Healthcare in Denmark: free GP, expensive dentist
The Danish healthcare system has no premium, no deductible and no policy: whoever is in the population register is covered. But the system cuts differently from the Dutch one in three places: as an adult you pay the dentist largely yourself, medicines run through a stepped system per year, and physiotherapy or a psychologist only get a subsidy with a referral. The amounts, and what it means for pensioners.
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Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Yes, in Denmark you are insured without a premium, deductible or policy. Whoever is in the Danish population register has the right to all public healthcare. The proof of that is the yellow sundhedskort, the Danish health card.
What is free, and what is not:
- The GP, the emergency ward and the public hospital are free.
- Adults pay the dentist themselves, with only a subsidy on part of the treatments.
- Of medicines you pay the first 1,135 kroner in full yourself every year.
So the finding is in what is not free. The trap for anyone coming from the Netherlands: there is no supplementary insurance in the basic system to close those gaps.
When am I covered, and how do I get a GP?
Your right to healthcare hangs on your registration in the population register, the CPR. At that registration you choose a GP.
About two to three weeks later the health card comes by post to your Danish address. It shows your name, your CPR number and the name and address of your GP. There is also an app, Sundhedskortet, that does the same. Children are insured together with their parents until they are fifteen.
Choosing a GP when you move is free. If you wait, you pay a fee for the change. You choose from the doctors still taking new patients.
If you choose one more than 15 kilometres from home (5 kilometres in Copenhagen and a few neighbouring municipalities), you accept something. For non-life-threatening illness you then cannot see another doctor near home.
What is free, and where do you pay yourself?
| Care | What you pay |
|---|---|
| GP and specialist (group 1) | nothing |
| Emergency ward and public hospital | nothing |
| Dentist, adults | yourself, with a subsidy from the region on part of the treatments |
| Dentist, young people born after 31 December 2003 | free in the child and youth dental care until 22 |
| Physiotherapist, psychologist | subsidy on a number of treatments, only with a GP referral |
| Chiropractor | subsidy, without referral |
| Medicines | the first 1,135 kroner a year yourself, then a rising subsidy |
There are two groups:
- Most residents are in group 1: free at your own GP and at specialists on referral.
- In group 2 you choose freely, but pay the difference between the price and the subsidy yourself.
Your health card shows which group you are in.
What does the dentist cost?
Adults pay examination and treatment at the dentist themselves. The region gives a subsidy on a range of treatments, and it is usually deducted from the bill straight away.
If a treatment costs more than 2,500 kroner after the subsidy, the dentist must offer you a written quote in advance. That says something about the amounts that can be involved.
You choose freely among the dentists approved by the region. You can compare prices on sundhed.dk, the Danish public health portal.
How does the medicines system work?
Subsidised medicines run through a stepped system per period of one year. That period starts with your first purchase:
| What you spend in your subsidy year | Subsidy for adults (2026) |
|---|---|
| up to 1,135 kroner | 0 per cent |
| 1,135 to 1,910 kroner | 50 per cent |
| 1,910 to 4,155 kroner | 75 per cent |
| above 4,155 kroner | 85 per cent |
The maximum you pay yourself as an adult in a year is 4,850 kroner. The pharmacy works it out at the counter.
If you expect high costs, you can agree with the pharmacy to pay that own contribution in twelve equal parts: 404 kroner a month. What medicines you may bring from the Netherlands is in the article on your household goods.
Count the dentist and the first medicine costs as fixed expenses. The free Danish basic system covers the GP and the hospital, not an adult's dentist and not the first 1,135 kroner of medicines. Whoever uses chronic medication pays up to 4,850 kroner themselves again every year; whoever needs major dental treatment first gets a quote.
And if I come with a pension?
Whoever moves to Denmark with a Dutch pension or benefit falls under treaty care via the CAK. You are then insured in Denmark and pay a treaty contribution to the Netherlands.
The CAK's country-of-residence factor (the figure by which that contribution is adjusted per country) for Denmark is 1.000: you pay the full Dutch level.
If you leave before your AOW age with only an early retirement pension, first read what is expected to change from 1 November 2026.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.5: 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 4.5 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Life in Denmark — the health card, and what is free — lifeindenmark.borger.dk
- Borger.dk — dental costs for adults and the duty to quote above 2,500 kroner — borger.dk
- Lægemiddelstyrelsen — the subsidy thresholds for medicines in 2026 — laegemiddelstyrelsen.dk
- Borger.dk — subsidy for treatment, with and without referral — borger.dk
- CAK — country-of-residence factors 2026 — hetcak.nl
- Borger.dk — choosing a GP, free when you move — borger.dk
- Borger.dk — the right to healthcare for those living in Denmark — borger.dk
- CAK — emigrating on early retirement, the expected change from 1 November 2026 — hetcak.nl
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