Driving in Denmark

Is it easy to drive in Denmark?

For most visitors, yes. Distances are short, motorways link the main cities, and the rules are much like those in the rest of northern Europe. What catches people out are the bridge tolls, the parking disc and the income-based fines for drink-driving.

From Copenhagen to Aarhus it is 305 km over the Great Belt Bridge, about three hours without breaks. Odense is 166 km from Copenhagen (under two hours), Billund 264 km (under three hours) and Skagen, at the northern tip of Jutland, 522 km (about five hours). From Copenhagen to Stockholm over the Øresund Bridge it is 661 km, just under seven hours. We calculated all these drives with Roadme on 30 September 2026, for a petrol car leaving at 09:00 on Tuesday 6 October 2026.

The calculator above prices any of these drives, including fuel and the tolls on the Great Belt Bridge and the Øresund Bridge. If you want to add stops along the way, use the route planner.

Can I drive in Denmark with a foreign licence?

A driving licence from an EU or EEA country is valid in Denmark.

If you do not live in Denmark, you may also drive on a licence from another country, such as the UK or the USA, as long as it is valid and written in the Latin alphabet. A licence in another script is only valid with a certified translation into Danish, English or French, made by a public authority or an authorised organisation in the country that issued it, or by a qualified translator in Denmark. An International Driving Permit issued under the 1926 Paris, 1949 Geneva or 1968 Vienna convention is also accepted. Your licence lets you drive the same categories of vehicle in Denmark as at home.

The UK government says you can use a UK photocard licence in Denmark for up to 90 days without an International Driving Permit; with an old paper licence you may need one. Car hire companies often have stricter requirements, such as a higher minimum age and a year of driving experience, so check with them.

You must always carry your licence when you drive and show it to the police if asked. Driving without it on you costs DKK 1,000.

If you drive your own car, you must also carry its registration certificate. For a car registered in an EU or EEA country, Andorra, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, Monaco, San Marino or Switzerland, the insurance requirement is met automatically. For a car registered anywhere else, Danish rules require a valid green card or a Danish border insurance policy.

The UK is not on that Danish list, although the UK government says you do not need a green card in the EU. If you drive your own UK car, to be safe, ask your insurer for a green card before you go. The UK government also tells you to carry the log book (V5C) and your insurance certificate, or a VE103 certificate if the car is hired or leased in the UK. If your number plate does not show the UK identifier with the Union flag, put a UK sticker on the back of the car.

Sources: Færdselsstyrelsen: foreign licences, Driving licence order § 109, Road Traffic Act § 56, Vehicle registration order §§ 27 and 36, Skatteforvaltningen: insurance of foreign vehicles. Updated: 30 September 2026.

For UK drivers: GOV.UK: International Driving Permit, GOV.UK: Denmark travel advice, GOV.UK: driving in the EU. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Border control, passport and customs

Denmark is in the EU and the Schengen area. At the moment it only checks its border with Germany; checks at the border with Sweden ended in May 2023. Carry your passport or ID card: if you are an EU or EEA citizen, you must be able to show a passport or a national ID card approved as a travel document. If you drive on to Sweden, you can be checked when you cross: Sweden has temporary checks at its internal borders until 11 November 2026.

If you are not an EU citizen and come for a short stay (if you are British or American, for example), you are registered in the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) when you cross the external Schengen border, for example when you land at an airport. The first time you enter, border officers photograph your face and/or scan your fingerprints, and your passport is no longer stamped. The EES has been fully in operation since 10 April 2026. The ETIAS travel authorisation is not in use yet: the EU last said, in April 2026, that it is scheduled for the last quarter of 2026 and that it will announce the start date in advance.

From Germany, Sweden or another EU country you may bring goods for your own use without paying duty or VAT, within limits for alcohol and tobacco. From the age of 18 you may bring 10 litres of spirits, 20 litres of fortified wine, 90 litres of wine (no more than 60 litres of it sparkling) and 110 litres of beer, and 800 cigarettes, 400 cigarillos, 200 cigars or 1 kg of smoking tobacco. At 16 or 17 you may bring beer and wine up to 16.4% but no tobacco. Food for your own use from another EU country is generally not restricted, but the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration asks travellers to think twice before bringing pork and wild boar products from areas with African swine fever.

