You must have a valid driving license to drive a car, truck, bus, moped or motorcycle in Denmark. You also need a driving license to drive a large trailer. If you are 15, 16 or 17 years old, you must have a driving license to drive a small moped.
Can you use your Ukrainian driving license in Denmark?
As a general rule, you can use a valid driving license in Denmark if it was issued in a Scandinavian country, an EU country, Switzerland, Liechtenstein or the Faroe Islands. Special rules apply to Greenlandic driving licenses.
Exchange of Ukrainian driver’s license
If you have obtained normal residence in Denmark, you will be able to drive with a Ukrainian driving license for 180 days. If you wish to continue driving in Denmark after these 180 days, you will have to exchange your driving license for a Danish driving license.
An application for the exchange of a foreign driving license must be submitted to the municipal citizen service (“Borgerservice”) of your choice.
To obtain a Danish driving license, you must have acquired habitual residence in Denmark. You are generally considered to have acquired habitual residence in Denmark from the time you have settled in Denmark with the intention of staying in the country for at least 185 days a year, as a result of your personal or professional activities. The assessment of habitual residence is carried out by the municipality when you apply.
If you consider that you do not have a habitual residence in Denmark, you are not required to exchange your Ukrainian driving license and, therefore, you can continue to drive in Denmark with your license. However, the driving license must be written in the Latin alphabet or accompanied by a translation into Danish, English or French. The translation must be carried out by a state authority or organization authorized to do so in Ukraine. In addition, you can drive a car with an international driving license in Denmark.
Exchanging a driver’s license for a regular car
Denmark has approved Ukraine as a Group 1 country for driving licenses. In this regard, persons with Ukrainian driving licenses can exchange their driving licenses for Danish ones without taking a driving test. However, the exchange without a driving test is only possible for category B driving licenses (regular cars). In Denmark, category B driving licenses allow you to drive tractors, motorized equipment and mopeds.
When applying for an exchange, please bring with you:
- Your foreign driver’s license
- A valid residence permit or other residence document, if you are not a Danish or Nordic citizen or do not have the right to reside in Denmark without a permit
- Medical certificate
A written statement under oath stating that you have not been disqualified from driving within the past 5 years and that your right to drive has not been otherwise restricted or obtained under special conditions
If you cannot provide a written statement under oath that you have not been disqualified from driving within the past 5 years and that your right to drive has not been otherwise restricted or obtained under special conditions, you may still have an exchange driver’s license, but you must pass a driving test.
Exchange of driver’s license for a bus, truck and/or motorcycle
If your driver’s license contains more than one category and you do not want to exchange your Ukrainian license exclusively for a regular car license, you will need to pass a driving test.
The driving test consists of a theoretical and practical test. It is not mandatory to receive instruction from a driving instructor, but it may be helpful to receive theoretical and practical instruction from a driving instructor before the driving test.
When applying for an exchange, please bring with you:
- Your foreign driver’s license
- A valid residence permit or other residence document, if you are not a Danish or Nordic citizen or do not have the right to reside in Denmark without a permit
- Medical certificate
Please note that the municipality may require a translation of your driving license into Danish, English or French. The translation must be done by a government agency or organization authorized to do so in Ukraine.
Danish driving license
What types of driving licenses are there?
Danish driving licenses are divided into several categories:
- Moped: small (LK), large (AM)
- Motorcycle: small (A1), medium (A2), large (A)
- Car: regular (B)
- Truck: van (C1), truck (C)
- Bus: small (D1), large (D)
- Trailer: Large (E)
- Vehicle with trailer: regular car (B/E), van (C1/E), truck (C/E), minibus (D1/E), large bus (D/E)
What requirements do you need to meet to get a driver’s license?
If you have not previously held a driving licence or wish to extend your licence to a new category, you must take a driving course for the relevant category of driving licence from an approved driving instructor. You must also pass a driving test (theoretical and practical).
To obtain a driving licence in Denmark, you must also be registered in the Danish National Register (Folkeregistret).
In addition to the declaration of consent, when applying for a driver’s license you will need the following:
- Realistic photo
- Your passport or other identification document
- Doctor’s note
- Road First Aid Course Certificate
- Residence permit, if you are not a citizen of Denmark or a Scandinavian country and cannot legally reside in Denmark without a permit.
The municipality may ask you to provide additional documents, for example if the municipality deems it necessary to prove that you reside in Denmark.
You can find driving schools at Dansk Kørerlærer-Union
When can you get a license for a regular car?
You can start taking driving lessons for a regular car at the age of 17 years and 9 months, but you cannot get a license until you are 18 years old.
From January 1, 2017, a new experimental scheme came into effect, allowing people to obtain a driver’s license from the age of 17 under special rules.
Different categories of driver’s licenses have different validity periods.
- Driving licenses for regular cars, mopeds and motorcycles are usually valid for 15 years. However, the term may be shorter if there are health reasons.
- Driving licenses for minibuses, trucks, and buses are generally valid for five years.
Driver’s licenses issued before 2013 are valid until the date indicated on the card.
Can you use your Danish driving license abroad?
Your regular driver’s license is sufficient for the Scandinavian countries, the EU, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
If you are in a country outside the EU or EEA, you may need an international driving permit. For more information, you can contact the embassy of the country you are travelling to. Please note that you may need multiple international driving permits if you will be driving in several countries during one trip.
If you are moving to another Scandinavian country and have a Danish driving license, it is usually necessary to exchange your Danish driving license for a license issued in your new country of residence before your Danish license expires.
Driving licenses of EU and EEA countries
If you have a driving license issued in an EU or EEA country, you can drive the same vehicles in Denmark as you would with a valid license from the issuing country. However, you must meet the age requirements for the issuance of an equivalent Danish driving license (with certain exceptions for driving licenses from EU and EEA countries).
Although there is no obligation to exchange your license, you can apply for a license in Denmark if you wish. You are usually not required to take a driving test in connection with the exchange.
Faroese driving license
A Faroese driving license is equivalent to a Danish driving license in all respects and entitles you to drive the same vehicles in Denmark as in the Faroe Islands for as long as it is valid, provided that this period does not exceed 70 years in the case of a truck or bus driver’s license.
Although there is no obligation to exchange your license, you can apply for a license in Denmark if you wish. You are usually not required to take a driving test in connection with the exchange.
Greenland driving license
If you have a Greenlandic license and reside in Denmark, your Greenlandic license can be assessed as equivalent to a Danish license. You must be able to document that you have completed two lessons of at least 45 minutes each, given by an authorized Danish driving instructor. The lessons must include city, country and highway driving.
You can certify that you have taken driving lessons by submitting a form that can be downloaded from the Danish Road Traffic Authority’s website. The form must be signed by you and your driving instructor.
After completing the lessons and signing the form, your Greenlandic driving license will be considered equivalent in all respects to a Danish driving license and will entitle you to drive the same vehicles in Denmark as in Greenland for the duration of its validity, unless this period exceeds 70 years in the case of a group 2 driving license. You must carry both your Greenlandic driving license and the signed form when driving in Denmark.
If you have a Greenlandic driving license and live in Denmark, you can also exchange your Greenlandic license for a Danish one by passing a driving test.