According to the Danish Road Traffic Authority, it is permitted to use a UK driving licence in Denmark if you are in the country temporarily. That is because Danish rules permit the use of foreign driving licences printed in English with Latin letters.

Residents of Denmark who have a UK-issued driving licence are required to exchange their UK licence for a Danish one within 180 days of moving to Denmark, meaning 180 days after they become registered as living in the country.

In written comments provided to The Local, the Danish Road Traffic Authority confirmed that “based on Brexit, driving licenses issued in the UK are no longer encompassed by the EU’s rules on reciprocal recognition of driving licenses”.

The practical consequences of this in relation to exchanging a UK-issued driving license for a Danish one are described below.

For driving licences issued in the UK prior to January 1st 2021, and thereby before Brexit took effect, the “driving licence (and all categories) can be exchanged for an equivalent Danish driving licence without taking a control driving test”.

Driving licenses issued in the UK after January 1st 2021 are treated as “third country” driving licences, the traffic authority said. That means that licences issued in the UK after this date “must be exchanged in accordance with the applicable rules for exchange of foreign driving licences”.

However, this will not always mean a test must be taken, even for licences issued in the UK since Brexit. That is because the UK was on March 25th last year accepted as a “group 1” country under Danish rules following application by the UK for this, the Danish Road Traffic Authority told The Local.

In practice, this means category B or normal car driving licenses issued by the UK after Brexit (January 1st 2021) can be exchanged for a Danish category B driving licence without taking a control driving test.

“Exchange of other categories requires a control driving test to be taken”, the Danish Road Traffic Authority said.

What is a ‘control driving test’?

The Danish Road Traffic Authority website states that a control driving test or kontrollerende køreprøve consists of a theory and practical element. Driving lessons are not mandatory for the test, unlike with the regular driving test given to new drivers.

Drivers taking the test must supply their own vehicle and applications are made via their home municipality.

A fee of 280 kroner is charged to exchange a foreign driving licence for a Danish one.

The applications form for exchanging to a Danish driving license can be found on the Local Government Denmark (KL) website. The form must be handed in to the municipality in which you reside. 

More information on the application process can be found on the Danish citizen and residents’ platform Borger.dk.