This is the official website of the Danish Authorities regarding the pandemic, and should always be your first point of COVID-19 information: https://coronasmitte.dk/en. Always make sure to check the latest updates before you travel to Denmark.

Denmark operates with a differentiated risk assessment system based on the infection situation (incidence, infection rate and test frequency) in a given country/region. The world is therefore divided into yellow, orange and red countries/regions. 

Check here to see if the country you are travelling from is classified as yellow, orange or red.

If you travel from an orange country/region – You have to show proof of a “worthy purpose”.

Foreigners habitually resident in orange countries or orange Nordic regions can enter Denmark if they have a worthy purpose and can present proof of a negative COVID-19. The test must have been taken no more than 24 hours before entry.

Read more about the entry requirements when travelling to Denmark from an orange country here

Examples of worthy purposes:

• An employment contract/employment offer if you are going to work at UCPH.
• An invitation letter issued by UCPH if you are a guest researcher or guest Ph.D. student
• The confirmation of enrollment from the Ph.D. school at UCPH if you are an enrolled Ph.D. student

Please also print and bring proof of your right to reside in Denmark if you are a non-EU/EEA citizen i.e. a valid residence and work permit or national ID (if you are an EU/EEA citizen).

You can find the necessary entry forms and certificates here.

We advice you always call the hotline if you have any questions as the regulations change regularly. 

If you are stopped by the border police and you need the university to verify your right to cross the border as an affiliate with the University of Copenhagen, please contact Vivian Tos Lindgaard, Head of International Staff Mobility, phone + 45 30589809.

Effective from 7 February 2021, persons entering Denmark after a stay abroad are required to undergo testing for COVID-19 in connection with entry and to isolate for 10 days. All persons entering Denmark from an orange or red country must subsequently isolate for 10 days. As of April 21, 2021, the requirement to isolate does not apply to persons travelling to Denmark from a yellow country. Please read more about testing and isolation and the few exceptions on the authorities' website. 

Please refer to these rules on testing for employees. You will also receive an e-mail from ISM stating all the requirements for coming to Denmark. You can also read about the requirements and the current entry restrictions on the authorities' website.

You MUST adhere to the following four steps! (3 mandatory tests and 1 optional) Read more here

• Entry requirements: (1^st test)

You must be able to present a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 24 hours before entering Denmark. If travelling to Denmark by air you must present a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than 24 hours before boarding the plane

• Mandatory test when arriving in Denmark (2^nd test)

If you arrive at the airport:

You must take a rapid test (quick test) before leaving the airport. Upon arrival in Denmark, all entrants will be guided directly to a testing facility at the airport. Upon request, the entrant must provide the necessary information to the test staff (such as your name, CPR number or other identification information, and telephone number). Persons arriving from abroad in airports or airfields where it is not possible to obtain an rapid test must obtain a rapid test or PCR test no later than 24 hours after the time of entry.  

If you arrive via sea or land borders:

All entrants must obtain a rapid test (quick test) or a PCR test within 24 hours of arrival

• Mandatory PCR testing after entering Denmark for all employees, including employed PhD students at UCPH! (3^rd test)

IMPORTANT: Non-employed enrolled PhD students, Guest PhD students and Guest Researchers are exempted from this step

IMPORTANT: This test is in addition to the one you have to take when you arrive at the airport or when you cross the sea or land border.

Employees travelling to Denmark are required to take a COVID-19 PCR test after entry into Denmark. The PCR test must be performed no earlier than 48 hours, and no later than 96 hours after the entry-required COVID-19 test was taken. (The test you had to take before entering Denmark – test number 1 – see above). Please note quick tests / Antigen tests are not sufficient.

The University of Copenhagen is obligated by law to register the personal data related to the COVID-19 testing and to provide documentation to the Danish Work Environment Authorities upon request.

IMPORTANT: You must read all of the attached documents to this e-mail and send all the required information and documentation to ISM accordingly at interstaff@adm.ku.dk

Please be aware that the test requirement also applies to Danish nationals, residents of Denmark as well as persons with a valid residence and work permit to Denmark

• Mandatory isolation when arriving from an ORANGE or RED country/region: (4^th test – optional if you want to break isolation earlier)

There is a mandatory requirement of 10 days of isolation, which applies to all persons entering Denmark, from Orange or Red countries/regions.

Breaking isolation after a negative test, taken on the fourth day after entry

The isolation may be broken after a negative PCR test taken no earlier than on the fourth day after entry. If you enter Denmark on Monday, you may take a PCR test no earlier than Friday and break the isolation if the test result is negative. If you do not obtain a negative PCR test taken on the fourth day after entry or later, you must remain in isolation for 10 days.

Certain groups of persons are exempt from the mandatory isolation requirement. The exemptions can be found at the end of this publication and at www.coronasmitte.dk.

Exemptions to the rules on isolation:

Danish citizens and foreigners, residing outside Denmark, nor hold a Danish residence permit, and who are permitted entry into Denmark according to the applicable entry restrictions, may temporarily break their isolation in order to perform work as an employee (e.g. working in a laboratory or similar) or to obtain a PCR test for COVID-19. Persons who temporarily break their isolation due to work requirements must immediately resume their isolation outside working hours.  

When you arrive in Denmark, you must apply for a CPR number in order to be covered by the public health insurance. Most people, who are going to live in municipalities in and around Copenhagen, get a CPR number at the International Citizen Center. Under the current restrictions, the Citizen Center in International House has limitied available appointments for CPR number and EU registration. Available appointments will be posted several times a week. If you have any questions, please contact ISM or read more on the International House website. In most municipalities outside of Copenhagen, it is only possible to book appointments for CPR by calling the local citizen service.

COVID-19 test after arrival: (free) all testing is booked through the website: https://www.coronaprover.dk/Account/NemIdLogin (if you do not have a NemID yet – click on the booking button at the bottom left of the page).

You can read more about getting a test for COVID-19 on the website for the Capital Region of Denmark, as well as information about how to proceed without a CPR number/NemID.

Documentation: if you need to document a negative test in Denmark, please refer to this guide for people without CPR number/NemID or this guide for people with NemID (from the Danish Working Environment Authority). 

You must currently wear a facemask or face shield in most public indoor places in Denmark, such as airports, public transportation, restaurants, shops and educational institutions. You can find all the current national measures in Denmark here.

Please speak to your UCPH manager about which specific COVID-19 restrictions that are in place at your institute before arriving at UCPH.

There are various ways you can do shopping and get help during an isolation period:

• nemlig.com is an online store for grocery shopping. The website is in Danish only, but you can pay with various foreign cards (with a fee).  
• You can order ready-made through various apps, for example Wolt and Just-Eat.
• Red Cross Denmark has a network of volunteers, who can help do grocery shopping for you. Please call +45 3529 9660 on weekdays between 10 am - 2 pm.

The entry requirements will differ depending on the specific country/region and whether it is categorized as a yellow, orange or red region.

Generally, everyone who wants to enter Denmark must take a test after entry and subsequently isolate themselves for ten days.

You are able to enter Denmark regardless of your purpose, as long as your region fulfills the requirement for being open/yellow, and you will not need to go into isolation.

If your region is classified as orange, you must have a “worthy purpose” in order to enter, as well as being able to present a negative COVID-19 test, no more than 72 hours old at the time of crossing the border. 

Read about the entry rules for people residing in the border regions on the authorities' website.