country or by the country’s embassy/consulate in Denmark.

If you wish to drive a car in Denmark after these 180 days, you must exchange your foreign driving licence for a Danish licence.

You must meet these requirements to exchange your driving licence

• You must permanently reside in Denmark. This means that you must be registered with a Danish address in the Civil Registration Office (Folkeregistret) and reside in Denmark for at least 185 days a year.
• Your foreign driving licence must have been issued before you entered Denmark.
• You must have resided in the issuing country for more than six consecutive months while you were qualifying for the driving licence.
• You must be able to present your foreign driving licence and it must be intact. If you have lost your driving licence, or if it is damaged or very worn, it is unfortunately not possible for you to exchange it for a Danish driving licence.

When you are ready to exchange your driving licence, you must book an appointment for a personal meeting at Citizen Service. 

What you must bring to Citizen Service

Always bring the following:

• Your foreign driving licence
• A valid passport
• A medical certificate from your doctor. You will receive it in a closed envelope, which must be unopened when you hand it in at Citizen Service. The certificate must be less than six months old. If you have MitID, you can apply for a medical certificate online.
  Apply for a medical certificate online with MitID (In Danish) (selvbetjening.dk)
• A valid printed photo. You can also have a photo taken at Citizen Service.
  See requirements for a valid photo (In Danish) (fstyr.dk)

Note! It costs DKK 360 (2024) to exchange a driving licence.

Bring the following, if it applies to you:

If you are not a citizen of Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland or Iceland, we need you to bring a valid residence permit. 

If your driving licence is not written in the Latin alphabet (the script used for writing English, for instance), we must ask you to bring a Danish, English or French translation of the driving licence. The translation must have been made by a public authority in the issuing country or by the country’s embassy/consulate in Denmark.

Temporary driving licence

If your foreign driving licence is valid you can get a temporary Danish driving licence at Citizen Service and use it while we process your application. The licence is valid in the Nordic countries.

Verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test

You must take a verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test to receive a Danish driving licence. This happens after we have sent your application to the police and they have approved it.

How to exchange your driving licence

1. Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service.
2. Bring the relevant documents with you to Citizen Service.
3. After your meeting at Citizen Service, we will send your application for approval by the police. The length of time you must wait to receive the licence may vary.

Find out what applies to you and book an appointment with Citizen Service

If you need help, you are welcome to call Citizen Service.

Call Citizen Service at 33 66 33 66

It costs DKK 360 (2024) to exchange a foreign driving licence for a Danish one.

If you must take a verifying rules-of-the-road and driving test 

• If you pass the theory test and driving test the first time, it's free.
• If you fail the theory test the first time, it costs DKK 1.170 (2024) to take a new theory test. The subsequent driving test is included in the price.
• If you pass the theory test but fail the driving test, it costs DKK 1.170 (2024) to take subsequent driving tests.

The verifying driving test is organized by a driving school, as you must take the test in an approved vehicle. The driving schools charge a fee for renting the car during the test, and they set the price themselves.

It costs DKK 130 (2024) to have a photo taken at Citizen Service.

You can get your foreign driving licence back if you e.g. are going to live in the country where the licence was issued from again.
This is how you do it:

1. Write an application with your name and cpr-number as well as the reason for why you want it back.
2. Book and an appointment with Citizen Service where you have to turn in your application.
3. The Danish Road Traffic Authority will process your application within five weeks. If they can approve it, we will send you a message via Digital Post when you can pick up the new driving licence in Citizen Service.
4. Book an appointment for picking up the driving licence in Citizen Service.
5. Pick up your foreign driving licence and remember your Danish driving licence, which you must hand over to us.