MitID, NemKonto, bank account and Digital Post – getting set up in Denmark, step by step
Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →
In Denmark, your tax refund, your holiday allowance and your letters from the authorities all arrive digitally. Four tools make that work – MitID, a bank account, NemKonto and Digital Post – and setting them up in the right order saves you weeks of waiting.
Two changes in 2026 show why MitID, NemKonto and Digital Post are worth setting up early in Denmark. When the physical Rejsekort travel card was shut down on 30 June 2026, the money left on the cards was transferred to holders' NemKonto. And since 9 July 2026, the Digital Post app no longer works on older Android phones that cannot upgrade to HyperOS, among them some Xiaomi phones on Android 9 or 10.
MitID (the national digital ID) is, in the words of the Agency for Digital Government, every resident's personal key to digital services. You use it to change your address, apply for childcare, see your tax, choose a doctor and read your Digital Post. NemKonto is the bank account public authorities pay into, and Digital Post is how they write to you.
In which order should you set things up?
Skattestyrelsen (the Danish Tax Agency) gives newcomers a checklist of four things – a CPR number, a tax card, a bank account as NemKonto, and MitID – and says you need the bank account and MitID however long you plan to stay. Most of the chain hangs on your CPR-nummer (personal identification number), covered in part 3. In practice, the order looks like this:
| Step | What | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CPR number – or a personal tax number for a short stay, with the same digits | You need a CPR number to register a NemKonto |
| 2 | Tax card | Without one, your employer must withhold 55 per cent tax on your salary |
| 3 | Bank account | The account you will register as your NemKonto |
| 4 | MitID | Your log-in for public self-service, NemKonto and Digital Post |
| 5 | NemKonto | Tax refunds, benefits and holiday allowance are paid into it |
Source: Skattestyrelsen, Life in Denmark and the Agency for Digital Government, read 23 September 2026.
How do I get MitID in Denmark as a newcomer?
Life in Denmark, the official English-language guide to the public sector, lists three conditions in its arrival guide: you have a CPR number, you have turned 15 and you can meet the ID requirements. Its MitID page, last updated 12 June 2026, describes how to start if you have just arrived – even before you have a CPR number.
| Route | What you need | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| The MitID app | A passport or ID card with a chip, and a phone that can read it – an iPhone 7 or newer, or a newer Android smartphone | No CPR number yet? Enter an 8-digit P code instead |
| Your local Citizen Service (Borgerservice) | An appointment booked with your municipality | Useful if your phone or document cannot be scanned |
| International House Copenhagen | Apply at your CPR registration appointment | Free of charge |
Source: Life in Denmark and International House Copenhagen, read 23 September 2026.
International Citizen Service (ICS) centres, where you deal with several authorities in one place, are in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg, Esbjerg and Sønderborg.
If a disability, limited digital skills, language difficulties or simply being unable to get MitID stands in your way, public authorities must offer you a non-digital alternative, so ask the authority you are dealing with.
How do I open a bank account in Denmark?
Danish banks must offer a basic payment account to consumers with legal residence in an EU country, or in a country the EU has a financial agreement with. A bank can still say no – for example if you already have a payment account at another Danish bank. Most banks ask for the following:
| Bring | Notes |
|---|---|
| Proof of identity | For example your passport, driving licence or yellow health insurance card |
| Employment contract or invitation letter | Asked for by most banks |
| Tax card | Listed as not obligatory on Life in Denmark's NemKonto page – but see below |
| American social security card | US citizens only |
Source: Life in Denmark, read 23 September 2026.
The official guidance is not consistent on the tax card. Life in Denmark's arrival guide says you can only open an account with a Danish bank once you have your tax card, and that a bank will want to see your passport, tax card, employment contract and payslip while you are not yet a registered citizen. Ask your bank what it needs before you book the meeting.
Work-permit holders have a deadline too. Under the Pay Limit Scheme, SIRI (the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration) requires your salary to be paid into a Danish bank account in your own name, opened within 180 days of the permit being granted or of your entry into Denmark. Part 2 covers the permit itself.
What is a NemKonto and how do I register one?
A NemKonto is not a special product. It is an ordinary bank account you already have – Danish or foreign – that you designate for payments from public authorities. According to Skattestyrelsen, all citizens in Denmark must have one, and the agency pays any tax refund into it.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is paid into it? | Tax refunds, child benefits, student loans, unemployment benefits, holiday allowance, pensions, welfare payments and salary to public-sector employees |
| What do you need? | A CPR number, and MitID to use the self-service solution |
| How long does it take? | About one week for citizens, according to NemKonto |
| Can it be a foreign account? | Yes, but the form must be signed in front of two witnesses or a notary or attorney, with a copy of valid ID |
| What if you leave Denmark? | Once officially deregistered you do not need one, but keeping it is advisable: late tax refunds, holiday pay or pensions may otherwise be delayed |
| Who can help? | NemKonto Support, +45 33 98 00 60 |
Source: NemKonto (the Agency for Digital Government), Life in Denmark and Skattestyrelsen, read 23 September 2026.
How does Digital Post work in Denmark?
Once you have a CPR number, letters from public authorities arrive as Digital Post (the public sector's digital mail) instead of on paper. It applies from the age of 15, and reading it is your obligation, not a choice. You can read the same mailbox in four places, all kept in sync.
| Where to read it | Good to know |
|---|---|
| Denmark's public citizen portal, including Life in Denmark | Log in with MitID |
| The Digital Post app | Since 9 July 2026 it no longer works on older Android phones that cannot upgrade to HyperOS |
| e-Boks | The main supplier of Digital Post until 21 March 2022; it still shows your post from public authorities |
| A mailbox service run by Netcompany Group A/S | Since 21 November 2022 you can choose to receive post from businesses there too, such as your bank or insurer |
Source: Life in Denmark, read 23 September 2026.
You can apply for exemption and go back to paper letters if you meet one of eight criteria – among them a disability, having no computer, smartphone or tablet at home, having left Denmark permanently, limited Danish, or living where an internet connection of at least 512 kbit/s cannot be established. Since 1 June 2023, an exemption from Digital Post automatically exempts you from many mandatory public self-services too.
Digital Post Support is on +45 33 98 00 33, Monday to Friday 8.00–20.00, and 10.00–16.00 at weekends and on public holidays.
What to do now
| Step | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Register for your CPR number (part 3) | Once you live at your Danish address |
| 2 | Get your tax card – Skattestyrelsen's line for newcomers is +45 72 22 27 80 | From 1 month before your job starts |
| 3 | Open a bank account | Before your first salary – within 180 days on the Pay Limit Scheme |
| 4 | Create MitID in the app or at Citizen Service | Right after CPR registration |
| 5 | Register your account as your NemKonto | Once you have MitID – allow about a week |
| 6 | Pick where to read Digital Post, and check it regularly | From the day you have a CPR number |
Source: Skattestyrelsen, Life in Denmark, NemKonto and SIRI, 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.
- Life in Denmark (Agency for Digital Government) · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- Life in Denmark (Agency for Digital Government) · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- NemKonto (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) · nemkonto.dk
- Life in Denmark (Agency for Digital Government) · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- Life in Denmark · lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- Skattestyrelsen (Danish Tax Agency) · skat.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.