International Driving Permit in Denmark

🗓 Facts checked against official government guidance for Denmark and other official sources. Research last updated: 29 July 2026. You may copy this information only if you provide a link back to this page.

⚠ This page is general information about driving rules, not legal advice. Rules change, and each authority applies its own — confirm your case with the relevant authority before you drive.

ℹ We are a private company. We are not a government body, a licensing or issuing authority, or a treaty organisation, and we are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting for any of them. The International Driver's Document we sell is a translation of your national driving licence: it is not a driving licence, and it is not a government-issued document.

• Driving in Denmark: key facts
• Do you need an International Driving Permit in Denmark?
• What side of the road does Denmark drive on?
• How long can you drive in Denmark with a foreign licence?
• Is Denmark a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?
• Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place
• Can you drive in Denmark with your country's licence?
• Where to get an International Driving Permit
• Moving to Denmark? Rules for new residents
• Driving rules in Denmark tourists get fined for
• Read more about driving in Denmark
• Sources

Driving in Denmark: key facts

Do you need an International Driving Permit in Denmark?

An IDP is one accepted option, not a universal requirement. During a temporary stay, Denmark accepts an IDP issued under the 1926, 1949 or 1968 conventions, but it also accepts any other valid foreign national licence written in Latin letters or accompanied by an authorized Danish, English or French translation. Carry the national licence with any IDP.

• Tourists and short-term visitors: carry your national licence together with the document named in the row for your country of issue, in the table below — for most origin licences that document is not an IDP, so read your own answer rather than assuming one.
• EU / EEA licence holders: no IDP needed — EU and EEA licences are valid both for a temporary stay and after taking ordinary residence, for as long as the licence itself is valid; no exchange is required.

No specific penalty for driving without the required document was verified from an authoritative source. Secondary source.

What side of the road does Denmark drive on?

Denmark drives on the right-hand side of the road, and overtaking is done on the left. Cars in Denmark are left-hand drive.

How long can you drive in Denmark with a foreign licence?

For a temporary stay such as a holiday, a qualifying valid foreign licence may be used for the whole stay — the authority page states no separate tourist day-count. The 180-day clock is a residents' clock: only once ordinary residence (sædvanlig bopæl) is established may a non-EU/EEA licence be used for up to 180 more days before exchange. (Danish Road Traffic Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen), Udenlandsk kørekort i Danmark)

Planning to move to Denmark? Different rules apply once you become a resident — see the residents section below.

Is Denmark a party to the 1949 or 1968 Road Traffic Convention?

Denmark is a Contracting Party to both United Nations Conventions on Road Traffic — the Geneva Convention of 19 September 1949 and the Vienna Convention of 8 November 1968. International Driving Permits of both the 1949 and the 1968 type are therefore issued against its framework; which types Denmark accepts from visitors is shown in the table above.

• 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 3 Feb 1956.
• 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic: ratification on 3 Nov 1986.

Why acceptance of your licence varies from place to place

Whether a foreign country accepts your driving licence hangs on a tangle of variables: three different road-traffic conventions signed decades apart (1926, 1949, 1968) — the oldest predates the United Nations itself, and only the latter two were concluded under it — countries at different stages of joining each (signed vs. accepted vs. ratified), licences printed in alphabets local police can't read, vehicle-category systems that don't line up between countries, document generations that may not meet a convention's format even when the country is a member, bilateral deals between individual states, and local laws that are looser in one place and stricter in the next. The same licence can be fine at one border and rejected at the next — even at the next rental desk. The International Driving Permit exists to cut through most of it: a standardized, multilingual presentation of your existing licence, with harmonized category symbols, that most officials can read at a glance. It doesn't replace your national licence or grant new rights — you carry both — and it doesn't guarantee acceptance: a handful of destinations still require a local permit alongside or instead of it, but for most it meaningfully improves your odds.

Can you drive in Denmark with your country's licence?

This table is for tourists and temporary visitors. Moving to Denmark as a resident? Different rules apply — see the residents section below. Find your licence's country of issue below. Denmark accepts both 1949 and 1968 IDPs (and even 1926), but an IDP is optional when a valid foreign national licence is written in Latin letters or has an authorized Danish, English or French translation. Temporary visitors have no separate day-count on the authority page; the 180-day exchange deadline is a residents' clock that starts only when ordinary residence in Denmark is established. Rules change — confirm with official sources before you travel. Last verified: July 2026.

Legend: "1949" — Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (IDP valid up to 1 year); "1968" — Vienna Convention (IDP valid up to 3 years).

What the Status column means on this page:

• National licence OK — the destination lets a visitor drive on the national licence itself. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the basis, and any period or condition that qualifies it.
• National licence OK — IDP advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, but carrying one is advised. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.
• IDP or translation — your national licence needs a supporting document alongside it. Which ones the destination accepts, and whether an official IDP can be issued for your licence at all, are in the row for your country of issue, in the table below.
• Not established — the record does not settle whether you may drive here on this licence; confirm with the destination's licensing authority before you rely on it. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, says what could not be confirmed.
• National licence OK — IDD/translation advised — the destination does not require an IDP for this licence, and no official convention IDP can be issued for it; carry an IDD or a certified translation instead. The row for your country of issue, in the table below, gives the reason and any conditions attached.

