Residents of Denmark are legally required to have a CPR number. You will also notice that your CPR number is your access number to a number of services in Denmark. You will need it to open a bank account, get a Danish phone number, borrow books at the library, take out insurance, etc.

CPR stands for Centrale Person Register, which translates as the Civil Registration System.

A CPR number is a personal identification number which, among other things, facilitates accurate linkage between all Danish national registers.

Your CPR number consists of ten digits. The first six digits are your date of birth, and the last four are your unique identification number. The last digit of your CPR number indicates your sex. If it is an odd digit you are male, and if it is an even digit you are female. For example, if your CPR number is 220550-6218, you were born on 22 May 1950 and you are female.

You can read more about the Civil Registration System at their website.

Non-EU/EEA citizens who intend to stay in Denmark for more than three months are required to register with the Danish Civil Registration System upon arrival.
Nordic citizens, citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland are required to register with the Danish Civil Registration System and obtain a CPR number within six months of their arrival in Denmark.

Respectively, Residence and Work – non-EU/EEA Citizens, Residence and Work – Nordic Citizens and Residence and Work – EU/EEA and Swiss citizens provide information about the various types of citizenship.

You get a CPR number when you register with the Danish Civil Registration System at Citizens’ Services in the municipality you live. You find the contact information to Citizens’ Services under Contact Information.

In order to register and be issued with a CPR number you need to show up in person at Citizens’ Services in the Municipality in which you live. This also applies to accompanying spouses and/or children.

To obtain a CPR number you must have an address in Denmark. You must also present a variety of documents depending on your current civil status (see below). Please note that if your documents are not in Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English or German, you should bring along a certified translation of them.

At Citizens’ Services you will be asked for:

• Your Danish residence and work permit (non-EU/EEA citizens), or certificate of registration (for EU/EEA and Swiss citizens). Nordic citizens must bring proof of their Nordic personal identification number, e.g. your passport. 
• Some form of photo id, e.g. your passport 
• If you are married, your marriage certificate or a certified copy of it.
• If you have children, your child/children’s birth certificate(s).
• If you are divorced, your divorce certificate.
• If you are a widow/widower, the death certificate of your husband/wife.

You will find a detailed step guide to where, when and how to apply for a CPR number under Step Guides.

If you have any questions about CPR numbers contact Citizens’ Services in the municipality in which you live. You can find the address and phone number of your Municipal Citizens’ Services here. If you do not understand Danish, please follow this guide: 

In the window that opens you will see that Borgerservice (Citizens’ Services) has already been entered in the Hvad (What) search box near the top of the screen. Enter “The name of the municipality you live in” in the Hvor (Where) search box. Then click on Søg (Search).

You will then see a list of the address and the phone number of the Citizens’ Services office(s) in your Municipality.

If you live in Aarhus, you can meet service assistants from Citizens’ Services and get assistance acquiring a CPR number in International Citizen Service Aarhus, located at Nordhavnsgade 4, 8000 Aarhus C. For more information about the International Citizen Service Aarhus, go to International Citizen Service.

In Aarhus there are Citizens’ Services offices at:

City Hall (Rådhuset)
Rådhuspladsen 2
8000 Aarhus C.

Viby Bibliotek (library)
Skanderborgvej 170
8260 Viby J.

Risskov Bibliotek (library)
Fortebakken 1
8240 Risskov

Aaby Bibliotek (library)
Lundvig Feibergs Vej 7
8230 Aabyhøj

It is a good idea to get your CPR number immediately upon arrival if you intend to stay here for more than three months. You will need it to open a Danish bank account, get a Danish telephone number as well as to access many other services in Denmark.