Your GP, 1813 and the dentist – how healthcare in Denmark works for newcomers in 2026
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
Most examinations and treatments are free once you are registered, but dental care and medicine are not. Here is how healthcare in Denmark works in practice: the yellow card, choosing a GP, which number to call when the surgery is closed, and what the dentist and the pharmacy cost in 2026.
Healthcare in Denmark rests on one register and one card. Anyone registered in the folkeregister (the national register of residents) is entitled to all public healthcare services, documented by the yellow sundhedskort (health insurance card) from your municipality. If you work legally in Denmark, you are covered too. The state regulates the system, 5 regions run hospitals, emergency care, psychiatry, GPs and private specialists, and 98 municipalities handle elder care, rehabilitation, home nursing, child dental care and physiotherapy.
Two recent changes are worth knowing: since 1 January 2025, complaints about private dentists no longer go to the national complaints authority, and new medicine subsidy thresholds apply from 1 January 2026.
How does healthcare in Denmark work, and how do you get a GP?
The card is issued when you register for your CPR-nummer (personal identification number) – part 3 covers that step – and posted to your Danish address. Life in Denmark, the English-language guide on Denmark's public citizen portal, says it arrives about 2 to 3 weeks later; International House Copenhagen says 4 weeks. It shows your name, address, CPR number and the name and address of your GP. The Sundhedskortet app is a digital version with the same benefits, and you can switch it to English.
When you register, you choose a GP (family doctor). Seeing your GP is free. Hospital treatment is free too, but you need a referral from your GP, a specialist or the out-of-hours service, and a physiotherapist or chiropractor is not entirely free even with a referral. Children are covered with their parents until they turn 15, when they become insured in their own right.
You also belong to a sikringsgruppe (health insurance group), and the large majority of residents are in group 1.
| Group 1 | Group 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Your GP | One registered GP; visits are free | No fixed GP – you can see any GP |
| Referral | Needed for specialists, physiotherapists, chiropodists and psychologists – not for ear, nose and throat or eye doctors, dentists, dental hygienists or chiropractors | Not needed for specialists |
| What you pay | Nothing for GP visits | The difference if the price is higher than the regional subsidy |
Source: Denmark's public citizen portal and Life in Denmark, read 23 September 2026.
Changing GP costs DKK 40 in 2026. It is free in some cases – when you move house, when your GP closes or splits the practice, and from the day your child turns 15 and for 60 days after. Children under 15 follow their parents' choice of GP and group; at 15 to 17 they can choose their own group. If you pick a GP more than 15 km from home (5 km in Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Tårnby or Dragør), you accept that you cannot see a doctor nearer home for illness that is not life-threatening.
Who do you call when your GP is closed?
In the evening and at weekends, the lægevagt (out-of-hours medical service) takes over. A doctor answers and either advises you by phone, asks you to come to an emergency service centre or, in special cases, visits you at home. Each region runs its own line.
| Number | Service | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| 112 | Emergency services | Accidents, fire, serious crime, life-threatening illness or injury – free from any phone, even without credit |
| 1813 | Akuttelefonen, Region Hovedstaden (Capital Region) | Medical help when your GP is closed; around the clock for acute injuries |
| 1818 | Lægevagten, Region Sjælland (Zealand) | Acute illness outside your GP's opening hours |
| 70 11 07 07 | Lægevagten, Region Syddanmark (Southern Denmark) | Out-of-hours doctor |
| 70 11 31 31 | Lægevagten, Region Midtjylland (Central Jutland) | Weekdays 16–08, weekends and public holidays all day |
| 70 15 03 00 | Lægevagten, Region Nordjylland (North Jutland) | Weekdays 16–08 and at weekends |
| 114 | Police service number, +45 114 from a foreign phone | Crimes that need no urgent police presence, general enquiries |
| 82 12 12 12 | Giftlinjen (the Poison Line) | Poison information |
Source: the five regions, Life in Denmark and Beredskabsstyrelsen (the Danish Emergency Management Agency), read 23 September 2026.
In Region Hovedstaden you can also text 'Opkald' to 1813 to be called back. Call 112 only when help is needed urgently: the operator asks what happened, where and when, how many are hurt and which number you are calling from, then passes your details to the right service. All 112 calls are recorded.
