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UPDATED: How is Storm Pia affecting travel in, to and from Denmark?

Storm Pia's arrival has disrupted travel and traffic in Denmark. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 21 December 2023 11:00 CET
Updated: 22 December 2023 13:35 CET
Storm Pia battering Randers
Flooded roads in Randers Municipality on the Jutland peninsula. Photo by: Mikkel Berg Pedersen / Ritzau Scanpix

Traffic:

Although Storm Pia wreaked havoc on Thursday, it was accidents and Christmas traffic that caused the most congestion on Friday.

A number of temporary closures and reopenings on the Great Belt Bridge led to 20 kilometre-long queues on Friday.

Jens Kjær Nielsen, who oversees the toll booth at the bridge, told DR that an uptick in bridge traffic is expected as the day progresses, peaking at around 4pm.

By 7pm, it’s expected that most of the Christmas traffic will have already passed through the bridge.

The Road Directorate advises travellers to stay updated, especially from 2 to 6pm, when the roads are likely to be busiest.

Kenneth Jensen adds, “The closer we get to 2 to 6pm, the more cars there will be on the roads. We anticipate higher traffic density during this time… We recommend that people plan their trips before or after this period.”

The Danish Road Directorate keeps an overview of traffic updates on its website. It shows when weather warnings, queues and roadworks are affecting traffic. 

Bridges: 

The line of vehicles heading towards the Great Belt Bridge has increased throughout the day due to closures and reopenings, and the cancellation of ferries. 

Strong winds continue to affect the Great Belt Bridge area, making driving conditions quite difficult.

The Great Belt Bridge is not the only one affected by the storm. Crown Prince Frederiks Bridge in Frederikssund has been closed since Wednesday and is not expected to reopen until Saturday.

The Farø Bridges, two road bridges that connect the islands of Falster and Zealand, reopened on Friday morning, but tall and light vehicles and trucks weighing less than ten tonnes are still not permitted to pass.

According to information from the Danish Road Directorate’s website, wind-sensitive vehicles are also advised to avoid crossing the Vejlefjord Bridge between Mølholm and Nørremarken.

Trains:

Following several closures on Thursday due to Storm Pia, railway traffic is now up and running again throughout the country.

While rail services are back on track, travellers are advised to check their itineraries before setting out.

Ferries:

Due to the high water levels brought by Storm Pia, the ferries connecting Aarhus and Odden will stay docked today.

As a result, many travellers hoping to reach their Christmas destinations will need to opt for the Great Belt Bridge instead.

All departures between Kalundborg and Samsø are being cancelled on Friday, the Molslinjen ferry company said.

Ferries between Spodsbjerg and Tårs on Langeland are also expected to face cancellations on Friday.  

Flights:

Copenhagen Airport warned that flights risked being delayed and cancelled on Friday. 

“Due to the weather conditions today, there is a risk of delays and cancellations, especially tonight. We encourage all passengers to arrive at the airport as usual. Passengers affected by cancellations should contact their airline,” the airport said in a message posted on its website. 

A look at the departures board on Friday morning didn’t show many cancelled flights. 

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TRAVEL NEWS

How do the EU’s new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

As European travellers prepare for the introduction of enhanced passport checks known as the Entry & Exit System (EES), many readers have asked us what this means for the '90-day rule' for non-EU citizens.

Published: 1 May 2024 07:18 CEST
How do the EU's new EES passport checks affect the 90-day rule?

From the start date to the situation for dual nationals and non-EU residents living in the EU, it’s fair to say that readers of The Local have a lot of questions about the EU’s new biometric passport check system known as EES.

You can find our full Q&A on how the new system will work HERE, or leave us your questions HERE.

And one of the most commonly-asked questions was what the new system changes with regards to the 90-day rule – the rule that allows citizens of certain non-EU countries (including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to spend up to 90 days in every 180 in the EU without needing a visa.

And the short answer is – nothing. The key thing to remember about EES is that it doesn’t actually change any rules on immigration, visas etc.

Therefore the 90-day rule continues as it is – but what EES does change is the enforcement of the rule.

90 days 

The 90-day rule applies to citizens of a select group of non-EU countries;

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kosovo, Macau, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Vatican City and Venezuela.

Citizens of these countries can spend up to 90 days in every 180 within the EU or Schengen zone without needing a visa or residency permit.

People who are citizens of neither the EU/Schengen zone nor the above listed countries need a visa even for short trips into the EU – eg an Indian or Chinese tourist coming for a two-week holiday would require a visa. 

In total, beneficiaries of the 90-day rule can spend up to six months in the EU, but not all in one go. They must limit their visits so that in any 180-day (six month) period they have spent less than 90 days (three months) in the Bloc.

READ ALSO How does the 90-day rule work?

The 90 days are calculated according to a rolling calendar so that at any point in the year you must be able to count backwards to the last 180 days, and show that you have spent less than 90 of them in the EU/Schengen zone.

You can find full details on how to count your days HERE.

If you wish to spend more than 90 days at a time you will have to leave the EU and apply for a visa for a longer stay. Applications must be done from your home country, or via the consulate of your home country if you are living abroad.

Under EES 90-day rule beneficiaries will still be able to travel visa free (although ETIAS will introduce extra changes, more on that below).

EES does not change either the rule or how the days are calculated, but what it does change is the enforcement.

Enforcement

One of the stated aims of the new system is to tighten up enforcement of ‘over-stayers’ – that is people who have either overstayed the time allowed on their visa or over-stayed their visa-free 90 day period.

At present border officials keep track of your time within the Bloc via manually stamping passports with the date of each entry and exit to the Bloc. These stamps can then be examined and the days counted up to ensure that you have not over-stayed.

The system works up to a point – stamps are frequently not checked, sometimes border guards incorrectly stamp a passport or forget to stamp it as you leave the EU, and the stamps themselves are not always easy to read.

What EES does is computerise this, so that each time your passport is scanned as you enter or leave the EU/Schengen zone, the number of days you have spent in the Bloc is automatically tallied – and over-stayers will be flagged.

For people who stick to the limits the system should – if it works correctly – actually be better, as it will replace the sometimes haphazard manual stamping system.

But it will make it virtually impossible to over-stay your 90-day limit without being detected.

The penalties for overstaying remain as they are now – a fine, a warning or a ban on re-entering the EU for a specified period. The penalties are at the discretion of each EU member state and will vary depending on your personal circumstances (eg how long you over-stayed for and whether you were working or claiming benefits during that time).

ETIAS 

It’s worth mentioning ETIAS at this point, even though it is a completely separate system to EES, because it will have a bigger impact on travel for many people.

ETIAS is a different EU rule change, due to be introduced some time after EES has gone live (probably in 2025, but the timetable for ETIAS is still somewhat unclear).

It will have a big impact on beneficiaries of the 90-day rule, effectively ending the days of paperwork-free travel for them.

Under ETIAS, beneficiaries of the 90-rule will need to apply online for a visa waiver before they travel. Technically this is a visa waiver rather than a visa, but it still spells the end of an era when 90-day beneficiaries can travel without doing any kind of immigration paperwork.

If you have travelled to the US in recent years you will find the ETIAS system very similar to the ESTA visa waiver – you apply online in advance, fill in a form and answer some questions and are sent your visa waiver within a couple of days.

ETIAS will cost €7 (with an exemption for under 18s and over 70s) and will last for three years.

Find full details HERE. 

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