Nyt sundhedskort

Kortet er et sundhedskort, der gives til danskere og andre EU-borgere, som har ret til behandling i det danske sundhedsvæsen, selvom de ikke er registreret i folkeregistret.

Du kan få det særlige sundhedskort, hvis du:

• arbejder i Danmark og bor i et andet EU/EØS-land.
• arbejder på et skib.
• studerer i et andet EU/EØS-land eller Schweiz.
• er dansk offentlig ansat, diplomat eller er ansat ved international organisation.
• modtager ydelser fra Danmark.

Det er Udbetaling Danmark, der behandler ansøgninger om det særlige sundhedskort og udsteder kortet.

Her kan du:

• søge om at få det særlige sundhedskort.
• få svar på de oftest stillede spørgsmål om det særlige sundhedskort.

Du kan også kontakte Udbetaling Danmark:

• Kontakt Udbetaling Danmark

For information, latest news and hotlines from the Danish authorities about coronavirus/covid-19, please visit:

• Coronavirus/covid-19 in Denmark (new window)

Denmark has an extensive public healthcare system that offers free consultation and treatment at a local doctor’s, emergency wards and public hospitals.

If you work legally in Denmark, you are covered by the Danish health insurance system. Most examinations and treatments are free, but you need to register and get a health insurance card.

Children are covered by the health insurance scheme together with their mother or father until they reach the age of 15 and are insured independently of their parents.

When you are covered by the national health insurance, you can register with a general practitioner (GP) and receive a yellow health insurance card. The health insurance card is documentation that you are entitled to the services offered under the national health insurance scheme. You can order the health insurance card through the 'Self service'-section above.

Approximately two weeks after you have registered, your national health insurance card will be sent to your Danish address. The card will show your name and address, your CPR number and the name and address of your doctor.

It is advisable always to carry this card with you as it is required whenever you need to see a doctor, a dentist or go to hospital – or when you want to take out books from the library.

Here you can order a new yellow health insurance card (“sygesikringsbevis”). The card is free of charge in connection with a change of address – and with a change of name after getting married.

If you need medical treatment during travels in the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein (EEA), or Switzerland you will have to use the blue European Health Insurance Card.

Who can get the blue European health insurance card?

You can get the blue European health insurance card if you live in Denmark, are a citizen of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland and you are covered by national health insurance in Denmark.

In special cases, you may be entitled to a European health insurance card if you:

• live abroad and work in Denmark or
• are posted by a Danish employer to work in another country.

In addition, you may be entitled to a European health insurance card if you are a stateless person, a recognised refugee or a family member of a person covered by national health insurance in Denmark. A family member is your spouse or common-law partner and your children under 18 years of age. However, parents of children who are citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland are not entitled to a blue European health insurance card.

How can you order the blue European Health Insurance Card?

If you are covered by the Danish health insurance, you can order the card for free online.

• Order the blue European Health Insurance Card - with NemId
• Order the blue European Health Insurance Card - with eID

If you, in the case of special circumstances, are not able to order the blue card online, you can contact Udbetaling Danmark by phone +45 70 12 80 81

Once you are registered in the Civil Registration System, you are entitled to choose a general practitioner (GP) you can contact if you fall ill.

Your GP will also handle prescriptions, vaccinations, and certain types of contraception, and will also assist you with regard to disease prevention.

You will need to make an appointment before going to see your GP. If you fall ill or suffer an injury outside your own GP’s normal opening hours, you can call the out-of-hours medical service.

In most cases, the GP is your entry point to the Danish health-care system. If you need to be treated at the accident and emergency department (A&E) or receive hospital and specialist treatment, you will usually need a referral from your GP.

You can choose which GP you prefer with regard to sex, age, etc. The choice of GP is made in connection with the issuance of your personal health insurance card.

The citizen services of your municipality will give you a list of doctors you can choose between. You can register with a new GP whenever you want to. It costs a small fee.

Apart from the public healthcare system, Denmark has a number of private hospitals and health clinics where you pay for treatment. The public health system has waiting lists for certain kinds of treatment, in which case you may choose a private hospital or clinic to avoid waiting for treatment. In some cases, the public healthcare system will pay. Regardless of whether you choose public or private treatment, the quality of medical treatment in Denmark is generally very high.

Many Danes have health insurance that covers the expenses for using private healthcare services. The insurance covers services, which may mean that you in certain cases will be diagnosed more quickly or have certain kinds of surgery performed more quickly at a private hospital than the public hospital can offer. Private health insurance typically covers services not covered by public authorities, for example physiotherapy, zone therapy, and a number of other services. At a number of Danish workplaces, a health insurance is part of the employment contract and is paid by the employer.

In addition, you can choose to take out an insurance policy through the health mutual insurance company “danmark” (Sygeforsikringen “danmark”), which will reimburse you some of your medical expenses for glasses, dental treatment, medicine, etc.

If you need to be examined or treated at a hospital, you must first obtain a referral from your own GP, a specialist doctor or from the out-of-hours medical service.

You will receive an appointment from the hospital, which will send information on where and when you need to come.

You are entitled to interpreter assistance if the doctor deems this necessary.

• List of hospitals in Denmark (new window)

Prescription medicines are only available for purchase at pharmacies. A doctor's or dentist's prescription is required in order to purchase prescription medicines.

Over-the-counter medicines are available for purchase without a prescription at pharmacies and approved supermarkets, kiosks, drug stores and petrol stations.

Most pharmacies are open from 9:30-17:30 on weekdays and from 9:30-13:00 on Saturdays. If you need to purchase medicine outside of these opening hours, most major Danish cities have a 24-hour pharmacy.

In Denmark, there is a partial charge for dental care. You have to pay for check-ups and treatment, but part of the bill is government funded. This amount is automatically deducted from your bill.

You are free to choose any dentist. You may choose any dentist of your own choice, and once you are assigned to a clinic, the dentist is responsible for asking you to come for check-ups at regular intervals.

Children and young people below 18 years of age are entitled to free dental treatment.

If you have an accident involving your teeth, there are emergency dentists that are open outside normal opening hours.

• Dentists in Denmark (new window - in Danish)

Denmark is divided into five regions. They are in charge of running hospitals and (through collective agreements) managing the general practitioner system.

The hospital sector is responsible for specialised examinations as well as treatment and care of somatic and mental illnesses. A GP will refer patients to a hospital or to a specialist for specialised treatment.

Hospital treatment is free of charge for residents in any region of Denmark, and emergency treatment is available to any person in need.

​Most of the online self-services are in Danish, but you can always get help to fill in forms and online applications at the local citizen service center or at the library. Or maybe you can get help from a Dane.

Remember to bring your NemID.