COVID-19 Precautionary Measures in Denmark (14 April Update)

Can a resident enter the country?

• Yes, with exceptions

• Citizens and residents are allowed to enter.

Can a foreigner enter the country?

• No, with exceptions

• Until at least 20 April 2021, Denmark will limit travellers from all countries. Only travellers with a “credible, worthy or essential purpose” and proof of a negative COVID-19 result of a test taken within 24 hours prior to boarding the plane will be allowed to enter the country. More details may be found here.

• Children under the age of 12 are exempt. Passengers flying to Denmark from Greenland and the Faroe Islands are also exempt.

• Stricter rules may apply to travellers arriving from South Africa. Non-resident travellers from South Africa are banned from entering Denmark.

• Travellers from the border regions, including Schleswig-Holstein, southern Sweden (the provinces of Blekinge and Scania) and western Sweden (the provinces of Halland and West Gothia), will only be allowed to enter Denmark for “worthy purposes.”

Is transit allowed through the country?

• No, with exceptions

• Transit passengers are allowed to travel through Denmark if they have a “credible, worthy, or essential purpose” for travel.

• To transit through Denmark, travellers must present a negative COVID-19 test certificate issued no more than 24 hours before entering Denmark. This also applies to foreigners who habitually reside in a border region and want to transit through Denmark. If you transit through Denmark but do not leave the transit area, you are not required to present a negative COVID-19 test. More information can be found here.

Is a test required on arrival?

• Yes, with exceptions

• Border checks are in place at every point of entry.

• All arrivals by air must take a rapid test on arrival at the airport, with a few exceptions.

• All arrivals through land or sea borders must obtain a PCR or a rapid test within 24 hours upon arrival in Denmark.

Is a test certificate accepted?

• Yes

• Test certificates issued outside Denmark are accepted. The police will refuse entry if there is any doubt about the validity of the test certificate. Only test certificates in the Scandinavian languages, German, English, French, Spanish or Italian, will be accepted.

Test certificate required?

• Yes

• Travellers 12 years of age or above from all countries, including citizens and residents of Denmark, must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test performed within 24 hours before boarding the aircraft. Travellers to Denmark from Greenland and Faroe Islands are exempt from the test requirement.

• The need for travellers to submit proof of a negative test result taken within the last 24 hours before arriving in Denmark by sea or land borders only applies to non-resident foreigners or foreigners without a Danish residence permit. More information can be found here.

• Passengers who have previously been infected with COVID-19 and therefore are unable to present a negative test result must present a positive COVID-19 test result from a test performed between 14 days and 12 weeks prior to the flight. These passengers are no longer perceived to be contagious.

• For a continuous journey, the following rules apply:

• If the passenger travels to Denmark on a continuous journey via transfer at one or more airports, the test can be taken up to 24 hours before boarding at the first airport.

• The test must be presented in connection with the last flight that has a destination in Denmark. The airline flying the last flight must ensure that the test was taken within 24 hours of boarding the first segment of the journey. This documentation may be in the form of a boarding pass or other proof showing the time of the start of the continuous journey.

• As an alternative, the passenger can take a test during the continuous journey, but before the flight, with a destination in Denmark.

• Stricter rules on the entry for travellers from the border regions, including Schleswig-Holstein, southern Sweden (the provinces of Blekinge and Scania) and western Sweden (the provinces of Halland and West Gothia), will be applied. Persons who enter Denmark with a worthy purpose must be able to present a negative COVID-19 test certificate issued no more than 72 hours before entry.

Is quarantine required on arrival?

• Yes

• All travellers will be required to self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival in Denmark, with a few exceptions. The isolation period may be suspended in case of a negative result on the RT-PCR test taken on the fourth day of the isolation period.

• For travellers from the border regions, including Schleswig-Holstein, southern Sweden (the provinces of Blekinge and Scania) and western Sweden (the provinces of Halland and West Gothia), the Government has also introduced stricter post-entry testing and self-isolation requirements for persons (also Danes) who arrive to work, provide services, visit a close relative or live in a border region.

• Based on the above restrictions, all incoming travellers will be subjected to 4 days of quarantine in the best-case scenario and 10 days of quarantine in the worst-case scenario.

Is vaccination required?

• No

• A vaccination for COVID-19 is not required for entry into the country. However, the government has announced its plans to provide “Vaccination Certificates” to everyone who has received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Is insurance required?

• No

• Proof of insurance coverage for COVID-19 expenses is not required to enter the country.

Recommended Border App

• Yes

• Optional contact tracing app Smitte Stop is recommended.

Airline restrictions

• Significant

• Until 20 April, only travellers with a “credible, worthy or essential purpose” and proof of a negative COVID-19 test result, taken within 24 hours prior to boarding their flight, will be allowed to enter the country. The ban does not apply to non-passenger flights, including cargo flights and special flights, nor does it apply to the crew (both active and deadheading crew).

