Before you start

CPR number and registration in Copenhagen or Frederiksberg
Your existing licence, valid
A medical certificate from a Danish doctor for most exchanges
A passport photo to Danish specification

Step-by-step

1
Establish which group your licence falls into
EU/EEA licences are valid and exchangeable without testing. A defined list of other countries can exchange after a control driving test. Everyone else takes the full Danish theory and practical tests, including compulsory lessons. Check the list before assuming.
OnlineWho: YouWeek 1–2
2
Book an appointment at Borgerservice
Applications are made in person at a citizen service centre. Note that Frederiksberg is a separate municipality inside Copenhagen with its own citizen service — you go to the one where you are CPR-registered, not the nearest one.
In personWho: You
3
Get the Danish medical certificate
Most exchange applications need a health declaration completed by a doctor practising in Denmark, which normally means your assigned GP. This is a paid consultation and it is the step people forget to schedule.
In personWho: You
4
Take the control test if your country requires one
The control driving test is shorter than the full practical but is a real examination of Danish road rules — in particular the priority rules and the enormous emphasis on cyclists. Failing it means resitting, and slots are limited.
In personWho: You
5
Understand the registration tax before buying a car
Denmark levies a vehicle registration tax at rates that can approach or exceed the vehicle's pre-tax value, on top of VAT. The same model costs far more here than in Germany or Sweden. Leasing and company schemes exist partly because of it, and second-hand prices stay high for the same reason.
OnlineWho: You
6
Learn the cycle rules properly, because they apply to you as a driver too
Right turns across a cycle track require you to give way to cyclists going straight on, and this is where most collisions involving newcomers happen. Lights, hand signals and staying out of the cycle track are legally enforced with on-the-spot fines whether you are cycling or driving.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Existing driving licence
Passport and CPR number
Danish medical certificate
Passport photo to Danish specification
Proof of address in the municipality you are applying in

Things most newcomers don’t know

Roughly half of Copenhagen's journeys to work or education are by bicycle, and the infrastructure is why.

The city has kerb-separated tracks on almost every arterial road, cycle-specific traffic signals, green waves timed to cycling speed rather than driving speed, and bridges built for bikes only. The result is that a bicycle is usually the fastest way across the middle of the city, in every season. Newcomers who plan around a car spend more money for slower journeys, which is why so many sell within the first year.

Source: City of Copenhagen

The registration tax, not the sticker price, is what makes a car expensive here.

Denmark applies a vehicle registration tax on top of VAT at rates high enough to change the whole calculation of ownership. A car that costs one amount in Germany can cost substantially more to register here, and that is before fuel duty, insurance and Copenhagen's district parking permits. It is the main reason Danish households own fewer cars than their income would predict, and it also keeps used prices unusually firm.

Source: Skattestyrelsen

Turning right across a cycle track is the manoeuvre that catches every newcomer driver.

Danish priority rules give a cyclist going straight ahead precedence over a vehicle turning right across their path, and cycle tracks run to the right of the traffic lane on most streets. Drivers arriving from countries without separated infrastructure have no instinct for this and it produces the majority of serious cyclist injuries in the city. Check the mirror and the shoulder, every time, before every right turn.

Source: Færdselsstyrelsen

Frederiksberg is a separate municipality, and that affects where you file things.

Frederiksberg is entirely surrounded by Copenhagen but is its own municipality with its own citizen service, its own municipal tax rate and its own parking scheme. Licence applications, CPR matters and parking permits go to the municipality you are registered in, not the nearest office. People living a few streets over the boundary are regularly sent away from the wrong counter.

Source: Frederiksberg Kommune

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming a non-EU licence can be exchanged without a control test.
Turning up at Borgerservice without the Danish medical certificate.
Going to Copenhagen's citizen service when you are registered in Frederiksberg, or the reverse.
Budgeting for a car from a foreign sticker price and ignoring registration tax.
Right-turning across a cycle track without checking for cyclists going straight on.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.