Denmark

## Legally Coming to Denmark

### **EU Residents**

A quick way to get your residence permit, CPR number and MitID in one appointment is to go to the International House in Copenhagen. You can book an appointment through the following link : https://reservation.frontdesksuite.com/kk/SIRI%20Copenhagen/Home/Index?Culture=en&PageId=2dcd2a7a-e666-4cf2-86d2-e035a8a638ee&ButtonId=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000. If you then also request a CPR number through the following link (https://kkih-prod-mob.f2-cloud.com/SelfService/submission/submit/ICS\_AFC), you can get both a residence permit and CPR number at the International House. Once you have these two, you can ask for a MitID at the counter. In this way, you can get all your documents in one 20-minute appointment.

Residence permit

* If you stay for more than 3 months in Denmark you need to get a residence permit. You can arrange for this upon arrival in Denmark at the SIRI office. They arrange one or two days for students to come and get it without an appointment which can result in a very long queue. To avoid this you can make an appointment, do this before coming to Denmark as they are very busy. For more information see here.

#### CPR Number

* See the section under Non-EU citizens
* Some EU citizens depending on how long they will stay in Denmark, technically do not need to get this, but it can be helpful for insurance/banks
* Careful, once you have a CPR number you are considered a Danish resident, which has the strange effect of making rental cars 3-4 times more expensive. If you don't think you need it, and plan to rent cars while in Denmark, consider not getting it.

### **Non-EU Residents**

#### Visa / Resident Permit

* Some non-EU citizens may need a visa to come to Denmark, others do not. However, this is always just a tourist visa and you need a valid student visa to stay for more than 90 days.
* The visa/residence permit checklist followed by an international student was as follows
	+ Acknowledgement obtained after filling the ST1 form (nyidanmark website)
	+ Printout of the filled out ST1 form
	+ Case order id paid payment confirmation (screenshot/email)
	+ Sworn Declaration (print it and sign it)
	+ TU Delft **unconditional** admit letter
	+ DTU **unconditional** admit letter
	+ Passport
	+ Passport photocopy (including front and back page and **all pages in between**)
	+ Photo (according to standards for your country. Tip - You can take a photo at most VFS application centers. It might be easier to take a photo at the center so you have no chance of getting the dimensions wrong)
	+ Rental contract (if you have one beforehand)
	+ Tuition fee payment confirmation (email confirmation from TU Delft)
	+ VFS Appointment Letter
	+ Receipt for fee paid to the Ministry of foreign affairs for the residence permit (you can pay on their website. Tip - This fee keeps changing every year. It is advisable to go to VFS, ask the officials there and pay in the center instead of paying beforehand)
* All non-EU citizens will need to get a study residence permit for Denmark
	+ This should be done before coming to Denmark
	+ You will need to have your biometrics taken at a Danish embassy/consulate
* Bear in mind that the whole process takes a **little over 2 months**. Make sure you apply on time, otherwise you stand a chance of missing out on the Introduction week at DTU.

#### CPR Number

* This is your identity in the Danish system. You will need to apply for this separately once you arrive in Denmark. After applying you will need to go to the International House in Copenhagen to collect this. The International House hosts student days during August/September when this can be done more quickly. Watch out, the queues can be enormous. Stands for "Det Central Personregister", basically "Civil Registration System".
* This number will allow you to get a Danish back account
* This number will allow you to get Danish health insurance

#### MitID

*Note that the Danish government is in the process of switching from NemID to MitID, and there might still be references to NemID in older support material.*

* Once you have your CPR number you can apply for a MitID.
* This is done through the local office in the municipality that you live in. If you live in Lyngby-Taarbæk the office (municipality) is in Lyngby Storcenter, next to Jysk. You can book an appointment online or in the office - it'll ask you for a Danish phone number, don't worry about that it's just for texting you with the appointment details, you can just put random numbers in.
	+ When you go you'll to bring your yellow "Sundhedskort" (Yellow Health Insurance Card) that you've received with your CPR number on. You can't get your MitID until you have this.
	+ You'll also need to take your residence permit and a copy of your tenancy agreement, the Danish version, with the signatures on. If you forget you can always email them this afterwards but it's easier just to bring a hard copy with you.
	+ You also need to take a person along with you, who has a MitID
* The MitID is your way to access government things online. This is used for online banking if you open a Danish account, it is also used to access your government mail.
* When you leave Denmark you will need to deregister, and if you have a MitID you can do this online instead of in person, which can be very convenient when trying to move out.

