Denmark — Property: Buying Process

Why this matters

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Key facts

• You need permission from the Department of Civil Affairs to buy real property unless you have domicile in Denmark or have lived there for at least 5 years; this applies to villas, plots, condominiums, summer houses and cooperative housing.
• A permission application needs the purchase agreement or particulars of sale (salgsopstilling) and the expected acquisition date; processing takes up to 4 weeks for a permanent dwelling and up to 10 weeks for a non-permanent one.
• EU/EEA/Swiss buyers may instead submit a declaration to the Land Registration Court under criminal responsibility, stating the property is not a holiday home or plot; the court makes the final decision on whether permission is needed.
• Ownership is registered in the digital Land Register at tinglysning.dk, which needs MitID; it has three parts (ownership, security interests, easements and covenants) and documents are registered in order received, which generally sets priority.
• A registration fee applies under the Danish Registration Fee Act, handled by the Danish Tax Agency (Skattestyrelsen).
• Court decisions to register or reject a document can be appealed to the Danish Western High Court within 2 weeks.

Steps

1. Finding a Property — Working with a real estate agent or browsing online listings to find a suitable property.
2. Securing Financing — Applying for a mortgage with a Danish bank, which will likely require a credit check and proof of income.
3. Property Survey and Inspections — Conducting a thorough inspection of the property and having a survey done to assess its condition.
4. Legal Agreement — Drafting and signing the preliminary legal agreement, which outlines the terms of the sale.
5. Notary and Registration — Using a notary to finalize the agreement and register the property, which takes around 2-4 weeks.
6. Withholding Tax — The seller pays a withholding tax of 2.5% of the sale price, which is collected by the notary.
7. Completion — Finalizing the purchase, paying any remaining costs, and taking possession of the property.