If you bring a vehicle with foreign number plates to Denmark
If you live in Denmark, you are not allowed to drive on Danish roads in a vehicle on foreign number plates.
If you move to Denmark and bring a vehicle on foreign number plates, the vehicle must be registered on Danish number plates no later than 30 days after you arrive in Denmark.
You must pay Danish motor vehicle registration tax.
We calculate the registration tax based on the market price of the vehicle, including registration tax. This price is compared with the original cost of the vehicle and its loss in value.
We determine the registration tax when your vehicle has passed the vehicle inspection and you have requested a valuation in the Danish Register of Motor Vehicles (Motorregisteret).
- Your vehicle must undergo an extended vehicle inspection at a vehicle inspection centre. The Danish Motor Vehicle Agency normally does not need to see the vehicle.
- Request a valuation in the Register of Motor Vehicles. Log on to our self-service system E-tax (TastSelv) at www.skat.dk/tastselv by using your MitID. Select Motor → Motorregisteret (Register of Motor Vehicles) → Registreringsafgift (Registration tax) → Anmod om værdifastsættelse (Request valuation). Fill in the screens and click Godkend (Accept).
If you do not have a civil registration (CPR) number and MitID, you should send an email to motorekspedition@motorst.dk, with a request for registration of the vehicle for payment of registration tax. Write in your email that the vehicle has foreign number plates. - You will receive the Motor Vehicle Agency’s decision on registration tax in E-tax under ‘Meddelelser fra Motorregistret’. If you do not have access to E-tax, we will send the decision and the demand for payment to you by post.
- You can now register the vehicle and buy number plates at a number plate operator. A set of number plates costs DKK 1,180. In addition, a fee of DKK 200 is charged for personal service at the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency.
When you send any documents to us, please enter the case number you received when you created the request for a valuation in the Register of Motor Vehicles.
You may yourself calculate what the registration tax will amount to. The calculation is indicative. Calculate the registration tax in the Register of Motor Vehicles (indicative).
You may apply for payment of Danish registration tax quarterly if you are a foreign national (do not have Danish citizenship) and you will be staying in Denmark for a limited period. People from the Faroe Islands and Greenland are not regarded as foreign nationals.
We determine the registration tax when your vehicle has passed the vehicle inspection and you have requested a valuation in the Register of Motor Vehicles. You apply for permission for quarterly payment of registration tax by sending the form 21.033 to us together with:
- a copy of the foreign registration certificate
- an employment contract or a study contract as documentation of the duration of your stay in Denmark.
The form, the registration certificate and the contract must be sent either electronically via motorst.dk/contact or by post to the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency:
Motorstyrelsen
Nykøbingvej 76
Bygning 45
4990 Sakskøbing
Denmark
You must pay the registration tax in advance from the beginning of the quarter in which your vehicle becomes subject to registration in Denmark. We decide when a vehicle is subject to registration in Denmark.
You must pay vehicle weight tax or green vehicle tax when your vehicle has been registered in Denmark. The taxes will depend on the type of vehicle. Vehicle weight tax and green vehicle tax To register a vehicle in Denmark, you must first take out third-party liability insurance.
If you own a vehicle which has been registered in another EU country, you may bring the vehicle to Denmark without paying VAT if it has run more than 6,000 kilometres and is more than six months old. Customs duty and VAT are normally charged on vehicles imported from non-EU countries
You do not need Danish number plates or to pay registration tax if you have kept your place of residence abroad and, for example:
- you are staying in Denmark for less than 185 days, after which you will return to your original place of residence.
- you are performing fixed-term work in Denmark. The time limit is six months.
If you are unsure about whether you are allowed to drive a vehicle on foreign number plates in Denmark, you can ask us by filling in form 21.059.
You can also use the form if you want to apply for permission to drive a vehicle with foreign number plates in Denmark. A processing fee of DKK 400 is payable.
If you leave Denmark and bring your vehicle with you, you can apply for a refund of the registration tax if you have paid full registration tax.
The refund corresponds to the vehicle registration tax that would be payable if the same vehicle was imported from abroad less 15%. Please note that minimum DKK 8,500 will be deducted for passenger cars, and minimum DKK 4,500 will be deducted for vans and motorcycles.
You apply by registering the vehicle for export directly in the Register of Motor Vehicles or by filling in form 21.044.