News

COVID-19: Travel restrictions − what do they mean for businesses?

As a consequence of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Danish Government has closed Denmark's borders from 14 March 2020 until 13 April 2020. This means that only Danish citizens, individuals with Danish work or residence permits, and those the Danish government determines have a 'worthy purpose' of travel (e.g. someone commissioned to provide goods or services in Denmark) may enter the country. Below, we have listed certain key questions and answers in respect of the travel restrictions based on the information available thus far.

Fly - luftfart - himmel - skyer - 3840x2160

Effective as of March 14 the Danish Government closed the Danish borders to all persons except for Danish citizens and persons who the Danish government determines have a 'worthy purpose' of travel. From a business perspective, a worthy purpose exists if: 

  • A person delivers goods to or services in Denmark or out of Denmark, 
  • A person works or lives in Denmark, including self-employed persons carrying out work in Denmark,
  • A person works or lives in Denmark, including self-employed persons carrying out work in Denmark,
  • A person has a valid Danish work permit, including persons holding unused work permits, or
  • A person is party to legal proceedings in Denmark.

There is no requirement to apply for prior permission. This means that a person needs to be able to provide documentation confirming that there is a worthy purpose upon entering Denmark. The type of documentation depends of the status of the person entering and/or the purpose of entry. 

How does this affect import of goods and services into Denmark?

Import of goods and services is a 'worthy purpose' and can continue as before. However, the person delivering the goods or services must be able to provide at least one of the following types of documentation upon request at the border:

  • Documentation of the business agreement in the form of an invoice, receipt, sales agreement or similar,
  • A contract of employment which states that the place of employment is in Denmark, 
  • Documentation of social security (A1 form) issued by the authorities in the country of the employer/self-employed in relation to work in another EU/EEA country,
  • Receipt of registration in RUT (Register of Foreign Service Providers). The receipt must be forwarded from employer to employee. 

Importers should be aware of restrictions imposed by other countries on goods/services passing through enroute to Denmark.  

How does this affect export of goods and services out of Denmark?

Export of goods or services are not affected by the COVID-19 travel restrictions. However, exporters should be aware of:

  • Import restrictions imposed by destination countries,
  • Import documentation required by destination countries. The Danish Government recommends that Danish exporters are able to provide at least the same documentation as Denmark requires (see above),
  • Danish travel restrictions preventing customers from travelling to Denmark to purchase or pick up already purchased goods (e.g. Danish supermarkets, border shops, etc.). Customers will only be allowed entry to the extent they can demonstrate that the relevant good cannot be shipped and that it is necessary for the business of the Danish company that the good is picked up in Denmark. 

Can employees and business partners enter Denmark?

All Danish citizens and persons with legal residence in Denmark may enter Denmark. Employees with residence in another EU/EEA country who work in Denmark will still be allowed in to perform their work. 

Business travels or meetings in respect of an existing contract or similar engagement are permitted. Business travels or meetings which do not relate to an existing contract or similar engagement, including study trips, participation in seminars, etc., are subject to a specific assessment with respect to the necessity of the meeting and whether the meeting can be carried out without physical presence. This assessment will be performed at the Danish border. 

Required documentation for employees 

The documentation required in respect of employees depends on whether the employee is a Danish citizen, frontier worker or posted worker. 

Danish citizen or a person with legal residence in Denmark is required to provide one of the following types of documentation upon request at the border:

  • Danish passport, or
  • Danish residence permit.

In addition to ordinary personal identification documents, a frontier worker who works in Denmark but has residence in another EU/EEA country is required to provide one of the following types of documentation upon request at the border:

  • Health insurance card from Denmark, 
  • A contract of employment stating that the place of employment is in Denmark, or
  • A paycheck from a Danish company. 

In addition to ordinary personal identification documents, a person posted to work in Denmark temporarily by an employer located in another EU/EEA country is required to provide one of the following types of documentation upon request at the border:

  • A contract of employment stating that the place of employment is in Denmark, 
  • Documentation of social security (A1 form) issued by the authorities in the country of the employer/self-employed in relation to work in another EU/EEA country; or
  • Receipt of registration in RUT (Register of Foreign Service Providers). The receipt must be forwarded from employer to employee.

Required documentation for business partners

With respect to business travels in respect of an existing contract, documentation of such contract needs to be provided at the border. 

With respect to business travels where there is no existing contract, the following documentation is required upon request at the border:

  • Documentation of the planned meeting in the form of an email or other correspondence, and
  • Contact information of the relevant contact person for the meeting, who can confirm the meeting and the necessity of carrying it out by physical presence. 

Contact

Mads Reinholdt Sørensen
Partner (Aarhus)
Dir. +45 38 77 46 01
Mob. +45 20 19 74 17