• Face masks are required in airport terminals as well as during flights.

• All airlines arriving at any Danish airports from an international destination must collect and deliver information regarding the passengers and crew members to the Danish Patient Safety Authority. The information should be delivered to the concerned authority no later than 3 hours after arrival at a Danish airport. Flights that arrive after 19:00 (local time) are to deliver the information no later than 08:00 (local time) the following day.

Entry form required?

• Yes

• Entry forms and test certificates can be downloaded from here.

Border restrictions

• Significant

• Eligible travellers can enter Denmark with proof of negative COVID-19 test.

• 13 small border crossings with Germany (including Siltoft, Bettenæs, Rudbøl, Møllehus, Beierskro, Bøgelhus, Sofiedal, Vindtved, Vilmkær, Haraldsdalsvej, Rønsdam, Madeskov and Sønderborg - Langballigau) will be closed.

Curfew restrictions

• Significant

• The lockdown measures are in effect. The full list of restrictions can be found here.

Social restrictions

• Moderate

• The limit on outdoor public gatherings is ten people (with certain exceptions for outdoor sports events). The number of people gathering indoors is limited to five people. A physical distance of at least 2 meters must be maintained. On Bornholm Island, 10 people can gather, both indoors and outdoors.

• Work from home is recommended whenever possible.

Internal travel restrictions

• Minimal

• There are currently no travel restrictions within Denmark.

• Face masks are required on public transportation.

Non-essential shops open?

• Yes, with exceptions

• Stores above 5000 m2 can open for 250 customers at the same time. Stores with a size of more than 10,000 m2 can open for 250 customers at the same time but must ensure that crowds are prevented by establishing a model for reducing the risk of infection, such as prebooking.

• Shopping centres, shopping arcades, and bazaars will continue to remain closed.

Accommodations open?

• Yes

• Hotels are open.

Restaurants open?

• No, with exceptions

• There is a ban on on-site consumption of food and drinks at restaurants. However, restaurants are allowed to sell food and drinks for takeaway (except alcoholic drinks with an alcohol concentration of 1.2 per cent or more from 22:00 to 05:00).

Bars and cafes open?

• No, with exceptions

• All establishments selling food or drinks for on-site consumption are closed. However, bars and similar establishments are allowed to sell food and drinks for takeaway (except alcoholic drinks with an alcohol concentration of 1.2 per cent or more from 22:00 to 05:00).

Museums and heritage sites open?

• Yes, with exceptions

• Outdoor cultural institutions, such as zoological gardens, can reopen, provided visitors can provide a certificate for a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before visiting the gardens.

*Personal care services open? *

• Yes, with exceptions

• Regulated professions, such as hair salons, beauty clinics, spas, massage clinics, tattoo parlours, and driving schools, can reopen when following government safety guidelines. A “Corona passport” must be presented. Information regarding the “Corona Passport” can be found here.

• On Bornholm island, professions that are not able to maintain the minimum required distance can reopen with the requirement to wear a face mask and present a negative COVID-19 test taken no older than 72 hours.

Places of worship open?

• Yes

• Places of worship are open.

Events allowed?

• No, with exceptions

• Certain outdoor organized sports and leisure activities are allowed where 50 people can gather. The list of exceptions and restrictions on events and gatherings can be found here.

• A maximum of 50 people can attend outdoor funerals, as well as other religious services.

• Music venues and professional sports can have a seated audience of up to 500 people. Music venues with standing audiences must remain closed.

Masks required in public?

• Yes

• Face masks are required on public transport and taxis, passenger vans, coaches, and buses.

• Face masks are required in indoor public places while not seated.

• Face masks are required in retail shops, educational institutions, and all other public places.

Other

• Healthcare services are open.

• Indoor sports, cultural and recreational activities, including water parks, sports centres, gambling arcades, casinos, theme parks, public swimming pools, fitness centres, associations, gambling arcades, and play areas, must remain closed. Establishments can open for essential rehabilitation activities. These rules do not apply to professional athletes.

• Public government services are open and operating.

• Nightclubs and discos are closed.

• Theatres, cinemas, music venues, libraries, evening classes, university extension courses, day folk high schools, and schools of music and arts remain closed. However, libraries can open for borrowing and returning books and other library material for research and teaching purposes.

• The youngest pupils have returned to school, with the exception of a few municipalities having high infection rates. This includes students in primary schools up to 4th grade, as well as after-school care facilities. Pupils from 5th to 8th grade, secondary schools, and adult education programs in all regions can return to school with reduced capacity. More information can be found here.

The COVID-19 epidemic is constantly changing worldwide. Travel and border restrictions may change with little or no notice. Airlines may have their own requirements for testing, masking, and distancing. It is recommended that travellers carry a supply of face masks since the requirement can vary by location. It is recommended that travellers practice social distancing and maintain a 6-foot distance from other individuals and avoid crowded areas. Check with your airline, booking agent, or country's embassy for information on your specific travel plans.