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READER INSIGHTS

How Brexit has changed life for Brits living in Denmark

Since Britain left the European Union, Brits living in Denmark have been deported, forced to change their jobs, and faced a long list of new bureaucratic hassles. Here are some of the problems our readers have highlighted.

How Brexit has changed life for Brits living in Denmark
Separate passports checks at Copenhagen Airport. File photo: Søren Bidstrup/Ritzau Scanpix

EU figures out in January indicated that only about 40 Brits in Denmark had so far been ordered to leave the country as a result of Britain leaving the European Union, a fraction of the 1,050 ordered to leave Sweden. Some 350 Brits in Denmark missed the deadline for post-Brexit residency. 

But Brexit is still far from popular. A full 76 percent of the Britons in Denmark who responded to our survey said that Brexit had affected them either “quite” or “extremely” negatively (42.3 percent and 34.6 percent respectively).

Only one respondent said that their life had been very much improved. 

Here are some of the ways people said Brexit had made life less convenient and more expensive.  

Losing the right to stay in Denmark

William, an account manager based in Copenhagen, was deported from Denmark after failing to apply for post-Brexit residency in time and is even now trying to find out if the decision to deny him residency will be reversed and whether he might be entitled to compensation. 

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) failed to send letters to as many as 1,800 British people informing them of the deadline. 

“Siri failed to notify me of the requirement to update my status, I got deported and I experienced stress, anxiety and sickness due to the year-long application and appeals process,” he complained. 

Denmark’s immigration minister Kaare Dybvad Bek said last month that the roughly 350 British nationals who risk losing their right to live in Denmark after missing the deadline to apply for a post-Brexit residency permit would get a reprieve. Bek said on February 10th that his department would “present a solution soon”. 

READ ALSO: Britons told to leave Denmark over late residence applications could get reprieve

“Siri have not yet decided what they will do regarding making changes to finalised decisions that were affected by the rejection of appeal,” William said. 

For another British woman living in Copenhagen, Brexit means her UK-based husband can only visit her in Denmark for three months in every six month period, with his passport getting stamped every time. 

“It’s usually enough, but if we wanted to visit France for a month that would count too,” she said. 

Having to handle a work, residency, or study permit 

Brits not eligible for post-Brexit residency now need to apply for a work permit, family reunion, or study permit to get residency in Denmark, which several of those answering the survey complained was difficult, costly and involved long delays. 

“This is so annoying,” wrote one reader, who works in the pharmaceuticals industry. Registering for post-Brexit residency had been “a hassle”, agreed a music industry professional.

A 50-year-old woman from Scotland who married a Dane post-Brexit said her application for residency to come and live with him had been rejected on the first attempt, and that she had been so far unable to find a job. 

“For two years, I’ve been living an uncertain life worrying about the future,” she said. 

Susan, 41, said she found it frustrating not to be able to bring family members from the UK to live with her in Denmark. 

READ ALSO: How can you get a work permit in Denmark if you are not an EU national?

Extra hassle getting personal number or bank account

Hannah said that it had taken significantly longer for her to get a Danish personal number (CPR) than it had for her Swedish husband and children. 

“Getting CPR, bank accounts etc took a lot longer than rest of family, who are Swedish,” she complained, adding that she was as a result applying for Swedish citizenship. 

Unable to get a long-term lease on a car or a monthly mobile phone contract 

The pharmaceuticals industry professional blamed Brexit for his inability to get a car through private leasing, although one major car manufacturer told The Local that all that was required was to have a registered address in Denmark, a Danish social security number, and a good enough credit rating.  

“I tried several private long-term leasing companies, but they simply told me that they couldn’t lease a car even though I work for a big pharmaceutical company with a permanent position,” he said. “The main problem is my work permit is of type J. If you leave the EU with the car, they wouldn’t know where to find you. Even if they knew when I was, the cost of prosecuting someone in a non-European country is too high.”

He also complained that he had been unable to get a monthly contract from his mobile phone provider meaning he could not upgrade to the new iPhone.

Problems keeping business going 

David Darlington, 58, closed down his import and distribution company Food From Home after more than 18 years after Brexit, as it became too difficult to import British goods to Scandinavia. 

“One of the reasons I lost my business was because of Brexshit,” he wrote in the survey. 

Problems with post and customs charges 

Almost everyone who answered the survey complained of the way Brexit had made sending and receiving post and parcels more difficult. 

“I had to produce receipts for Easter eggs which my dad had sent to my children. The supermarket receipt wasn’t good enough and in the end I told them to return the parcel,” complained Matt, 47, a Brit with Danish citizenship.

“I’ve stopped ordering books and other items from Amazon UK because of uncertainties with tax regulations,” he added.

