Change of address when you move: deadlines and checklist

You register your move digitally with your municipality (kommune). The deadline is no later than 5 days after you have actually changed residence. In most municipalities you can start the registration up to 28 days before, but the exact timing is shown in the municipality's self-service solution.^[1]

The most important thing is to use the right moving date. That is the day you have actually moved in with your belongings and are sleeping at the address. It is not necessarily the same day as the handover day (overtagelsesdag).

Change of address in brief

• You register your move digitally with the municipality via borger.dk.
• The deadline is no later than 5 days after you have changed residence.
• In most municipalities you can register your move up to 28 days in advance.
• The moving date is the day you actually move in, not automatically the handover day.
• You choose a doctor (lægevalg) as part of the move.
• The names of the people receiving post must be on the letterbox.
• Private companies and other contacts are not necessarily updated through the CPR register.
• Digital Post and letters in your physical letterbox are two different things.

What does a change of address mean?

A change of address (adresseændring) is the registration of your new residence in the Danish Civil Registration System, CPR (Det Centrale Personregister). The registration is used by public authorities and matters for, among other things, your municipality, choice of doctor, health insurance card (sundhedskort) and polling station.

It sounds like a small administrative task. But it falls in the middle of a period when you also have to keep track of keys, insurance, electricity, heating, internet and the move itself. That is why it makes sense to fit the change of address into an overall moving plan instead of leaving it as a loose reminder note.

Also read the guide on the moving plan and checklist.

The moving date is not always the handover day

When buying a home, you may come across several dates:

It is the actual moving date that matters in the civil register. If you get the keys early to paint, but still live and sleep at your old address, the access date is therefore not automatically your moving date.

If you are unsure which date fits your situation, you can check the municipality's guidance in the self-service solution or contact the municipality.

Read the guide on right of disposal and keys before the handover day and the guide on handover and the settlement statement.

The deadline for registering your move

Borger.dk states that you must register your new address no later than 5 days after you have changed residence. In most municipalities the registration can be started 28 days before the move. The municipality's digital solution shows when you can register the specific moving date.

That gives a simple timeline:

1. Find your expected actual moving date.
2. Open the municipality's self-service solution when registration becomes available.
3. Submit the move with the correct date.
4. Keep an eye on Digital Post in case the municipality asks for more information.
5. Check afterwards that the registration has gone through.

The deadline should not be used as a plan to wait until the last minute. It is easier to get the task out of the way while you still have the dates under control.

How to register your move

The registration itself is done via borger.dk and your municipality.

Step 1: Find the self-service solution

Go to Anmeld flytning til folkeregistret (register your move with the civil register) and choose your municipality.

Step 2: Log in

You log in with MitID. Have the new address and the moving date ready.

Step 3: State who is moving

Borger.dk states that you can register the move for yourself and other residents in the household. For children, shared residence or other special family circumstances, a separate process may apply.

Step 4: Decide on your choice of doctor

As part of the move you also have to deal with your choice of doctor. Borger.dk describes that changing doctor in connection with a move can be free of charge when it is handled together with the registration of the move. Follow the specific guidance in the self-service solution, as the process may consist of several parts.

Step 5: Save the confirmation

Save the receipt and keep an eye on Digital Post. That way you have documentation of when the registration was sent if questions come up later.

What is updated through the CPR register?

Once your move has been registered, public authorities get access to your new registered address (folkeregisteradresse) through the CPR register. That does not mean, however, that all the practical details around the home are automatically sorted.

The change of address does not in itself:

• Activate electricity or heating
• Move your internet connection
• Start the right insurance policies
• Update all private subscriptions
• Ensure delivery of all physical post
• Record meter readings

These are different tasks with different recipients.

So also read the guides on heating and electricity when you move in, internet and TV in the new home and insurance when buying a home.

Who do you have to notify yourself?

Borger.dk points out that you must notify your other contacts of the change of address yourself. These may include:

• Employer
• Dentist and other private practitioners
• Subscriptions
• Leisure activities and clubs
• Account, customer and membership schemes
• Delivery services
• Insurance company
• Bank and other financial companies
• Family and friends

Some companies retrieve address details automatically. Others do not. If a relationship matters for your finances, insurance or physical post, it is worth checking it directly instead of assuming the details follow along.

Digital Post is not your physical post

Digital Post follows your digital identity and does not land in the old letterbox. Physical letters and parcels are something else.

Put your name on the new letterbox quickly. Borger.dk states that at least the surnames of the people using the letterbox must be shown. First names can reduce the risk of mistakes.

Also go through the senders who still send paper post. A mail forwarding solution, if you use one, can be an extra safety net, but it does not replace having the correct address registered with the sender.

A timeline that fits the home purchase

Before moving day

• Clarify the expected actual moving date.
• Check when your municipality opens for registration.
• Make a list of private contacts.
• Decide on your choice of doctor.
• Make sure your name can go on the letterbox.
• Coordinate insurance, electricity, heating and internet.

On moving day

• Use the actual date in your registration.
• Put your name on the letterbox.
• Note meter readings, if relevant.
• Keep photos and documentation from moving in.

After moving day

• Check that the move has been registered.
• Read messages from the municipality and the region.
• Check your choice of doctor and health insurance card.
• Update your remaining private contacts.
• Keep an eye on physical post at the old address during the transition period.

If several of you are moving

A household can consist of adults, children and people who do not necessarily move on the same day. So it is a good idea to go through each person instead of just thinking of the home as one combined move.

Ask for each resident:

1. Is the person actually moving in on the same date?
2. Should the person be included in the registration?
3. Does a choice of doctor need to be made?
4. Are there special rules about the child's residence or consent?
5. Is the person's name on the letterbox?

For children and shared residence, the rules may depend on parental responsibility and the specific situation. Use the municipality's self-service solution as the source for the process that applies.

Also read the guide on children and childcare when you move.

If you move in before the handover day

An agreement on right of disposal (dispositionsret) can give access to the home before the official handover day. That does not automatically make the access date the civil register's moving date.

Look at what actually happens:

• Do you just have access to paint or clean?
• Have your belongings moved in?
• Are you sleeping at the address?
• Are you still using your previous home as your home?

The specific circumstances decide when you have actually changed residence. At the same time, the early access agreement can matter for insurance, utilities and liability. Those questions should be kept separate from the change of address itself.

Common misunderstandings

My address changes automatically when I buy the home

No. Buying a home and a registered address are two different registrations. You have to register the move yourself.

The handover day is always the moving date

No. The moving date is the day you have actually moved in with your belongings and are sleeping at the address.

All companies automatically get my new address

No. Public authorities use the CPR register, but you have to check and update your private contacts yourself.

Digital Post and letters follow the same system

No. Digital Post and physical post are handled differently.

I can wait until everything has fallen into place

The move must be registered within the applicable deadline. If something is unclear, the municipality can help with the process.

Change of address checklist

• Fix the actual moving date
• Check the municipality's earliest registration date
• Register your move digitally
• Decide on your choice of doctor
• Save the receipt
• Put your name on the letterbox
• Check messages in Digital Post
• Update your employer
• Update your bank and insurance
• Update subscriptions and membership schemes
• Update your dentist and other private practitioners
• Check physical post during the transition period
• Go through each person in the household

In short

The change of address follows the day you actually move in.

Use the right date, register the move before the deadline and remember the private contacts that are not necessarily updated through the CPR register. That way a small administrative task does not keep popping up between the moving boxes.

Gather the change of address, insurance, utilities and practical tasks in your moving plan.

BoligKlar gives you a second pair of eyes and an overview. The municipality and borger.dk determine the specific registration and the rules that apply.

Frequently asked questions