What does the dentist cost in Denmark?
Dental care is only partly publicly funded for adults. You pay for check-ups and treatment at a private dentist yourself, with a partial subsidy from the region for examinations, cleaning, preventive treatment, fillings, root canal treatment and extractions under local anaesthetic. Children get free municipal dental care.
| Who | What applies (2026) |
|---|---|
| Children and young people under 18 | Free municipal dental care |
| Young people born after 31 December 2003 | Free until they turn 22 |
| Children under 16 at a private dentist | Parents pay 35% of the cost instead of using the free municipal offer |
| Adults aged 22–25 | 65% subsidy for regular check-ups |
| Adults aged 26 and over | 40% subsidy for regular check-ups |
| People on kontanthjælp (social assistance) or uddannelseshjælp (education assistance) | A subsidy of 65–100% of costs above an own payment of DKK 600 a year, depending on age and benefit |
Source: Denmark's public citizen portal, read 23 September 2026.
Since 1 January 2025 you can no longer complain about a private dentist to Styrelsen for Patientklager (the Danish Patient Complaints Authority). You can still report an injury and seek compensation from Patienterstatningen (the Patient Compensation Association).
How does the medicine subsidy work in Denmark?
Prescription medicine is not free. There are 3 kinds of medicintilskud (medicine subsidy): general subsidies, applied automatically at the pharmacy; individual subsidies, which your doctor applies for on your behalf; and enkeltydelser (one-off grants) for medicine not otherwise covered when you cannot afford it. The general subsidy rises as your spending on subsidised medicine grows.
| Your spending on subsidised medicine | Subsidy, adults | Subsidy, under 18 |
|---|---|---|
| Up to DKK 1,135 | 0% | 60% |
| DKK 1,135–1,910 | 50% | 60% |
| DKK 1,910–4,155 | 75% | 75% |
| Above DKK 4,155 | 85% | 85% |
| Above DKK 22,596 (adults) or DKK 27,653 (under 18) | 100% | 100% |
Source: Lægemiddelstyrelsen (the Danish Medicines Agency), read 23 September 2026.
Your own payment in 2026 is capped at DKK 4,850 – about DKK 404 a month if you use the instalment scheme with your pharmacy. If you are covered by Danish health insurance and buy medicine in another EU or EEA country, you can get the same subsidy by applying digitally to Lægemiddelstyrelsen within 1 year of the purchase. Denmark's official health portal lists doctors, hospitals and pharmacies, and shows your consultations back to 2003 where the public paid all or part of the cost.
Are you covered abroad or across the border?
The blue EU health insurance card is free, valid for up to 5 years and for use in EU/EEA countries and Switzerland. If you work in Denmark but live in another EU/EEA country or Switzerland, you may qualify for a særligt sundhedskort (special health card), issued for up to 2 years at a time and normally free; replacing a lost or damaged one costs DKK 40 in 2026. Udbetaling Danmark, the authority that handles both cards, answers on +45 70 12 80 81.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Register for your CPR number, then choose a GP and your health insurance group | On arrival |
| 2 | Download the Sundhedskortet app while the card is in the post | Right after registering |
| 3 | Save 112 and your region's out-of-hours number in your phone | In your first week |
| 4 | Find a dentist and check which subsidy applies to you | Once you have the card |
| 5 | Order the blue EU health insurance card from Udbetaling Danmark | Before you travel in the EU |
| 6 | Apply for a subsidy on medicine bought in another EU/EEA country | Within 1 year of the purchase |
Source: Life in Denmark, Denmark's public citizen portal and Udbetaling Danmark, read 23 September 2026.
Official sources
The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.
- lifeindenmark.dk (SIRI/Ministry) · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- lifeindenmark.dk (Danish Patient Safety Authority) · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- lifeindenmark.dk · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- borger.dk · borger.dk
- borger.dk · borger.dk
- borger.dk (Udbetaling Danmark) · borger.dk
- borger.dk (Udbetaling Danmark) · borger.dk
- borger.dk · borger.dk
- borger.dk · borger.dk
Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.