Healthcare in Denmark
Who is covered, from what date, and what insurance you need
Healthcare is tax-funded and free at the point of use for registered residents, and the entire system runs off the CPR personal registration number. Once registered, a resident receives a yellow health card carrying the CPR number and the name of an assigned general practitioner, who acts as the gatekeeper to specialists and hospital care. Dental care for adults, physiotherapy, and prescriptions outside hospital are only partly subsidised.
| Key identifier | CPR number, issued on registration at the local Citizen Centre source |
| Health card | The yellow card, showing the CPR number and the assigned doctor source |
| Cost at point of use | No charge for GP and hospital treatment |
| Partly covered | Adult dental care, physiotherapy, and most prescriptions outside hospital |
| Patient portal | sundhed.dk, giving access to records, referrals and test results source |
Registration is the gate to everything
The CPR number is required not only for healthcare but for a bank account, a tax card, a mobile subscription, a library card, and the national digital identity used for almost all public and private services. Registration takes place at a Citizen Centre or International Citizen Service after arrival, on the basis of the residence permit and a documented address.
The requirement for a documented address before a CPR number can be issued, combined with landlords who commonly ask for a CPR number, is the most frequently reported practical obstacle of the first month.
How care is accessed
- The assigned general practitioner is the first point of contact for anything that is not an emergency, and referral by that doctor is normally required to see a specialist.
- Group 1 registration, the default, means free care through the assigned doctor with referral required; a Group 2 option allows direct access to specialists against a co-payment.
- Out-of-hours care runs through a regional medical helpline rather than by attending a hospital directly.
- Emergency departments in several regions require a telephone referral before attendance.
- Interpretation services may carry a fee for residents who have lived in Denmark beyond a defined period.
What is not fully covered
Adult dental treatment is subsidised only in part and is a substantial private cost. Prescriptions outside hospital are reimbursed on a sliding scale that increases as annual spending rises, so the first purchases of the year are the most expensive.
Supplementary private insurance, often provided by employers or through the mutual insurer commonly used in Denmark, is widely held to cover dental care, physiotherapy, and faster access to elective procedures. It supplements rather than replaces the public system.
Before the card arrives
There is a gap between arrival and the issue of the yellow card during which private travel or health insurance is prudent. EU and EEA citizens can rely on the European Health Insurance Card for necessary treatment in that window; non-EU arrivals generally cannot and should hold cover until the card is in hand.
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Official sources
- Life in Denmark — healthcare and CPR
- sundhed.dk — the Danish health portal
- borger.dk — public services
Checked against these pages in September 2026. Fees and processing times change without notice — confirm before you act.