## Money

* The Danish Krone is used in Denmark (1 DKK ~ 0.13 Euro)
* It is good to have a credit card to for example be able to use the coffee machines at DTU
* Generally, you can use a credit/debit card from any country easily in most places
* Smaller establishments (Student bars, hair dressers etc.) might only accept cash or MobilePay.
* MobilePay is a mobile application which is used by Danes to transfer money in between themselves. The application can also be used to pay in select stores. Signing up for MobilePay requires a CPR-number and a Danish phone number.

### Banks

* You will need a CPR number to apply for a bank account
* Most Danish banks will offer a student account with no/low fees, and will provide a free debit card
* Revolut or Bunq is a good option. It's free(within limits) and allows you to exchange in many currencies and at good rates.

### Erasmus+ Grant

* All students (EU or Non-EU) can apply for an Erasmus+ grant during their semester at DTU. This grant is worth around 350 euros a month while you are in Denmark
* There are limitations to the total number of months you can receive this grant
* The application for this is submitted through TU Delft and requires approval from DTU
* You will need to write a summary essay at the end of your semester and submit it to the Erasmus program. Bear in mind that this essay should be about 2000 words, 3-4 pages, so it's not a quick one. Easiest just to write it between finishing up at DTU and starting at TU Delft. Include pictures if you can.

### SU

* SU is a student work grant offered by the government. Full time students who are EU citizens can get government funding of around 800 Euros a month if they work a paid part-time job of at least 10 hours a week for at least 10 weeks.

### Boligstøtte

* If you have your own kitchen and bathroom within your room you can go to borger.dk and apply for "Boligstøtte", essentially housing benefit. You have to fill out some forms with details of all your assets and income but you can just put zero for everything if you want to. Importantly, you need to set up a "NemKonto" if you don't have a Danish bank account for them to pay into. This is pretty easy to do. You will then receive payments at the beginning of every month. Note that they do not backdate payments, so you only get paid from when you sign up. Also, make sure to cancel it as soon as you leave, as any money you receive afterwards you will just have to pay back. Depending on the size of the housing and the rent, the Boligstøtte might be between 500 - 1000 DKK. If the housing is shared with multiple people, the Boligstøtte should be split amongst the residents.

## Culture

### Language

The Danish language is hard, with a lot of difficult sounds and tonguetwisters. Grammar and written language are okay, especially if you are familiar to Germanic languages (like Dutch and German). Luckily, the English proficiency is generally very good, especially amongst younger people. If you do want to learn Danish however, you can do so for free. If you register for CPR, you will get an invitation to take Danish classes at your municipality. You can take classes there, or go to the Danish classes at DTU, through Speak. You will be required to pay a 2000 DKK deposit, which will be returned after succesfully completing at least one level (out of six). This is well possible in one semester, so if you like languages, give it a shot! If you come back to Denmark at a later time, you can continue classes at the level you stopped at.

### Parks and Beaches

Definitely worth going to Dyrehaven. Large park full of dears and very close to DTU (20min walk). Great place to run or cycle too.

The Danes like to swim in the sea in all weather. This is a really fun thing to do, but be prepared. Make sure to bring a good amount of dry clothes. Try to get a swimming cap too to keep your hair dry, and look classy of course (see picture). Good places include

* Great dock at Springforbi Strandpark
* Skodsborg beach has a little pier that people often use

### Day Trips

* Mons Klint - cool cliffs and beach to hike around, about 1.5 hour drive from Copenhagen
* Helsingor

### Explore Further in Denmark

* Jutland
	+ Skagen - town at the northern tip of Denmark where the North Sea meets the Baltic
	+ Rubjerg Knude - really cool dunes and old lighthouse on the west coast

## Potato Week

Around the beginning of October, there is a week off from lectures that everyone likes to use to go on a little holiday. Lots of people will go with friends they make in Introduction Week, but groups of EWEM students have been together and had a great time. Ideas for holidays include

* A trip to Jutland. We stayed in an Airbnb in Aalborg for three nights as a group of 8. We had a great time looking round Aalborg, going up to Skagen on the northernmost tip of Jutland, and eating and drinking together at the Airbnb.
* Sweden! Lots of people take a road trip to Sweden, where there are lots of places to stay, cities and the countryside alike. Lots of things are cheaper in Sweden, but be careful of the charge to cross the bridge out of Copenhagen.

