With my Nem-ID card in my hand (this is Danish and means “Easy ID”), I can use my computer to access all the information that the Danish authorities have ever registered about me. I can make changes in my tax return, inform the authorities when I change my address, and even see which hospital ward looked after me when I broke my arm almost 30 years ago.
Anyone moving to Denmark from abroad can do the same. But only on one condition: you have to speak Danish!
Because most major self-service systems in the public sector don’t have an English version – or any other version in a language which international researchers and students speak.
Anne Langer is the international coordinator at Aarhus University, her job being to help researchers and PhD scholars from abroad to find their feet in Aarhus and Denmark.
“The Municipality of Aarhus has done a great deal to ensure that vital information is available in English. The problem is more evident at state level, because as soon as you log onto a state system to access any information you discover that you need to understand Danish,” she says.

A bonus for Denmark

Anne Langer reports that international researchers and students have to use alternative methods – for instance when they need to change their tax returns or report a change of address.
“They get their colleagues, friends or supervisors to help them. Anyone they know, in fact. And this really shouldn’t be necessary,” she says.
The spokesperson on IT and telecommunications for the Social Democrats in Denmark, Trine Bramsen, agrees.
“Denmark has an international image. We should be welcoming people from other countries, and people who come here to work and use their skills are a huge bonus for us. Denmark earns a lot of money this way. And one of the benefits of digitalising our public sector was supposed to be that people would be able to communicate in languages other than Danish,” she says.

There’s plenty of demand

International researchers and students interested in self-service systems that can be accessed in English should turn towards the private sector instead. Because a number of the major banks in Denmark have already translated their netbank systems into English, offering practically the same options as the Danish versions.
Tim Kongsbach, the online manager of Danske Bank, explains that this was a deliberate choice by his bank, and that there is plenty of demand for the English version.
“We’ve got more than a million users of our private netbank system in Denmark, and almost five per cent of our log-ins are directed at our English website. Having a netbank system in English enables clients who don’t speak Danish to carry out simple bank transactions on the net. Of course the translation process costs us time and money. But the English version is based on the Danish version, so ongoing maintenance is pretty straightforward,” he says.

Just like a shop window

Translating self-service systems in the public sector is not always quite so simple, explains Henriette Eskelund-Hansen, who is project manager for the English content of borger.dk – the site where Danes can report changes of address, apply for childcare facilities, register their children for school, and carry out other tasks.
“Borger.dk is actually no more than a shop window, a point of access leading to a wide range of other digital systems run by the public sector. And if these systems don’t have an English version there’s no point referring people to them. But a few English versions have actually been created now, so perhaps we need to look into translating some of our other systems into English as well,” she says.
Henriette Eskelund-Hansen explains that a project has just been launched to put much more factual information in English onto the borger.dk site. This will also make it easier for people who speak English to find the right office to go to if they cannot use the electronic systems that only exist in Danish. She expects the new, updated borger.dk to be ready in mid September, and she underlines that she would be happy to talk to Aarhus University about what kind of information needs to be translated.

Talking to the minister

Anne Langer from the International Centre would like as much public communication as possible to be translated into English.
“We want to attract international researchers and students to Denmark. But residents of Denmark are expected to be able to read and understand Danish. Of course the translation process will require time and money in the short term. But I don’t think it’s too much to ask,” she says.
Trine Bramsen agrees. “Communication with the public authorities should be an easy process – even in English. And our government has already announced that this will be an area of focus. I’m going to talk to the Minister of Finance about this problem, because it’s his responsibility. Then we’ll see if more can be done,” she concludes.

New to Denmark

The process of arriving and registering your personal data in Denmark is different for Nordic, EU and non-EU citizens, and for staff and students.

You can read more about what to do before arrival, on arrival and during your stay in Denmark at http://www.au.dk/en/internationalcentre/, where you can find special pages for exchange students, degree students, PhD students and international staff.

At www.businessregionaarhus.com you can find their very informative Welcome Guides (under “English”, “Welcome” and “Step guides”), which will take you through the registration process step by step.
Here is a summary of the guidelines:

Staff: Nordic citizens:

• You do not need a visa or work permit.
• If you are planning to stay longer than six months, you must register your move with the Citizens Service office in your municipality and have a permanent place of residence. A CPR card will then be issued a few weeks after registration.
• If you are working during your stay, you must register at the tax authority SKAT. To set up a bank account, bring your Danish CPR card and passport with you.

Staff: EU citizens:

• You can start work immediately upon your arrival in Denmark.
• If your stay is longer than three months, you need to apply for a certificate of registration at the Regional State Administration office.
• You must then register with the national registration authorities at the Citizens Service office in your municipality to receive your Danish CPR number. A CPR card will be issued a few weeks after registration.
• If you are working during your stay, you must register at the tax authority SKAT. To set up a bank account, bring your Danish CPR card and passport with you.

Staff: Non-EU citizens:

• Apply for your residence and work permit at the Danish immigration authorities (for further details, see newtodenmark.dk). This must be received before you can start work in Denmark.
• Register with the national registration authorities at the Citizens Service office in your municipality to receive your Danish CPR number. A CPR card will be issued a few weeks after registration.  If you are working during your stay, you must register at the tax authority SKAT.
• You can open a bank account once your CPR number has been issued.

Students:

• If you are a Nordic, EU/EEA or Swiss citizen, there are no restrictions on the number of hours you can work in Denmark while you are studying here. Non-EU/EEA students can work for up to 15 hours a week. Find more information regarding taxes and student jobs at www.studyindenmark.dk

The International Citizens Service office in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense can help you with all these registration procedures. For further information, see www.icitizen.dk