Danish bank account numbers: reg.nr., account number and IBAN

Two numbers, one account

When someone in Denmark pays you, they do not type your name or an IBAN. They type a short number and a long one. The short one is the registration number, written reg.nr. in Danish, and it points to the bank. The long one is the account number, and it points to your account inside that bank. Together they form what the Danish payments act calls the unique identifier: the combination of figures your bank tells you to use so that a payment reaches exactly one account.

The clearest public description of how the two fit together comes from Finans Danmark, the banks' trade association. On its page about international payments it shows the layout of a Danish IBAN position by position: positions 1 and 2 hold the country code, 3 and 4 the IBAN check digits, 5 to 8 the registration number, and 9 to 18 the account number. That table is also the best guide to the Danish account number format, because the domestic numbers sit inside the IBAN unchanged.

What the IBAN adds

EU Regulation 260/2012 defines an IBAN as an international number that identifies one individual payment account in a member state, with its parts set by the International Organization for Standardization. Finans Danmark says an IBAN can be up to 34 characters long and that it does not replace the original account number: it is a supplement used for international payments. A Danish IBAN is the short end of that range at 18 characters.

The same Finans Danmark table lists three country codes for this layout: DK for Denmark, FO for the Faroe Islands and GL for Greenland. An account in Tórshavn or Nuuk therefore looks the same, apart from the first two letters.

A worked example with Skattestyrelsen's own IBAN

Skattestyrelsen, the Danish tax agency, publishes two IBANs for people who pay tax from abroad: DK94 3000 0007540531 for residual tax and B-tax, and DK5502164069075312 for voluntary payments. Both are 18 characters long. Laying Finans Danmark's position table over them gives the domestic numbers directly, as the table under this text shows. The first account number begins with zeros because the IBAN has ten places to fill, so a payer in Denmark would use reg.nr. 3000 and the account number without the extra zeros, in whatever format the online bank asks for.

Finans Danmark's own sample IBAN, DK9912344231123456, is included in the table for comparison. It is an illustration, not a real account.

Where to find your Danish bank account number

Your online or mobile bank shows reg.nr. and account number together on the account overview. Finans Danmark adds that the IBAN typically appears on your account statement, and that the bank can tell you the number if you ask. Copy the numbers from there rather than typing them from memory. If you have just arrived and are still choosing a bank, our guide on how newcomers open an account comes first.

The BIC, also called the SWIFT code

The BIC identifies the bank, not the account. EU Regulation 260/2012 defines it as a business identifier code that unambiguously identifies a payment service provider. Skattestyrelsen publishes its BIC, DABADKKK, next to the two IBANs above. For euro credit transfers and direct debits between EU countries, a bank may not require you to state a BIC for cross-border payments made after 1 February 2016; the IBAN is enough. That rule covers euro payments only. For transfers in other currencies, or from outside the EU, the sending bank may still ask for it. The Danish page on SWIFT and BIC codes has more detail.

What happens if a number is wrong

The payments act puts the risk of a typing error on the person who types. Section 103 says a payment order carried out according to the unique identifier given in the order counts as correctly executed. Your bank does not have to notice that the name and the number do not match. Finanstilsynet adds that a bank cannot pull back a transfer because you regret it, but if you sent money to the wrong account, the receiving bank can, after a special procedure, tell you who owns it so that you can claim the money back.

Check the numbers twice the first time you pay someone new, and be wary of an email that says a supplier or landlord has changed account. Call them on a number you already know before you pay.

Your account number and public payments

Employers need your reg.nr. and account number, or your IBAN, to pay your salary. Public authorities work differently. They pay into the account you have chosen as your NemKonto, and nemkonto.dk says they cannot see your account number directly, withdraw money or see your transactions. You do not have to send the municipality or the tax agency your Danish bank account details once a NemKonto is in place. How to choose one is explained in English on our page about setting up your NemKonto and in Danish in the complete NemKonto guide.

A new bank means new numbers

Account numbers do not follow you from bank to bank. If you switch, you get a new reg.nr., a new account number and a new IBAN. Under the Danish rules on account switching, the receiving bank must, if you consent, tell payers such as your employer about the new account and move your NemKonto. Keep the old details until you have seen your salary and other payments arrive in the new account.

Checklist before you share your details

• For a payer in Denmark: give reg.nr. and account number.
• For a payer abroad: give the full Danish IBAN and, if asked, the BIC.
• Never more than that: a payer does not need your CPR number or MitID to pay you.
• Check the order: the four-digit reg.nr. comes first, the account number second.
• Use the source: copy from your online bank or statement, not from an old invoice.

The Danish-language pages go deeper on each part: the registration number, the account number and how a Danish IBAN is built. For the bigger picture of banking as a newcomer, start at our English banking guide.