“My sisters have to watch the value of presents they send to my grandchildren to avoid paying import taxes,” said a woman living in Copenhagen. 

Problems exchanging driving licence 

Susan complained about the “difficulty of exchanging driving licence”, even though most UK nationals do not need to take a driving test to exchange their driving licence to a Danish one, provided their licence was issued before the UK left the EU. 

Only people who got their licence after Brexit and who want to keep a higher category than a normal car license, entitling them to tow a heavy trailer, take more than eight passengers, or drive a truck or lorry, need to take a so-called “control test”. 

Harder to buy a house 

“Buying a house involved an extra approval from the ministry and adds additional restrictions,” complained AJ, pointing to the requirement that non-EU citizens apply to the Department of Civil Affairs for permission to buy property in Denmark. 

“You have to prove you have strong ties to Denmark,” she said of the process. “We were lucky. We had a great lawyer who got us through it all and we received our approval from the Ministry in two weeks but some people wait up to 12 weeks and then lose their house.” 

This does not apply, however, if you have already been resident in Denmark for more than five years

Difficult to work part-time in the UK 

“I will have to give up my online teaching for a college in London because I’m not allowed to teach more than six weeks in another country,” complained the woman living in Copenhagen. 

Queues at airport passport control

It can be maddening for Brits to be faced with a much shorter queue for EU citizens at airports in Denmark, while the queue for non-EU citizens edges forward painfully slowly. 

Unable to live and work in other EU countries 

“We only have the right to reside here. Much as we love Denmark, it’s a bit like being trapped,” complained AJ, one of many people who listed no longer being able to get a job in or move to another EU country as one of the major drawbacks.  

Michael, a project manager in the wind industry, said that he faced problems as a result of the limits on how long her can work in other EU countries, with the 90/180 rules only enabling him to work 90 out of any one 180 day period in another EU country. 

“Restrictions on travel throughout EU (90/180 rule. Border crossings and risk of stamps in passport that kick 90/180 rule in,” he said. 

“The only way to regain my European rights fully is by becoming Danish and the rules on this seem to change quite frequently, so as a result life seems more precarious and uncertain,” said Liz, who lives in Zealand. 

One recent retiree who had lived in Denmark for 25 years said she was annoyed that Brexit had lost her “my right to live, work, study, retire in the rest of the EU”, but that she had recently applied for and received Danish citizenship. 

Uncertainty about retiring 

“I am concerned about the future,” said Sandra. “When I retire will I still have the same rights or will I be told to leave?”. 

Uncertainty about extending post-Brexit residency card 

Under the EU withdrawal agreement, British citizens living in EU countries at the time Britain left the European Union were offered post-Brexit residency status indefinitely, but the certificates they were issued were only valid for five years, leaving many uncertain as to what happens when they try to renew. 

“I expect to find it more difficult to obtain permanent residency on completion of the Article 51 Temp Residency I got in 2021,” wrote Ian. 

Feels different 

For many respondents, the biggest change was emotional. Brexit has changed how comfortable and secure they feel living in Denmark. 

“It feels different to be needing a resident’s card, rather than being more a ‘part of the European family’, with the feeling of being ‘on probation’ for remaining,” said Stephen. 

“It makes me feel far away from daughter and friends,” said Caroline, a retiree. 

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QUALITY OF LIFE

‘Grey… but comfortable’: Are foreigners as ‘happy’ in Denmark as the Danes are?

Denmark has again scored very well on the UN's World Happiness Report in 2024. We asked our readers how that matches up with their experiences as a foreigner living in the country.

'Grey... but comfortable': Are foreigners as 'happy' in Denmark as the Danes are?

The UN’s World Happiness Report, published on Wednesday, placed Denmark second on its national happiness ranking for the third consecutive year.

Denmark must be doing something right to rank so consistently highly on the report, but how does the index reflect everyday life?

We previously spoked to an analyst at the Happiness Research Institute about what the results mean, and asked our readers to share their experiences and thoughts as foreign residents of Denmark.

READ ALSO: ‘The state takes care of you’: Why Denmark is such a ‘happy’ country

Below is a selection of the survey responses we received from our readers. Thank you to all those who took time to get in touch.

In the survey, we asked what you consider ‘happiness’ to mean in the terms of everyday life in a country, what might make Denmark score well on the Happiness Report and whether Denmark does indeed come across as a ‘happy’ place.

“Happiness is an overall inner feeling of contentment,” began Greg, who moved to Denmark from Ireland over 30 years ago. Greg explained he moved to Denmark after marrying a Dane who sadly later died of cancer, but is still based in Roskilde part of the year.

‘Social system and services’

“Much about Danish life is comfortable,” said Greg, who moved to Denmark from Ireland over 30 years ago.

