Moving to Denmark from the UK

1. Customs for your personal effects

Since the UK left the EU, moving your home to Denmark is a customs move. The good news is that it’s a well-established process. Household goods and personal effects that you’ve owned and used can usually be imported without duty or VAT under transfer-of-residence relief, on the basis that you’re genuinely relocating your home rather than importing new goods.

In practice that means a detailed inventory of what’s moving, the right customs declarations on both sides, and evidence that you’re moving your residence. This is the part we prepare and handle with you — you don’t need to become a customs expert to move to Denmark. The official rules sit with Danish Customs (Toldstyrelsen, via skat.dk), which is the place to confirm exactly what relief covers and what you’ll need to show.

2. The right to reside

As a UK national you’re now a non-EU citizen for immigration purposes, so living in Denmark generally needs a residence basis — commonly through work, study, family reunification, or a specific scheme. Some people qualify under arrangements for the highly skilled; others through an employer. What matters for your move is simple: get your right to reside clear before you commit to firm dates, because it underpins everything after it. The authority is the Danish Immigration Service (nyidanmark.dk), and the International Citizen Service centres in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg are set up to help newcomers through the steps.

3. The CPR number

Almost everything in daily Danish life runs off your CPR number — your civil registration number. You get it by registering your address at the local Borgerservice once you have somewhere to live and the right to reside. With a CPR you can open a bank account, get a NemKonto (the account the state pays into), register with a doctor, and access the public services that make life here run smoothly. It’s worth treating the CPR as your first proper task on arrival. lifeindenmark.dk is the clear official guide to how it works.

4. Danish housing & deposits

Housing is the piece most worth sorting early. Danish renting comes in a few forms: private rentals (lejebolig); co-operative flats (andelsbolig), where you buy a share and pay a monthly fee; and non-profit housing (almenbolig), which is good value but often has a waiting list you need to join well ahead. Buying is possible too, though non-residents face some conditions.

Whatever the form, budget for the up-front cost: a deposit (often up to three months’ rent) plus, frequently, prepaid rent on top. That’s standard and legal, but it means the first month costs more than the rent alone. Because you’ll usually need an address to complete your CPR registration, and your things need somewhere to arrive, lining up housing before the move pays off — and if there’s a gap, our storage can bridge it. boligportal.dk and your local kommune are good starting points.

5. What to arrange before you go

A calm move is mostly good sequencing. Sort your right to reside first, then a landing address, then the move itself. Build an honest inventory of what’s coming and decide what’s genuinely worth shipping versus replacing once you’re there — Danish homes and voltages are much like the UK’s (Type E/F plugs, 230V), so most appliances work with an adaptor, but bulky, low-value items are often not worth the journey.

Think about the specialist bits early: pets have animal-health and documentation rules to meet, vehicles have their own import and registration steps, and school places are worth researching if you’re moving as a family. We’ll help you get the removals half in the right order — and point you to the official sources for the rest. When you’re ready, our services and a written quote are the next step.