Sources and notes for the table above

[1] Danish Road Traffic Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen), temporary-stay rules for foreign licences

[2] Danish Road Traffic Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen), Udenlandsk kørekort i Danmark

[a] Licence categories do not follow the convention A–E scheme — rental staff may ask for an IDP to map them.

[b] IDD = International Driver's Document, a standardized translation of your national driving licence. You can apply here: https://idaoffice.org/apply-now/.

Where to get an International Driving Permit

An International Driving Permit must be obtained before you travel, and only certain countries may issue one to you — you cannot buy an official IDP from an unrelated country. Under the 1968 Vienna Convention it may be issued only by the Contracting Party where you normally reside and which issued or recognizes your licence — by that Party's competent authority or by an association it has duly empowered. Under the 1949 Geneva Convention it is issued by the competent authority of a Contracting State, or by an association that authority has duly empowered. Which body that is varies by country: a government agency in some, an authorized motoring club in others.

• Travelling from Denmark? Denmark's official IDPs are issued by Municipal citizen service centres (Borgerservice). Official site.
• Travelling from another country? Ask that country's driving-licence authority which body it authorizes to issue IDPs — a government agency in some countries, an authorized motoring club in others.

Separately, IDA offers a digital International Driver's Document — a translation of your national licence that you carry alongside it. It is not an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 or 1968 conventions by the body your country authorizes for that purpose, and it is not a certified, sworn or otherwise official translation: no authority certifies it, and where a country requires an official or certified translation by law, our document does not satisfy that requirement. It is a private translation meant to make your national licence readable at rental desks and roadside checks.

Moving to Denmark? Rules for new residents

EU and EEA licences do not require exchange and remain usable for their stated validity (Faroese licences also never require exchange). Most other foreign licences remain valid for 180 days after the holder obtains ordinary residence, after which exchange is required. Official source.

Driving rules in Denmark tourists get fined for

• Mandatory equipment: A warning triangle is the stated car safety item. Seat belts and child restraints are mandatory; hand-held mobile use is banned. From 1 July 2025 tyres must suit the actual conditions; winter-marked tyres are needed to drive on ice, slush or snow, and studded tyres are allowed only 1 November-15 April (all four wheels).
• Drink-driving: The general limit is 0.5 per mille. Since 1 July 2025, a 0.2-per-mille limit applies during the first three years after first obtaining category B, regardless of age. (The Your Europe page still shows 0.5 for novices — it predates the 2025 change). A new driver above 0.2 per mille faces a driving prohibition, a fine, a mandatory 12-hour alcohol-narcotics-traffic (ANT) course (approx. DKK 3,200) and new theory and practical tests. Above 1.2 per mille the licence is revoked for three years.
• Speed limits: Passenger-car defaults are generally 50 km/h urban, 80 km/h non-urban and 130 km/h on motorways, unless signs indicate otherwise.
• Carry the original valid licence, any IDP or authorized translation, identity, registration and insurance. Forgetting to carry an otherwise valid licence draws a DKK 1,000 fine (verbatim: 'Hvis du har et gyldigt kørekort, men har glemt at medbringe det, koster det 1.000 kr. i bøde.').
• Passenger-car defaults are generally 50 km/h in urban areas, 80 km/h outside and 130 km/h on motorways, unless signs set a lower or different limit.
• Since 1 July 2025 it is illegal to drive on tyres 'clearly unsuitable' (åbenbart uegnede) for the conditions — fine of DKK 1,000 per tyre. In ice, slush or snow, use winter tyres or all-season tyres with winter marking; summer tyres are not acceptable in winter conditions.
• Studded tyres (pigdæk) are allowed only 1 November-15 April and must then be fitted on all four wheels (and on a towed trailer's wheels).

Read more about driving in Denmark

• Road taxes in different countries
• 10 Interesting Facts About Denmark
• Best places to visit in Denmark
• What is Denmark famous for?

Watch what driving in Denmark looks like

A few minutes of real POV footage is the fastest way to feel confident before your first drive in Denmark:

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Sources

1. National road-traffic law
2. Danish Road Traffic Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen), Udenlandsk kørekort i Danmark
3. borger.dk — foreign driving licence in Denmark (180-day residence rule, turistkørekort)
4. Current Danish Road Traffic Act — LBK nr 118 af 12 January 2026, Bekendtgørelse af færdselsloven (identity confirmed via metadata; the full text was not served on the date checked)
5. 0.2-per-mille limit for new category B drivers since 1 July 2025
6. 2025 condition-based winter-tyre rules (page does not cover studded-tyre dates)
7. New rules for 17-year-old drivers from 1 July 2025 (domestic scheme: alone 05:00-20:00, companion at night)
8. Denmark practical road-safety rules supplied by national authorities (novice-BAC figure on this page is stale, predates July 2025)
9. Danish Police emergency (112) and service (114) numbers
10. Municipal citizen service centres (Borgerservice) — authorized IDP issuer in Denmark
11. UN Treaty Collection — 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic
12. UN Treaty Collection — 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic