If you are an EU/EEA citizen or a Swiss national, you can, under certain conditions, buy a permanent dwelling in Denmark without the Department of Civil Affairs’ permission, provided the purchase of the property is part of exercising your free movement rights under EU law.
This would, for example, be the case if you are employed as a wage earner in Denmark or another EU/EEA country, have an EU/EEA residence permit, or have established or plan to establish yourself in Denmark to engage in self-employment. This also applies if you have sufficient financial means to support yourself.
In these cases, when registering the property ownership, you must submit a declaration to the Land Registration Court (Tinglysningsretten) under penalty of perjury. The declaration must, among other things, state that the property is not a holiday home or holiday plot, nor is it used as such.
You can read more about submitting a declaration to the Land Registration Court in their guide (PDF). The guide is only available in Danish.
I am moving – can I keep my property?
If you have declared that you will use the property as your permanent dwelling, you are generally not allowed to move from the property without selling it. If you do, you risk the Department of Civil Affairs ordering you to sell or transfer the property within 6 months. If you do not comply with this requirement, you may be fined.
However, if you have lived in Denmark for more than 5 years when you move from the property, you are not obligated to sell or transfer the property.
I am being posted abroad – can I keep my property?
If you are being posted abroad and have not lived in Denmark for at least 5 years, you can apply to the Department of Civil Affairs to keep the property during your posting. Your application must include the following:
- A contract or similar documentation of your temporary posting
- A declaration stating that you will move back to the property after your posting ends.