Driving licence in Denmark: nothing is required, and the 180 days don't apply to you

No, you do not have to exchange your Dutch driving licence in Denmark. The Danish road traffic authority Færdselsstyrelsen puts it in one sentence: a licence from an EU or EEA country does not have to be exchanged, and you may drive on it as long as it is valid. Exchanging is allowed, without a driving test, at the municipality's Borgerservice, for 520 kroner (2026). The finding at the source is a misunderstanding you avoid: the 180-day deadline within which you must exchange applies to licences from outside the EU and the EEA, not to yours.

Where do those 180 days come from?

From the general rule for people who come to live in Denmark. Borger.dk writes that with a foreign licence you may drive for up to 180 days if you have your normal residence in Denmark, and that you must then exchange it. Færdselsstyrelsen makes the distinction that matters: that deadline applies to a licence from outside the EU and the EEA; for an EU or EEA licence there is no duty to exchange. The Rijksoverheid says it from the Dutch side: if you move to another EU country, your licence stays valid there as long as it has not expired.

One exception from the same Dutch source: the tractor licence, the T category, is a national category that other countries do not recognise.

What if I want to exchange anyway?

Element	What applies
Duty	none, for an EU or EEA licence
Test	no control driving test for an EU or EEA licence
Counter	Borgerservice, in a municipality of your choice, by appointment
Decision	Færdselsstyrelsen, via Digital Post
Bring	a licence photo, your Dutch licence and a valid passport
Price (2026)	520 kroner; for moped categories only 270 kroner
Condition	normal residence in Denmark

That last line means something. Borger.dk defines normal residence as the place where you usually stay for study, work or family, and as a rule counts it from the moment you settle in Denmark to be there at least 185 days a year. Borgerservice assesses that, and may ask a non-Danish or non-Nordic citizen for proof, such as your residence document.

A translation is as a rule not needed for an EU licence. The photo must be 35 by 45 millimetres; some municipalities take it at the counter, for a fee.

When do I need a doctor's certificate?

For a Dutch licence that is valid for years yet, you do not. Borger.dk names three cases in which you do, and for you one counts: if your foreign licence expires soon. The Danish licence then gets a new validity of up to 15 years, and for that the Danish authority wants a certificate from a doctor. You fill in your part of the digital certificate on borger.dk, go to your GP, and he sends it digitally to the municipality handling your application.

The other two cases apply to licences from outside the EU and to an EU licence that was once exchanged from a country outside the EU and outside the Danish country groups 1 and 2.

Do not renew your licence in the Netherlands at your old address. If your Dutch licence has (almost) expired and you live outside the Netherlands, you renew it or exchange it for a licence from your country of residence, writes NederlandWereldwijd. For you that is Denmark: exchange at Borgerservice, count on the doctor's certificate, and plan it well before the expiry date. Put that date in your diary now.

So what do I do?

Nothing, as long as your licence is valid. Exchange it when the expiry date comes into view, or earlier if you prefer; it then costs 520 kroner and an appointment. The car itself is a different matter, with its own clock: how the Danish registration tax works and why you do that sum before you leave is in your car to Denmark. The order of the rest is in the step-by-step plan for Denmark.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey, step 5.8: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Denmark or go straight to step 5.8 in the open plan.