If you take the ferry to Denmark straight from Norway, the Danish allowances for travel from outside the EU apply. From the age of 17 you may bring 1 litre of spirits or 2 litres of fortified or sparkling wine, plus 4 litres of wine and 16 litres of beer, and 200 cigarettes, 100 cigarillos, 50 cigars or 250 grams of smoking tobacco. Other goods are allowed up to DKK 3,250 in total when you arrive by ferry. You may bring meat, milk and other food of animal origin from Norway for your own use, but fresh fruit and vegetables generally need a phytosanitary certificate.

From the UK or the USA, you may not bring meat, milk or dairy products, including cheese, into Denmark or any other EU country. Each person may bring up to 20 kg of fish, or one whole fish, and up to 2 kg in total of other animal foods such as honey and eggs. Regulated fruit, vegetables and plants from outside the EU need a phytosanitary certificate; bananas, coconuts, dates, pineapples and durians are exempt.

Cash worth EUR 10,000 or more must be declared to the Danish Customs Agency both when you enter and when you leave Denmark, even if you are only driving through.

Sources: Politi: travel documents, Politi: border control, Ministry of Justice, Swedish Government: border control, Toldstyrelsen: travelling within the EU, Toldstyrelsen: travelling from outside the EU, Fødevarestyrelsen: food, Landbrugs- og Fiskeristyrelsen: plants, Toldstyrelsen: cash. Updated: 30 September 2026.

More sources: EU: how the EES works, EU: ETIAS, EU: EES questions and answers, European Commission: EES and ETIAS, 28 April 2026. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Speed limits and speed cameras in Denmark

The speed limit in Denmark is 50 km/h in built-up areas and 80 km/h outside them, unless a sign says otherwise. On motorways you may drive 130 km/h. On a motor-traffic road (motortrafikvej) the limit is 80 km/h, or up to 100 km/h where signed.

With a trailer or caravan you may drive no faster than 80 km/h anywhere, even on motorways. The same limit applies to motorhomes over 3.5 t. To drive 100 km/h on a motorway, you need Tempo 100 approval from a Danish inspection body, which also approves foreign trailers and motorhomes. Since 18 March 2024 Denmark has also accepted trailers with the Norwegian 100 sign.

The police measure speed from camera vans, and there are fixed speed cameras too. You will not be stopped on the spot, and not every camera is signposted. On the Great Belt Bridge the limit is 110 km/h and average speed cameras have been installed, so keep to the limit all the way across. In strong crosswinds the limit on the bridge is lowered. From 10 m/s, trailers under 750 kg may not cross; from 15 m/s, the ban extends to trailers and caravans under 2.5 t. Above 25 m/s the bridge is closed to all traffic.

Sources: Road Traffic Act, Færdselsstyrelsen: Tempo 100, Politi: speed cameras, Storebælt: wind. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Speeding fines and other fines in Denmark

How much a speeding ticket costs in Denmark depends on the percentage by which you exceed the limit. These are the Danish police's guideline fines for a car up to 3.5 t, in Danish kroner:

* From 140 km/h a surcharge is added, for example DKK 1,200 at 140–149 km/h. ** From 200 km/h it usually means prison and losing the right to drive instead of a fine, even if you are less than 60% over the limit. The car can also be confiscated, even a rented one – the same applies if you drive above 100 km/h at more than double the limit, or with more than 2.0‰.

With a trailer, a caravan or a vehicle over 3.5 t the fines are higher: driving at 81–95 km/h where the limit is 80 costs DKK 1,800. In a car you risk conditional disqualification if you drive more than 60% over the limit or at 160 km/h or more; with a trailer or in a vehicle over 3.5 t, at more than 40% over the limit. At roadworks with a lowered limit, the 40% threshold applies to everyone, and the fines are doubled.

Other fines: using a hand-held phone or not wearing a seat belt costs DKK 1,500 each, running a red light or ignoring a give-way sign DKK 2,000 each, a child under 135 cm without an approved child restraint DKK 2,000, and driving without lights or without your licence on you DKK 1,000 each.

If both you and the car are based abroad, the police can hold the car until the fine is paid or security is given. This does not apply to drivers who live in Finland, Iceland, Norway or Sweden, except for unpaid parking charges. If you want to pay straight away, you can pay in cash and get a receipt; otherwise the police will send you a bill. If you do not accept the fine, you may in some cases have to put up security and ask for the case to go to court.

