Registration certificate

The registration certificate is your physical proof that you are the owner or user of a vehicle. It is therefore important that you keep the certificate safe.

When you buy a vehicle and are registered as the primary owner, the Motor Vehicle Agency will send the registration certificate to you by post within ten weekdays.

The registration certificate consists of two parts (Part 1 and Part 2). You should never keep the two parts in the vehicle at the same time, as the control codes on the two parts can be used by third parties (for example in connection with theft) to unlawfully re-register the vehicle to themselves.

Please note that you may be required to bring Part 1 of the registration certificate with you in the car in some situations, for example when driving abroad. See When do I need to bring the registration certificate with me?

The registration certificate states the primary owner and the primary user of the vehicle.

If there is only one owner of the vehicle registered in the Register of Motor Vehicles, this person is listed as both primary owner and primary user on the registration certificate.

If another person is registered in the Register of Motor Vehicles as primary user of the vehicle, this person will be stated as primary user on the registration certificate.

A secondary owner and several secondary users may also be registered in the Register of Motor Vehicles. But they will not be stated on the registration certificate.

The primary owner can delete, edit and add owners and users themselves. This is regarded as a re-registration for which a fee is payable.

Re-registration of vehicles (change of ownership/change of user)

When you buy a vehicle and re-register it, the Motor Vehicle Agency will send the registration certificate to you by post within ten weekdays.

If you have not received the registration certificate after ten weekdays, please contact the Motor Vehicle Agency as soon as possible.

The primary owner must contact the Motor Vehicle Authority:

1. Log on at E-tax (TastSelv) using your MitID.
2. Select Contact and Write to us.
3. Select (in Danish) Bil og motor (Motor vehicles), then Ejerskifte, nummerplader og registreringsattester (Change of ownership, number plates and registration certificates) and, finally, Bestilling af registreringsattest (Order registration certificate)

You can find replies from the Motor Vehicle Agency by logging on at E-tax using your MitID. Select Contact and then See replies from us.

The Motor Vehicle Agency will send a new registration certificate to the primary owner.

The original registration certificate becomes invalid when the new registration certificate has been ordered through the Register of Motor Vehicles.

Temporary registration certificate

You can get a temporary registration certificate if you need to use your car abroad while waiting to receive the ordinary registration certificate.

A temporary registration certificate can be obtained from one of the Motor Vehicle Agency’s four motor vehicle registration offices. You need to bring a receipt for the registration of the vehicle and photo ID.

The fee for a temporary registration certificate is DKK 100. You can pay in cash or by payment card at the motor vehicle registration office.
The temporary registration certificate is valid for up to four weeks.

Complete form 21,051.(in Danish)

If the registration certificate has been lost and you need to re-register the vehicle, you can do this as a private individual in the Motor Vehicle Agency’s app Ejerskifte (Change of ownership).

You can also order a new registration certificate. Read how to do this below.

As a general rule, you do not need to have the registration certificate in your vehicle when driving in Denmark.

You should never keep Part 1 and Part 2 of the registration certificate in the vehicle at the same time, as the control codes on the two parts can be used by third parties (for example in connection with theft) to unlawfully re-register the vehicle to themselves.

You must have your registration certificate with you

You must bring Part 1 of the registration certificate with you in the situations below.

Towing vehicle

You must bring Part 1 of the registration certificate if you drive a car which is coupled to a towing vehicle without prior inspection and approval.

A towing vehicle may be a trailer, a working implement or a caravan. You must bring Part 1 of the registration certificate for both the car and the towing vehicle.

Driving on company business

If you are driving a van/truck that has a permit for ‘driving on company business’, you must bring Part 1 of the registration certificate.

Driving abroad

When driving abroad, you must always bring Part 1 of the original registration certificate for your vehicle.

If you have ordered a new registration certificate but have not received it yet, you can obtain a temporary registration certificate.

You can use a copy of the registration certificate

You can use a copy of the registration certificate instead of Part 1 of the registration certificate.

You can order a copy of the registration certificate from the Register of Motor Vehicles. The fee for this is DKK 100.  

A copy of the registration certificate cannot be used to re-register the vehicle.

You will not automatically receive a new registration certificate in connection with changes to the vehicle.

The following changes do not automatically generate a new registration certificate:

• Change of your name and address
• Retrofitting or approval of tow-bar
• Weight registration
• Weight reduction
• Change of use on van
• Addition of design changes to a vehicle at an inspection
• Vintage vehicle status.

If you want to have a new registration certificate with these changes, you need to order a new certificate via the Register of Motor Vehicles. A fee of DKK 100 is charged for a new registration certificate.