The CPR number Denmark gives you: why your bank needs it and how to get one
Most of Danish banking runs on one ten-digit number. This is the CPR number Denmark assigns when you register an address, and what your bank does with it.
Your CPR number in brief
- Length
- 10 digits: date of birth plus a 4-digit serial number
- Who registers
- Stays of 3 months or more (6 for EU/EEA and Nordic citizens)
- Where
- In person at Citizen Service or International Citizen Service
What the CPR number is
CPR stands for the Danish civil registration system, and the CPR number is your personal identification number in it. Lifeindenmark describes it simply: in Denmark each person has a civil registration number, which is called a CPR number. The CPR office writes on borger.dk that everyone registered with an address in CPR is assigned a number of 10 digits, and that no two numbers are alike.
Because it is unique, the number is used to identify you across the public sector and in the private sector. Lifeindenmark's list of what you need it for includes opening a Danish bank account. The same number appears on your health insurance card, links your tax, and is required before you can register a NemKonto for public payments.
Who must register, and where
According to lifeindenmark, you register for a CPR number if you intend to stay in Denmark for 3 months or more, or 6 months if you come from an EU/EEA or Nordic country. You must show up in person at a Citizen Service centre (Borgerservice) in your municipality or at an International Citizen Service centre. A permanent address in Denmark is mandatory to obtain a CPR number.
What you need first depends on where you come from. EU and EEA citizens need an EU residence document before they can register an address and receive a Danish CPR number. Citizens of countries outside the EU, the EEA, the Nordic countries and Switzerland need a residence and work permit. Nordic citizens do not need an EU residence document.
If you come to work for 3 months or less, lifeindenmark explains that you get a tax number instead of a civil registration number. That matters for banking: without a CPR number, many everyday services, including MitID in its usual form, are harder to get.
What to bring to the meeting
Lifeindenmark lists what to bring when you register: your passport or personal ID, proof of your address in Denmark such as a rental contract, and, where relevant, your EU residence document or your residence and work permit. About 2 to 3 weeks after you have registered, your national health insurance card is sent to your Danish address. It shows your name and address, your CPR number and the name and address of your family doctor.
The health insurance card is also one of the documents lifeindenmark mentions as proof of identity at a bank, alongside a passport or driving licence. Keep it safe once it arrives.
How the ten digits are built
The structure is set in the Danish order on population registration (BEK nr. 862 of 13 June 2023, § 1). The first six digits give your birthday: day, then month, then year without the century. The last four digits are a serial number. The first of those, read together with the birth year, shows the century you were born in, and the last digit is even for women and odd for men. The table under this text works through an example for a person born on 15 March 1990.
The number is written with a hyphen after the sixth digit in many forms, but the rule itself only counts digits. A bank form may ask for it with or without the hyphen.
Why your bank must ask for your Danish CPR number
It is not a commercial choice. The Danish money-laundering act, hvidvaskloven § 11, says that when the customer is a natural person, the identity information must include name and CPR number, or similar; if the person has no CPR number, it must include the date of birth instead. The bank must then verify the identity against a reliable, independent source, for example an electronic ID.
The act goes further. Under § 14 a bank that cannot complete these checks must end or wind up the customer relationship and must not carry out further transactions. Under § 30 it must keep identity details and copies of ID documents for at least 5 years after the relationship ends. The data protection act (databeskyttelsesloven § 11) allows private companies, banks included, to process CPR numbers when legislation requires it or you consent, and forbids publishing a CPR number without consent. The Danish page on CPR numbers and banks covers these rules in more depth.
Borger.dk adds a point worth knowing: the CPR number may not be used as the only documentation of a person's identity. That is why a bank asks for your passport or another ID as well, rather than relying on the number alone.
From CPR number to bank account, MitID and NemKonto
Once you have the number, the rest of the chain opens up. MitID, the national login, is open to you from age 15 once you hold a CPR number and can prove who you are, according to lifeindenmark. People who have no CPR number are given an 8-digit P code in the MitID app instead. With MitID you can log in to online banking; the Danish guide to logging in with MitID shows how.
