

How do I get a Danish ID-number? (CPR)

To obtain your personal ID-number while studying in Denmark you will need to register with the Danish Civil Registration System. Here is how to register

STDK. Students giving hands

To obtain your personal ID-number as an international student in Denmark you will need to register with the Danish Civil Registration System to obtain your personal ID number ('CPR number') while studying in Denmark.

Once registered you will be allocated a Civil Personal Registration (CPR) number. The CPR number is unique to the person and is used in Denmark as an ID number.

Almost all public authorities use the CPR registry system to e.g. avoid duplicate registration and errors with regards to a person's identity. The private sector will often ask for your CPR number, for instance when you want to open a bank account.

What is the Danish Civil Registration System?
The Danish Registration System contains the name, address, marital status, place of birth and other basic personal information of all residents in Denmark. The registry can be accessed by public authorities and can also be accessed by private individuals with a justified interest.

How to obtain a CPR number

To obtain a civil registry number (CPR number) on the basis of residence you must meet all the following criteria:

  1. Your stay in Denmark must last more than three months
    (Persons emigrating from other Nordic countries, irrespective of their nationality, nationals of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland (and their family members from third-countries) may stay in Denmark for up to six months before having to notify immigration authorities of their arrival)
  2. You have acquired a residence or a fixed place of abode in Denmark
  3. You are legally entitled to stay in the country (in terms of documentation, this means a residence permit)

Notification of arrival must be made to the local municipality within five days after the conditions mentioned in sections 2 and 3 are fulfilled.

Requisite documentation, including ID and documentation regarding the entitlement to stay in Denmark, must be presented for the purpose of registering your personal data in the CPR system. The local municipality can require any person to report in person prior to registration.

If you study in Denmark but do not officially reside there you can nonetheless still be allocated a CPR number for taxation purposes.

If you move or relocate after you have been registered in the system you are obliged to report this to your (new) municipality. Similarly, if you leave Denmark you are required to report your change of abode to the municipality where you are registered before you leave.

Useful links

The Civil Registration System

Regional State Administration