Quick answer: Bringing a car to Denmark is not part of your household goods move. Customs relief covers duty and VAT. It does NOT cover Danish registration tax, which is normally payable in full. One vetted mover matched free. 07551 855 064.
Read this before you ship a car to Denmark, because the single most expensive misunderstanding in Danish relocation lives on this page.
People are told that moving your residence to Denmark means your belongings come in free of duty and VAT. That is true, and it can include a vehicle. What it does not include is Danish registration tax, and registration tax is the large number.
Two different authorities, two different regimes. Toldstyrelsen handles customs duty and VAT. Motorstyrelsen handles registration. Relief from the first does not touch the second.
Tell us what you are shipping and we will match you with one vetted mover who handles vehicles. Free, no obligation.
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This is the part to be absolutely clear about.
You must normally pay registration tax on imported cars and motorcycles, both new and used, and this applies irrespective of whether the vehicle comes from an EU country or elsewhere.
Customs relief on removal goods removes duty and the 25% VAT. It does not remove registration tax. Those are separate charges administered by separate agencies, and a firm telling you a vehicle comes in "tax free" as part of your household goods is either being careless or is talking only about the customs half.
Every imported vehicle must also be valued before it can be registered. That valuation, done through the Register of Motor Vehicles or a private valuation business, is what the registration tax is calculated from. It is a step that does not exist in most countries and it means you cannot know the figure in advance with any precision.
Before you ship, get an indication of the registration tax on your specific vehicle. For an older or lower value car it will often be cheaper to sell in the UK and buy in Denmark. For a newer or unusual vehicle the sums may work differently. Either way, find out first.
Check motorst.dk before shipping. Last reviewed July 2026.
There is a clock, and it starts the day you arrive.
A person coming to live in Denmark may use a foreign-registered vehicle in Denmark for a period of 30 days from the date of entry. After 30 days, the vehicle must be either registered in Denmark, transported out of Denmark, or deregistered, unless Motorstyrelsen has granted permission to continue using the foreign-registered vehicle.
Thirty days is not long once you factor in an inspection, a valuation and a tax payment. If your car arrives with your furniture, the clock is already running.
If you are not staying long, the position is different. If you stay in Denmark for less than 185 days within a period of 12 months, you may drive a car with foreign number plates without paying Danish registration tax, paying the tax in your country of residence instead. Documentation of the duration of your stay must be carried in the vehicle, for example a copy of your employment contract.
Notify before the vehicle arrives. Residents importing a vehicle with foreign plates must submit an online application to Motorstyrelsen before the vehicle crosses into Denmark, then print and keep the receipt in the vehicle for as long as it carries foreign plates.
Send the collection postcode, the full Danish delivery address, an inventory, the property type and access details, your preferred date and any special items. One FIDI-certified partner mover confirms the quote.
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Registering an imported vehicle takes five steps: notify the Danish Motor Vehicle Agency, have the car or motorcycle inspected, request a valuation from the Register of Motor Vehicles or a private valuation business, pay the registration tax, then register the vehicle and buy new number plates.
For a vehicle coming from the UK, which is now a third country, there is a customs step in front of all of that. Motorstyrelsen requires details of VAT and customs duty payments, either a customs declaration showing exemption for personal property when transferring residence, or one showing that duty and VAT have been paid. They cannot process the application without a customs declaration.
So the order is: customs declaration first, then the five registration steps. Getting the customs side wrong stalls the whole thing.
Right-hand drive. There is no ban on right-hand drive vehicles in Denmark, though headlight adjustment for right-hand traffic may be required.
Instalments. Quarterly payment of registration tax can be applied for using form 21.033, submitted with an employment or study contract documenting the duration of your stay. That suits a fixed-term posting.
Leaving again. You can in many cases obtain a refund of the registration tax if you take the vehicle out of Denmark and deregister it, though the refund cannot exceed the tax originally paid.
Separate from the paperwork, there is the physical job of getting the vehicle there.
Driven. Cheapest for one car if someone is making the journey anyway. Channel crossing, then through Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Remember the thirty day clock starts on arrival, not on registration.
On a transporter. Multi-vehicle transporters run the same route. Suits a car you would rather not add mileage to, or a second vehicle, or one that is not currently roadworthy.
In a container. Sole use or shared with household goods, which can make sense if you are shipping a full household anyway. Slower, and the vehicle must usually be drained of fuel and have the battery disconnected.
On the freight ferry. DFDS Immingham to Esbjerg carries unaccompanied freight six times a week at around 18 and a half hours.
Ask the mover to quote the vehicle as a separate line rather than folding it into the household price. You want to be able to see what it costs, because you may well decide against it once the registration tax figure appears.
Where you register makes no difference, but where you land does. Local detail:
Every Danish city we cover is listed on the Denmark removals guide.
Vehicle work is a specialism, and moving companies that do not do it regularly will not warn you about registration tax. Accreditation is how you tell who has actually been checked.
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Almost certainly yes, and this is where people get caught. Customs relief on removal goods removes duty and the 25 percent VAT. It does not remove Danish registration tax, which is normally payable in full on imported cars and motorcycles, new or used, from the EU or elsewhere. Two different authorities, two different regimes.
Thirty days from the date you enter Denmark to live. After that the vehicle must be registered in Denmark, transported out, or deregistered, unless Motorstyrelsen grants permission to continue. Thirty days is not long once you allow for an inspection, a valuation and a tax payment.
If your stay is less than 185 days within a 12 month period you may drive on foreign plates without paying Danish registration tax, paying it in your country of residence instead. You must carry documentation of the length of your stay in the vehicle, such as a copy of your employment contract.
From a valuation. Every imported vehicle must be valued before it can be registered, either through the Register of Motor Vehicles or a private valuation business. That step does not exist in most countries and it means you cannot know the exact figure in advance. Get an indication before you ship.
Get the registration tax indication first, then decide. For an older or lower value car it is frequently cheaper to sell in the UK and buy in Denmark. For a newer or unusual vehicle the arithmetic can go the other way. It is not a decision to make on instinct.
In many cases yes. If you take the vehicle out of Denmark and deregister it from the Register of Motor Vehicles, you can apply for a refund, though the refund cannot exceed the registration tax originally paid.
International Removals Companies connects Denmark removal enquiries with one suitable vetted partner mover. Partner movers hold FIDI FAIM Certified, BAR Overseas, IAM, EUROMOVERS and FEDEMAC accreditations where confirmed. Working Member of AGM Group since 2010.
Prices, access requirements, insurance and any customs paperwork must be confirmed by the partner mover before booking.