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LIVING IN DENMARK

KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in December 2021

Here's what changes in Denmark in December and how it could affect you.

Published: 29 November 2021 17:34 CET
Updated: 4 December 2021 10:45 CET
Brexit residency applications, travel restrictions and the return of face mask rules are among changes in Denmark in the lead up to Christmas.
Brexit residency applications, travel restrictions and the return of face mask rules are among changes in Denmark in the lead up to Christmas. File photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Face masks return to Denmark 

New Covid-19 rules on the use of face masks and the coronapas health pass took effect in Denmark on November 29th and will stay in effect until at least December 11th.

Face masks are now required on public transport, including taxis and ride sharing services. They will also have to be used in supermarkets and in other retail settings like shopping malls and stores.

Masks will also be required in health and social care settings such as hospitals, clinics and community care.

Rules relating to the coronapas Covid-19 health pass have also been broadened and the interval for which a negative Covid-19 test gives a valid pass reduced.

The rule changes are detailed in full in this article.

Deadline for post-Brexit permanent residency applications approaches

Applications for post-Brexit permanent residency with the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) should be sent be the end of 2021.

In its information letter sent in December last year, SIRI asked British residents born before 1946 to submit their applications up to the end of November, allowing time to attend appointments to submit biometric data, which must be done in person.

Biometric information is submitted at one of Siri’s six offices, which are in Valby outside Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aabenraa, Aalborg, and Bornholm.

The overall deadline for applying for residency is December 31st 2021. An application is considered to have been fully submitted once you have both sent in the application form and submitted biometric data.

You apply for residency at the New in Denmark page. 

READ ALSO: Brexit: Danish minister urges Denmark-based Brits to apply for new residency status

UK tightens travel restrictions on arrivals from abroad

The UK announced on Saturday that PCR tests and self-isolation for UK arrivals would be reintroduced amid concerns of the new Omicron variant that was first identified in South Africa and has now been found in several people in mainland Europe and the UK.

The new requirements are set to come into force at 4am on Tuesday, November 30th, and are therefore likely to affect travel from Denmark throughout much of not all of December.This means that if you’re arriving in the UK after 4am on Tuesday, November 30th, you’ll need to book and take PCR tests instead of lateral flow tests, which will no longer be accepted.

You’ll need to take a PCR test by the end of the second day after arriving in the UK and self-isolate until you get a negative test result.

READ ALSO: What travellers from Europe need to know about new Covid entry rules in UK

Christmas holidays 

Schools will generally close their doors for the festive season on Friday, December 17th, and reopen on Monday, January 3rd. 

This is liable to change locally, however, because term times are set by municipalities. For example, children in Frederikshavn will have to wait until the 22nd to go on their Christmas holidays.

School term dates can be looked up on the website of your local municipality.

Deadline for Christmas deliveries

It’s the season for sending letters and parcels, and it you want to be sure your gifts and cards arrive on time, there are a few dates to keep in mind.

According to Danish postal service Postnord, normal letters should be sent by December 16th and parcels by December 21st if you want them to arrive at a Danish address in time for Christmas.

If you’re sending post abroad, the deadlines for both letters and parcels are December 13th (EU plus Norway); December 6th (rest of Europe); November 29th (rest of world).

It’s worth checking the exact time of day you need to drop off parcels at your local post desk or the time at which post boxes are emptied to ensure you are within the deadline.

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For members

WHAT CHANGES IN DENMARK

KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in April 2024?

Stores face higher charges for Dankort transactions, tax rebates to be paid out, and the release of cows from winter enclosures are among the events and changes coming up in Denmark this April.

Published: 26 March 2024 12:01 CET
Updated: 1 April 2024 09:24 CEST
KEY POINTS: What changes about life in Denmark in April 2024?

New charges for Dankort vendors 

A new charge for using the country’s Dankort card payment system takes effect in stores on April 1st.

Nets, which owns the Dankort network on which most bank payment cards in Denmark operate, is set to introduce an additional 8.9 percent charge for businesses which accept Dankort from the beginning of next month.

Although it’s businesses, not customers, which have to pay the charge, the additional cost is likely to end up with customers anyway, according to an interest organisation for shopkeepers in Denmark.

Nets has said it needs to increase the charge because of the lower number of transactions being made with Dankort, and has called for more banks to make their Dankort cards compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay to redress this.

READ ALSO: Dankort: What is Denmark’s payment card and how is it different from other card types?

Tax rebates to be paid out

Denmark’s tax authority SKAT opened access to annual tax returns on March 11th.

Annual tax returns (årsopgørelser) in Denmark cover calendar years. They are released in March and finalised in late spring, meaning taxpayers have this period to correct the information on their tax returns from the previous calendar year.

The returns account for income over the preceding tax year as well as deductions and taxes paid.

Normally, around three in four people receive money back from the tax authorities once the return is finalised. The amount paid back varies and depends on individual circumstances.

Rebates from the tax system will be automatically paid back in 2023 from April 15th onwards, so if you have already logged in and completed your annual return (or do it soon) you could receive any money due in April. In some cases, it may take longer for the tax authority to pay out rebates.

READ ALSO:

Change to child support rules for Ukrainians

A change to the special law for Ukrainian refugees, in effect from April 1st, means that a person granted residency in Denmark under the law and who is married and lives with their children but without their partner, because the partner is in Ukraine, can be consider a de facto sole provider and receive child support payments.

This applies if you are married and live alone with your child in Denmark, and your spouse is in Ukraine.

Applying for the benefit before the end of March will ensure you can receive it from April 1st, the date the change takes effect.

Further information and the application portal can be found via residence permit agency SIRI’s website, as well as on the Borger.dk platform.

Easter holidays

The Easter holidays have fallen early this year but just about make it into April.

The school Easter break started on March 25th for most schools (although this can vary locally, depending on when the municipality decides to place the school holiday).

“Easter week” in 2024 is the last week in March, with Palm Sunday, technically a public holiday, falling on Sunday March 24th. The remaining Easter public holidays fall at the end of the week: Maundy Thursday on March 28th, Good Friday on March 29th, Easter Sunday on March 31st and Easter Monday on April 1st.

Some people will have the entire week off to match up with schools, but even those who don’t will enjoy a five-day break from work which just about lasts into April (unless their job requires them to work holidays).

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about travel to, from and in Denmark this Easter

Switch to summer tyres

Alternating between winter and summer tyres is not a legal requirement in Denmark, but is broadly recommended, including by FDM, the Danish membership organisation for motorists.

Neighbouring Sweden, Norway and Germany – where many Danish residents head on skiing and other holidays during the colder months – all have rules requiring winter tyres and the practice is common in Denmark, not least for those who may need to take their cars over the border.

Most people switch back to summer tyres at Easter, which this year falls on March 31st, with the ‘Easter holidays’ being the week leading up to this (plus Easter Monday April 1st).

The weather in late March has carried plenty of signs spring is on the way, so the Easter weekend could be a good time to switch tyres despite it falling relatively early this year.

More about the practice of using winter and summer tyres in Denmark can be found in this article.

‘Organic Day’ as cows let out of barns

Økodag or “Organic Day”, when organic farms release cows from their winter enclosures, takes place on April 14th. The day features farms opening to the public from 10am and the cows being released at noon.

Farms across Denmark open for the occasion – you can look up a location near you on the Økodag website and book a place (many farms sell out).

The annual event has taken place since 2005, with the public invited to watch as the animals roam enthusiastically onto the spring grass, often appearing to jump with joy.

Tens of thousands of people across the country typically attend the event.

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