Sources: Politi: guideline fines, Road Traffic Act §§ 120 and 133 a, EU e-Justice: minor offences in Denmark. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Drink-drive limit in Denmark: 0.5‰

The drink-drive limit in Denmark is 0.5‰ in the blood, or 0.25 mg/l in the breath. If you have had a car licence for less than 3 years, the limit is 0.2‰, and the same applies to anyone driving without a licence. The rules do not say whether this also covers a foreign licence, so if you are a new driver, keep to 0.2‰. Even below the limit, you can be penalised if you cannot drive safely. The police can ask any driver for a breath test at any time, and if you refuse, you can be taken for a blood and urine test.

Above 0.5‰ the fine depends on your income. Under the prosecution service's guidelines, it is roughly half a month's net pay at 0.51‰ and a full month's net pay at 1.0‰. On top of that you are conditionally disqualified and must pass a new driving test to keep your right to drive. Above 1.2‰ you lose the right to drive, and above 2.0‰ you can go to prison for up to a year and a half.

Sources: Road Traffic Act, Politi: guideline fines. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Winter tyres and studded tyres in Denmark

Denmark has no winter-tyre requirement. You may not drive on tyres that are clearly unsuitable for the conditions, though, and in winter conditions the police can stop you and fine you. In Denmark, tyres marked M+S count as winter tyres, but for severe winter conditions the Danish Road Traffic Authority recommends tyres with the 3PMSF symbol. Tread must be at least 1.6 mm.

Studded tyres are only allowed from 1 November to 15 April, and must then be fitted to all wheels. Using them outside that period, or on only some of the wheels, costs DKK 1,000.

Sources: Studded tyres order, Færdselsstyrelsen: winter tyres, Færdselsstyrelsen: tyres, Politi: guideline fines. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Lights, right of way and phones

Dipped headlights must be on at all times; in daylight, daytime running lights are enough. Where no sign says otherwise, you give way to traffic coming from the right, and you must always give way when you leave a car park, a petrol station or a property. In built-up areas, slow down and stop if necessary when a bus signals to pull out from a stop.

You may not use a hand-held phone while driving; the ban does not cover a phone in a holder or hands-free use. Everyone in a seat with a belt must wear it while the car is moving, and children under 135 cm must use an approved child restraint suited to their height and weight.

Sources: Road Traffic Act. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Parking disc and parking fines

Where parking is time-limited and no ticket is required, you need a parking disc (P-skive). In Denmark you set it to the end of the quarter-hour in which you park: arrive at 10:05 and you set it to 10:15. Put it where it can be read from outside, just inside the windscreen, and do not change it while you are parked. A car registered abroad may use a parking disc that meets the rules of its home country.

In 2026 a parking charge is usually DKK 510. In a disabled bay or in front of an entrance or exit it is DKK 1,020, and for a vehicle over 3.5 t DKK 2,040. The charge must be paid within ten days. In private car parks, the owner sets the charges.

Sources: Parking disc order, borger.dk: parking. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Great Belt Bridge and Øresund Bridge tolls

Apart from the two bridges, the Danish motorway network is free to use. You pay at two fixed crossings: the Great Belt Bridge (Storebælt) between Zealand and Funen, which you cross on the way from Copenhagen to Odense, Aarhus or Billund, and the Øresund Bridge between Copenhagen and Malmö in Sweden.

At the Great Belt Bridge a car 3–6 m long pays DKK 235 each way by card or cash in 2026, and DKK 205 with a Brobizz tag or, for Danish and Swedish cars, a number-plate payment agreement. Use the blue lanes to pay by card, Danish or foreign, and the yellow lanes to pay cash in Danish kroner or euros. You can also buy a Storebælt Ticket online, linked to your number plate, even for a rented car; it becomes active 20 minutes after you buy it. If you stop renting, borrowing or leasing the car, cancel the ticket, or someone else may be able to use it.

At the Øresund Bridge a car up to 6 m long pays DKK 470 at the toll station, by card or cash, or DKK 420 with an online ticket bought in advance.

Sources: Storebælt: prices, Storebælt: toll booth, Storebælt: Storebælt Ticket, Sund & Bælt: bridge tolls, Life in Denmark: getting around, Øresundsbron: prices, Øresundsbron: toll station. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Low emission zones in Denmark

Low emission zones cover Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Odense, Aarhus and Aalborg. For cars, only diesels are affected: a diesel car may enter if it has a particle filter or meets at least Euro 5. Petrol cars and hybrids are not affected, and there are no motorways inside the zones. Since 1 March 2025 the Copenhagen zone reaches all the way to the municipal border with Tårnby.