## Copenhagen

The location of the suggestions below have been saved to a Google maps file: https://maps.app.goo.gl/xEvS6MKHAzB3G7Zp8

# Clubs

* **Culture Box -** Good club if you’re interested in Techno/House music. Keep an eye out for bookings.

* **Bakken -**   More casual club. Small club with cheapish drinks (for a club). Safe option if you’re interested in techno/house music.

* **Opera -** Live music venue in Christiania. They often hold events that sell out in minutes. Worth following their facebook page.

### Restaurants

* **East Kebab in Osterbro** - Best Kebab/Doner in the city. 29 dkk for a pita kebab.
* **Reffen** - Tasty food truck type stands in old shipping containers by the water. Great food and a lively atmosphere on a nice day. Good spot for a swim too.
* **La Banchina** - Cafe/Bar on the water next to the entrance to Reffen. Has a garden with a sauna (costs 50 dkk at the bar to use the sauna). Really fun spot to go and swim in the cold water and then warm up in the sauna or by one of the bon fires.
* **H15 Cafeteria, Bar, Studio & Scene -** Slightly more expensive restaurant but extremely good quality. A good place to take parents should they visit. No reservations for groups smaller than 6.
* **Bolten’s food court** - Food court with a lot of nice stands. Easy place to get food if you’re not looking for anything fancy or have friends visiting.
* **Madglad -** Cheap place to eat if you’re in the area. Buffet with good vegetarian food.
* **Juno the Bakery:** Hands down probably the best bakery in the world regarding pastries. Sort of hyped but it is absolutely worth the queue! Copenhagen has an amazing bakery scene in general so there are plenty of nice bakerys around the city but Juno is the best.

### Bars

* **S Huset -** Student bar in the heart of the city. Lower prices with membership card.
* **Jolene**
* **Bastard Cafe -** Board Game café. Nice food and drink
* **Mikkeller Baghaven** - Expensive bar/brewery with a lot of good beers with some adventurous flavours. If you’re in Reffen and your looking to have a drink it’s a solid bet.
* **Café Nemoland** - You won’t miss it if you’re in Christiania. A good place to buy a cheap Tuborg and chill with some friends.
* **Søhesten** - Slightly bougie bar with nice music and décor.
* **The Moose (Smoking)** - Cheap bar. There’s a second larger room at the back of the bar. Worth checking out if you’re struggling to find table on a night out.
* **Brus** -  More expensive place to go. Nice open bar with a lot of nice beers/drinks.
* **Bip Bip Bar** - Retro arcade bar. Nice place to get to know people.
* **Charlie’s Bar** - Small cheap bar. Popular with locals. A nice place to go mid-week for a drink after working.
* **Floss Bar (Smoking)** - Very cheap bar. Don’t be fooled by its small appearance. Walk through the bar and past the refrigerators at the back and down the stairs. There’s a second room with sofa’s and pool tables.

### Museums/Sites

* Nyhavn - classic imagae of Copenhagen
* Design Museum Denmark
* Mermaid Statue
* Louisiana Museum of Modern Art -  A nice art gallery a little up the coast. Exhibitions vary but there’s usually something good on. Grab the 388 bus to get a nice view of the coast on the way up

### Events

* **J Dag** - The release of Tuborg's Christmas beer (usually November 1st). Big party in the city with Tuborg trucks driving around handing out free beer and paraphernalia.
* **Culture Night -** usually takes place in the potato week (or reading week). For one night all museums and attractions open their doors to everyone with a ticket. The tickets are typically cheaper than entry to a single attraction. Perfect opportunity to blitz through the many attractions of Copenhagen.
	+ https://www.kulturnatten.dk/en/Culture-night
* Christmas Lights Kayak Parade in Nyhavn Canal