Health and medical care
If you are resident in Denmark, and registered with the civil registration office (i.e. have received a CPR number), you are entitled to a number of health care benefits from the Danish health care system. These include free-of-charge treatment provided by your general practitioner, specialists and at all public hospitals.
All registered residents in Denmark have access to the services provided by the Danish public health insurance.
When you have registered with the national register, you will receive a CPR number and a yellow health card. The yellow health card is your proof of coverage and your source of identification in the health system. When visiting your doctor, you should always bring your yellow health card as proof of identification.
When the local authorities issue your yellow health card, they will either ask you to choose a general practitioner or choose one for you. The general practitioner (your doctor) is your main point of contact with the health system for non-emergency incidents. The general practitioner will give a referral in cases where further examination or treatment by a specialist or at a hospital is needed.
Denmark has an extensive public health system, including doctors, medical specialists, hospitals, health service, home care, health visitor services, paediatric dental care, and more. A visit to the doctor and hospitalisation in connection with illness is always free of charge. Moreover, it is possible to get a referral to see a specialist free of charge. For certain specialist like physiotherapists and psychologists there may be a user fee.
Dental treatment for adults is not covered by the public health insurance and registering with a dentist is your own responsibility. The public health system may give a supplementary subsidy to certain dental treatments. The money will be discounted on the invoice you receive from the dentist. Children under the age of 18 have the right to public dental treatment managed through the schools and/or the dentist. Alongside dental care, glasses and contact lenses are also not covered by the public health insurance.
Medicine is generally partially subsidised if it is by prescription from your general practitioner. The subsidy will be discounted automatically when you pay for the medicine at the pharmacy. If you have a chronic illness and need larger amounts of medicine, you can talk to your general practitioner about possibilities for further public subsidies.
Private health insurance in Denmark is not common but is increasingly used as a supplement to the public health insurance system. Please read more about private health insurance on lifeindenmark.dk
Medical advice
- In the Copenhagen area, you can get medical advice outside of doctor's opening hours by dialling 1813
- For emergencies dial 112
Read more
- Read more about the public health care system on lifeindenmark.dk