He praised Denmark for its “good work-life balance and generally fair social system and services”, but said he felt “the latter has declined in recent years as politics has moved to the right”. Nevertheless, these things promote a sense of happiness he says.

Greg moved to Denmark after marrying a Dane who sadly later died of cancer, but is still based in Roskilde part of the year.

“Mostly now for me it is great memories of my wife who was a true Roskilde girl,” he said.

Richard from the UK, who moved to Copenhagen for work, said that “low expectations for happiness” might be to thank for Danes giving high scores on the World Happiness Report surveys.

“Perceived equality” in Denmark may contribute to Danes considering themselves to be happy,  he said.

‘Denmark provides comfort and security’

Another reader, Drew from the United States who moved to Denmark last year, praised the country for being a “very well designed place to live in that has a good culture that promotes happiness”.

“It seems like it is a place where people are meant to live, not a place where people just happen to,” Drew wrote.

They also said they felt Danes came across as “genuinely nice”, which could be a way in which happiness manifests itself in everyday life. “This is less clear, and I think something that I’ll know more about as I live longer here,” they added.

For Drew, happiness “is two things — comfort and security in my daily life, and a sense of purpose and exploration in the broader scheme of things.”

“Denmark is providing both,” they said.

Deepak from India has lived in Denmark since 2008 and works in healthcare. He listed ten different aspects of life which he said represented happiness for him. They include: time to spend with family, equality including at work, free speech, lack of corruption, low poverty, no racism, a strong legal system, progressive taxation system, free medical care, and free schooling.

“I feel very happy to be in Denmark,” Deepak wrote after listing all of these factors.

Interestingly, a number of them were also mentioned by Catarina Lachmund, Senior Analyst at the Happiness Research Institute, when The Local asked her why Denmark ranks highly on the annual report.

Deepak also praised Denmark for “politeness, honesty, thinking about others, humanity, respect [for the] law” as strengths in comparison to other countries he has lived in in the past.

‘Everyone is treated equal’

Danish happiness comes across in everyday life because “you feel happy by going to work because everyone is treated equal,” he said.

Not every reader who responded to our survey said they found Denmark and Danes to be outwardly happy.

Carl from Switzerland, who has lived in Copenhagen for three years with his Danish partner, who is now expecting a daughter, said there is more focus on work in Switzerland but more focus on social life in the Netherlands compared to Denmark, but that there was no “particular” sign that Denmark was a happy country in terms of everyday life.

But the country scores well because “work life balance is great, and a lighter/more efficient work life is accepted by society,” he suggested.

‘Grey weather makes me depressed’

“I’m happy living here although the winters are hard and I try to make us escape to my home country or abroad between October and March as long as possible,” Carl said.

“The grey weather makes me depressed,” he said.

Betha from Indonesia said she “moved to Denmark (Copenhagen) from Indonesia 17 years ago for work and have been living here since then.”

She said she felt that there were everyday signs that Denmark perceives itself to be a happy country.

“Despite the grumbles over the weather and the amount of tax we have to pay, I think people who live here feel generally happy,” she said.

“Happiness to me means, in general, being able to enjoy the daily practical life with ease, stability (economic, political) and safety,” she added.

‘Not an easy country to make friends in’

“I will say that Denmark is top notch if we talk about work-life balance and quality of life, and in those areas Denmark is really great and comes on top,” said Sam, who has lived in the country for work for eight years.

“However, it’s not an easy country to mingle and make friends around. People have an on and off button to keep a relation so if you don’t have friends here, these countries are not for you,” he continued, adding that “winters are long and stress just comes around being alone”.

He expressed scepticism about the way the World Happiness Report is compiled.

“In Denmark happiness metrics are more about quality of life instead about whether someone is emotionally happy,” he said.

Carolina, a reader from South America who moved to Copenhagen from work, said that Denmark scores highly on the UN ranking because “the criteria covers social welfare, not happiness, which is extremely subjective.” She was not the only person to express this opinion.

But Priyamvada, who has lived in Aarhus and Copenhagen and works in IT, said that “Denmark taught me a new meaning of happiness”.

Priyamvada moved to the Nordic country from India five years ago.

“Happiness in India is mostly materialistic. You need to have everything grand and larger than life in order to be happy. Even if you do so, you can’t be guaranteed happiness as you might be financially broke and emotionally exhausted at the end,” she explained.

“Happiness in Denmark is all about the little things,” she said.

These could be “celebrating a flower blossom in the spring” or “hygge time with friends and family during the winters”, she said.

“But above all, I feel happy living in Denmark because I have an excellent work life balance. I have time for myself ant the end of the day,” Priyamvada said.

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