Are you planning to import a car or motorcycle from a country outside the EU — or from the Faroe Islands or Greenland? There are a number of important points you must remember during the process.
If you are importing a car or motorcycle from a country outside the EU or EAA, or from the Faroe Islands or Greenland, the following steps and considerations apply.
Remember customs clearance / Moving goods declaration: Vehicles coming from non-EU countries must be cleared through customs when imported to Denmark.
This also applies even if it is your own vehicle that you bring in as household goods. The easiest approach is to contact a private freight forwarder who can help with the paperwork.
Start this process before you import the vehicle to Denmark.
We recommend to contact Fortoldningsbutikken for help with customs declarations.
Note that vehicles from Norway also require customs clearance.
Bring the original documents to the customs inspection
After customs declarations, you must have the vehicle inspected at MOT inspection (in Danish toldsyn) in Denmark.
To do this, you need to bring the original registration certificate from abroad to the inspection.
Bear in mind that the vast majority of vehicles coming from non-EU countries lack data such as weight figures and CO₂ emissions.
As a general rule, you should expect that you will need either:
a COC Document (if the vehicle is type-approved within the EU), or
a Data Declaration, if you cannot obtain a COC document.
You can order a COC Document or a Data Declaration (external companies).
Tax assessment
Before the vehicle can be registered in Denmark, you must have the registration tax (registreringsafgift) assessed.
The assessment can be done either before or after the vehicle has been inspected at customs.
The registration tax must be paid before you can obtain Danish license plates.
You can easily order a binding tax assessment for an electric vehicle or for petrol/diesel/plug-in vehicles through QuickImport.
Send the original registration certificate to the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency (Motorstyrelsen)
When a vehicle comes from a non-EU/EEA country, Motorstyrelsen must grant permission for registration before you can receive license plates at the inspection centre.
Therefore, you must send the original registration certificates to Motorstyrelsen.
Remember to include in the letter who you are (name, address, CPR number, phone number and email) so Motorstyrelsen can contact you.
Motorstyrelsen will subsequently send a registration permit via e-Boks.
We recommend that you make a copy of the registration certificate before sending it, so you can document it in case the letter is lost in the post.
Send the registration certificate by post to:
Motorstyrelsen
Nykøbingvej 76
Building 45
4990 Sakskøbing
Collect license plates at the inspection centre
When you receive the registration permit from Motorstyrelsen in your e-Boks, you can go to an inspection centre and register the vehicle on Danish license plates.
Remember that the payment of the registration tax must be registered before you can collect the plates.
You must bring:
the registration permit from Motorstyrelsen
vehicle documents
photo ID
any powers of attorney (if others are to be registered as owners or users)
You may choose to use one of our partner inspection centres for inspection and registration.
FAQ
Q: For which countries can I register and collect license plates at an inspection centre without first applying for permission from Motorstyrelsen?
A: If you have the original documents (all parts of the original registration certificate), you can register vehicles at an inspection centre without prior permission from Motorstyrelsen — this applies to vehicles from EU and EEA countries (including Norway), as well as the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Q: For which countries must I apply to Motorstyrelsen for permission to register before I can collect license plates at an inspection centre?
A: All countries outside the EU and EEA, including the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
That means the USA, Switzerland and all other non-EU/EEA countries.
There is an exception for ownership certificates from the USA (Certificate of Title), which can be submitted digitally — read more on SKAT’s forms page.
If the vehicle comes from a non-EU/EEA country or if you lack the registration certificate for a vehicle from an EU/EEA country, you must apply to Motorstyrelsen for permission for inspection and registration via form 21.115.
See the Motorstyrelsen form page: motorst.dk
General Motorstyrelsen information on importing vehicles: Importing vehicles — Motorstyrelsen
Countries considered EU / EEA / etc.
Examples include:
Azores (P), Balearic Islands (Mallorca, Ibiza) (E), Belgium, Bulgaria, Ceuta (E), Cyprus (southern part), Denmark (including North Sea islands), Canary Islands (E), Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Guadeloupe (F), Guyana (F), the Netherlands (including North Sea islands), Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madeira (P), Malta, Martinique (F), Norway (excluding North Sea islands), Poland, Portugal, Réunion (F), Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Åland (FIN), Greenland, Faroe Islands.
Original Danish version: Import af et køretøj fra et ikke-EU land – sådan gør du
If you want to import a vehicle from an EU country, you can do it here.
