What to do before leaving Denmark?

Most foreigners who lived in Denmark are just “escaping” from Denmark when they return to their home country, but often they regret for not doing what they need to do before leaving. In this article we will explain what is most important to do before leaving Denmark.

Change your address

If you are leaving Denmark, you must notify Folkeregister (Resident Register). You can do this online by logging in with your NemID “Departure Form”.

All of this can also be done online with NemID at www.borger.dk

Also, according to law, you must return your Yellow Social Security Card (“sygesikringsbevis”). You can leave the form in the green box labeled “Notification of change of address”.

If you leave Denmark for a period of less than 6 months and plan to return to Denmark, you do not need to check out unless other persons register at your address. In this case, you are likely to be registered with the owner or the commune itself.

Your earned pension

Your Danish pension accrued in a private pension fund – Pensiondanmark, Industriens Pension, Danica Pension, PFA Pension – will be paid to you even if you live abroad.

Before leaving, be sure to contact your pension fund or any other institution that is responsible for managing your pension contributions.

It is not always possible to pay the full pension. This depends on whether you already have a right to a monthly pension benefits when you reach retirement age or not. You can learn more about this by visiting this page and signing up with NemID.
https://www.pensionsinfo.dk/Borgerservice/velkommen.html

Social insurance

Remember that after your departure date your social status changes and you lose your Danish social security. So don’t forget to register in the country you are going to as soon as possible, otherwise you will not be insured.

Social Security Card (“sygesikringsbevis”)

As mentioned, when you leave Denmark you have to return this card to your Borgerservice. This card is only valid in Danish territory, so it is worthless in other countries. It is also recommended to ask for a statement that proves the period during which you had social insurance in Denmark. You can do this by contacting Udbetaling Danmark tel: 70 12 80 81.

Medical institutions

If you have had to use the services of doctors and had surgery or other treatments, it is recommended that you take your medical records from your doctor. You can find all the medical history using the following link, where you need to log in with your NemID.

https://www.sundhed.dk/

Sign out children from kindergartens and schools

Before leaving, it is necessary to inform your childcare institutions about your intention to leave the country. In most cases, the information is required no later than one month before leaving the country. Most places request a written notice of departure.

This process can also be done online via www.borger.dk. The site is in Danish, but you can always get help from your municipality. It is very important to know that this should be done a couple of months before your departure. Otherwise, you will still have to pay for the current month, even if you have already left the country. For example, if you want your child to stop attending a kindergarten from December 1, you must report this by October 31st.

Electricity and gas

It is often forgotten, but it is very important to report to your electricity and gas suppliers about your departure. You need to write off your electricity and gas counter readings and report it by phone or online. Here you should consider whether these services are provided directly to you in your apartment/house or are already included in the rental price. If contracts with suppliers are signed on your behalf, this is your obligation to terminate them. In failure to do so, the invoice will be sent until a new person arrives in your apartment and signs a new contract with suppliers.

Bank account

If you have an account with a danish bank, you must notify your bank department before leaving. Most often, it is possible to leave the account open for at least another year, because most likely you will get money back from Skat or Feriefonden.

The same applies to insurance companies that have to suspend contracts.

Do not forget to inform the tax authorities (SKAT)

You need to fill out form 04.029 and send it to Skattestyrelsen. They will assess whether you have any tax arrears and whether you will have to pay some money back or maybe you will be refunded a certain amount of money. Keep in mind that if you change your address already outside of Denmark, you still need to inform them because SKAT may recalculate the charges even over a period of several years.

Tax form no. 04.029 you will find here

Return of the rental deposit

When you leave, you should be repaid the rental security deposit, after deducting the cost of depreciation of the apartment. These matters are governed by the contract you signed with the leasing person. In the event of a problem or conflict with a real estate agency or your landlord, we recommend that you contact an organization that protects tenants’ rights- http://llo.dk/?

Holiday money

If you work legally, your employer had to pay for your holiday fund – Feriekonto. Leaving Denmark and declaring it, the amount accrued there will be paid automatically to your Danish bank account, where your NemKonto is. https://www.nemkonto.dk/

Car – compensation for departure from Denmark

If in Denmark you own a car with Danish numbers, which has danish number plates, you have a right for a registration fee refund when you leave with the car. This amount depends on the market value of the car and will be paid into your Danish bank account. It is important to note that the decision may take up to 3 weeks, and at least 8.500 will be deducted from the refundable amount for the export of a car.

If you have paid a registration fee for a car in parts, then their validity will be canceled.

The benefit will be transferred to your bank account when: 1) the market value of the car is determined; 2) the car will be deregistered from the Central Car Registry; 3) when Skattestyrelsen receives confirmation that the car has been exported from Denmark.

All information in one place- https://skat.dk/skat.aspx?oid=2236521

On departure, you will need to return danish car number plates to Motoregister and inform one of the 4 Motorekspeditioner in Denmark. A copy of the vehicle registration certificate (parts 1 and 2) must also be provided with form 21.044.

It is likely that a car inspection may be requested during this process.