If your own foreign diesel car was first registered before 1 January 2011, you must register it online no later than the day you drive into a zone, with a copy of the registration certificate and proof of its Euro standard or particle filter. You do not need to if the authorities already have data showing the car meets the rules. You can drive in straight after registering, and the registration lasts five years. Newer diesel cars, petrol cars, hybrids and cars over 30 years old need no registration. Breaking the rules costs DKK 1,500.

Sources: Miljøzoner: foreign vehicles, Miljøzoner: cars. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Bringing your dog to Denmark

A dog coming from an EU country or Norway needs a microchip, an EU pet passport and a valid rabies vaccination. It can be vaccinated from 12 weeks of age, and at least 21 days must have passed since the primary vaccination by the time you enter Denmark. Since 1 January 2025 the rabies rules also apply to puppies: Denmark no longer lets in puppies that do not meet them. Denmark does not require a tapeworm treatment.

From the UK or the USA, the dog needs an EU animal health certificate instead of a pet passport. It must be issued by an official vet, or issued by your own vet and endorsed by the competent authority of the country you travel from, and you must enter the EU within 10 days of issue. You can then use it for onward travel within the EU for up to 6 months, or until the rabies vaccination expires if that comes first. If you live in Great Britain, you cannot use a pet passport, even one issued in the EU. Dogs from the UK or the USA do not need a rabies antibody test.

The dog and its papers are checked at a travellers' point of entry where it first enters the EU. In Denmark the only ones are Copenhagen, Billund and Aalborg airports: bringing a pet straight from outside the EU through any other border crossing or port is illegal. If you drive to Denmark through another EU country, the check is done where you enter the EU.

Denmark bans thirteen dog breeds: the Pit Bull Terrier, Tosa Inu, American Staffordshire Terrier, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog, Boerboel, Kangal, Central Asian, Caucasian and South Russian Shepherd Dogs, Tornjak and Sarplaninac. The ban covers crosses of these breeds and applies to tourists too: the police can have a banned dog put down if it is brought into Denmark. Dogs that are only passing through are exempt and may be walked briefly outside the car. The police can ask you to document your dog's breed. If your dog stays in Denmark for more than 4 weeks, it must be registered in the Danish dog register.

If you drive on to Sweden, you must notify Swedish Customs about the dog: online in advance if you live in the EU, travel from another EU country and your dog has an EU pet passport; in other cases in the red channel at the border. If you continue to Norway, an authorised vet in an EU/EEA country, for example in Denmark, must treat the dog against tapeworm 24–120 hours before it enters Norway and record the treatment in its pet passport or animal health certificate. A treatment given before you leave the UK or the USA does not count.

Sources: Fødevarestyrelsen: travelling with a dog, Dog Act § 1 b, Fødevarestyrelsen: banned breeds, Tullverket: travelling with a dog, Mattilsynet: tapeworm treatment. Updated: 30 September 2026.

For dogs from the UK or the USA: GOV.UK: taking your pet abroad, European Commission: bringing a pet into the EU, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration: how to travel with your dog, travellers' points of entry in Denmark. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Accidents, wildlife and emergency numbers in Denmark

If you need urgent help from the police, the fire service or an ambulance, call 112. For police matters that are not urgent, call 114, or +45 114 from a foreign mobile. After an accident you must stop, help anyone who is injured, help keep traffic safe and, if asked, give your name and address to the others involved. If you have damaged someone else's property and nobody is there, tell the owner or the police as soon as possible.

If you hit a deer, another wild animal or a stray animal and it is injured or has run off, call the animal emergency line Dyrenes Vagtcentral on 1812 before you drive on. The line is open around the clock. From a foreign mobile, 1812 may not work; if it does not, call the animal welfare charity Dyrenes Beskyttelse on +45 33 28 70 00, Monday to Thursday 09:00–16:00 and Friday 09:00–15:30. If the animal is a danger to traffic or someone is hurt, call 112. Mark the spot and do not chase the animal. Move a dead animal to the verge if you can do so safely; on motorways and other state roads, report it to the Danish Road Directorate on +45 80 20 20 60. If your car is stuck in a motorway lane, always call 112.

Sources: Politi: road accidents, Politi: 114, Falck: hitting an animal, Dyrenes Beskyttelse, Vejdirektoratet, Naturstyrelsen: animals hit by cars. Updated: 30 September 2026.

Frequently asked questions