Living in Denmark as a French National: Cities, Housing, Settling-In Formalities and Schooling

Denmark had 6,032,304 inhabitants in August 2026 according to Danmarks Statistik, and 88.7% of the 6,025,603 residents of 1 January 2026 lived in urban areas. For a French national, free movement within the European Union opens residence and work without a visa. Daily life is organised around a few digital identifiers: the CPR number, MitID for online services, the yellow health card and Digital Post, the administration’s electronic mailbox.

• Advantages: a tax-funded health system with free consultations at the general practitioner (CLEISS, the French liaison centre for international social security), a comprehensive digital public service, six reception centres for newcomers (International Citizen Service) in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense, Esbjerg and Sønderborg, and an accredited French lycée in Copenhagen.
• Points of caution: the sequence of formalities (EU residence document, permanent address, CPR number, health card) requires anticipation, and the search for housing comes before registration for the CPR number (lifeindenmark.borger.dk).

The Denmark country page details health insurance by status; the pages on working in Denmark and retiring in Denmark complete this guide.

Danmarks Statistik publishes figures by urban area (byområde). On 1 January 2026, the capital’s urban area (Hovedstadsområdet) has 1,408,575 inhabitants, or 23.4% of the population, against 22.4% in 2016: the concentration around Copenhagen is steadily rising.

• Copenhagen: 1,408,575 inhabitants in the urban area, the country’s largest job market and home to the French lycée.
• Aarhus: 305,227 inhabitants, the second urban area, in central Jutland.
• Odense: 187,558 inhabitants, on the island of Funen.
• Aalborg: 122,550 inhabitants, in northern Jutland.

These four cities each have a reception centre for newcomers (ICS East in Copenhagen, ICS West in Aarhus, ICS South in Odense, ICS North in Aalborg), which makes the formalities of a stay of more than three months easier. The checklist for the first 90 days helps you put the formalities in order once the city is chosen.

Danmarks Statistik tracks the change in rents with the rent index: +2.7% over a year in the second quarter of 2026, for all private, public and cooperative housing. Rent levels vary by city, size of home and type of lease; listings and contracts can be compared with the index and with the salaries presented in the page on working in Denmark.

The official portal lifeindenmark.borger.dk describes the usual rules for renting: a deposit normally equal to one month’s rent for a room and three months’ rent for a flat, a notice period of up to three months on both sides, and a period of 14 days after taking possession to report defects in the home. A standard lease template (standardlejekontrakt) is published by the competent ministry.

• Permanent address: it is a condition for registration for the CPR number; the minimum length of residence required at an address varies by municipality, generally from one to three months (lifeindenmark.borger.dk).
• Housing support: the portal offers an online application for housing benefit and a loan to fund the deposit, subject to conditions.

To include health in the expatriation budget, the guide to budgeting for health abroad gives a method.

For a stay of under three months, a valid passport or identity card is enough. For a longer stay, the portal lifeindenmark.borger.dk describes the following sequence, which the Danish sites present as the procedure in force.

• EU residence document: online application on newtodenmark.dk within three months of entry, then an in-person appearance at a SIRI office or an ICS centre within 30 days. A person looking for a job has six months to file the application. This document is necessary to obtain the CPR number.
• Housing: a permanent address is required for the CPR number, with a minimum length of residence that varies by municipality.
• CPR number: required for a stay of six months or more; the application is filed at an ICS centre with the residence document, the passport and proof of address.
• Yellow health card: sent about two to three weeks after registration with a general practitioner, to the Danish address; a digital version exists in the Sundhedskortet app.
• Tax card, bank account and MitID: the tax card (skattekort) lets the employer withhold tax; the bank account is opened with proof of identity and proof of address; MitID, the digital identity, is obtained with the CPR number from the age of 15.
• Permanent right of residence: after five years of residence meeting the conditions of European Union law (nyidanmark.dk).

France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) mentions, in its entry and stay page updated on 15 September 2026, an application for a residence permit with the local prefecture (Statsamlet); the Danish authorities (SIRI, borger.dk) are the reference for the procedure to follow. The French embassy also recommends registering on the register of French nationals living abroad.

France Diplomatie reminds you to request the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card, CEAM in French) at least 15 days before departure and to take out cover for medical costs and repatriation, which the embassy cannot pay for. A person who works legally in Denmark falls under the Danish health insurance system (lifeindenmark.borger.dk); the health card is obtained after the CPR number and registration with a general practitioner.

The guide to the Danish healthcare system presents the care network, and the page on healthcare reimbursement in Denmark details who reimburses in each situation. Expavy helps you compare the cover that is useful during the registration period, with the page on expat health insurance.

France Diplomatie classes Denmark under normal vigilance across the whole territory (updated 19 August 2026) and states that the terrorist risk has been judged significant since February 2015, with vigilance recommended on public transport and in busy places. Pickpocketing is concentrated in July and August in cafés, hotels and restaurants, and it is advised not to leave any items in parked vehicles.

• Emergencies: 112 for life-threatening emergencies, 114 for the police outside emergencies, 1813 for non-life-threatening emergencies (France Diplomatie); the out-of-hours medical service (lægevagt) takes over in the evening and at weekends (lifeindenmark.borger.dk).
• Climate: violent storms of wind, snow, hail or rain can sweep across the country, and flooding can occur in coastal areas (France Diplomatie).
• Health: France Diplomatie reports a rise in measles cases (alert of 13 March 2026) and recommends checking your vaccination schedule; tick-borne encephalitis is concentrated mainly on Bornholm and in northern Zealand.
• Language: the administration publishes its digital services in Danish, with an English version of the portal lifeindenmark.borger.dk; the Lycée français prepares its pupils for French and Danish exams.

The Lycée français Prins Henrik, located at Rolighedsvej 39 in Frederiksberg (Copenhagen), is a private school under Danish law belonging to the network of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE). It welcomes pupils from 2 years and 10 months to 18 years, from nursery to the final year, follows the French school curriculum and prepares for French and Danish exams. It moved into its new premises in November 2023 and has existed since 1954.

French children enrolled in a school accredited by the AEFE or the Mission laïque française may be eligible for school grants, subject to conditions, through the French embassy. Family health cover is checked at the same time as choosing the school.