The CPR number is also needed to register a NemKonto, the account public authorities pay into. Read our English explanation of how NemKonto works, or the detailed NemKonto rules in Danish. For the bank meeting itself, see what a bank asks newcomers for. When everything is in place and you start paying for things, our page on kroner, cards and cash explains the currency side.
Keeping your number safe
Your CPR number is not a password, but it is personal data that opens doors. Do not give it to someone who only needs to pay you: a payer needs your registration number and account number, as explained on our page about Danish account numbers. Never pass on MitID codes together with your number.
Two public tools help. Through CPR's own self-service on borger.dk you can see what is registered about you. Since 1 January 2017 anyone aged 15 or over can also add a credit warning (kreditadvarsel) to their CPR record. According to cpr.dk, it signals to companies that they should take extra care before granting credit in your name, although it is voluntary for companies to receive it, and you must remove the marking yourself before you apply for a loan. If your identity has been misused, borger.dk says you can in special cases get a new CPR number.
Common mistakes
- Booking a meeting without an address. A permanent Danish address is required for the CPR number.
- Forgetting the EU residence document. EU/EEA citizens need it before address registration.
- Expecting a CPR number for a short job. Stays of 3 months or less give a tax number instead.
- Sharing the number by email or chat. Give it only to those who need it by law, such as your bank or employer.
For the full newcomer route, from arrival to your first payment, see our guide to banks and banking for newcomers.
Example: the CPR number structure for a birth date of 15 March 1990
| Digits | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | Day of birth | 15 |
| 3-4 | Month of birth | 03 |
| 5-6 | Year of birth, without century | 90 |
| 7 | First digit of the serial number; with the year it shows the century | Assigned by CPR |
| 8-9 | Serial number | Assigned by CPR |
| 10 | Last digit: even for women, odd for men | Assigned by CPR |
Step by step
- Get the right permit or document EU residence document for EU/EEA citizens; residence and work permit for others; nothing extra for Nordic citizens.
- Secure a permanent address A rental contract or similar proof is part of the registration.
- Register in person At your municipality's Citizen Service or an International Citizen Service centre, with passport or ID.
- Wait for the health insurance card It arrives about 2 to 3 weeks later and shows your CPR number.
- Move on to bank, MitID and NemKonto Bring the number and your ID to the bank.
Questions
How long does it take to get a CPR number?
Lifeindenmark does not give a fixed processing time for the number itself. It does say the health insurance card, which shows the CPR number, is sent to your Danish address about 2 to 3 weeks after you have registered. EU/EEA citizens must first obtain the EU residence document.
Can I open a bank account without a CPR number?
The law allows it: a bank may identify a customer without a CPR number by recording the date of birth instead. Whether a given bank will do so is its own decision, and many ask for the number. Ask before you go, and bring your passport and any permit you hold.
Why does my bank keep my CPR number?
The money-laundering act requires it. A bank must record a personal customer's name and CPR number and verify identity, and it must keep identity details and copies of ID documents for at least 5 years after the relationship ends. After that the personal data is deleted unless other law says otherwise.
Is a CPR number the same as a tax number?
No. Lifeindenmark explains that people who come to work in Denmark for 3 months or less get a tax number instead of a civil registration number. The CPR number comes with address registration for longer stays and is used far more widely, including for MitID and NemKonto.
Can I change my CPR number?
Normally not: the number follows you. Borger.dk says that if you have been a victim of identity misuse involving your number, you can in special cases get a new one. A new number affects every register that uses it, including your bank.
Do I need a CPR number for MitID?
Lifeindenmark lists a Danish CPR number among the conditions for MitID, together with being at least 15 and meeting the ID requirements. Its MitID page also describes a route without a CPR number, using an 8-digit P code in the MitID app with a valid passport or a chip ID card.
Sources Lifeindenmark: When you arriveLifeindenmark: MitIDborger.dk: Det Centrale Personregister (CPR)Bekendtgørelse om folkeregistrering m.v. (BEK nr. 862 af 13/06/2023)Hvidvaskloven (LBK nr. 433 of 17 April 2026), §§ 11, 14 and 30Databeskyttelsesloven (LBK nr. 289 of 8 March 2024), § 11cpr.dk: Kreditadvarsellifeindenmark.borger.dkborger.dk — checked 21 October 2026
