Compared to most other countries, Denmark is a very digitalised country and e-government is an integral part of life in Denmark. Digital self-services and digital post are mandatory for both citizens and businesses. This means that when you deal with and communicate with Danish authorities, you will have to do many things online yourself (e.g., filling in forms and applying and registering for different things) rather than showing up at public offices to do this. It also means that all correspondence (letters, appointment confirmations, approvals, etc.) from public authorities will be sent to you digitally in your digital mailbox.
The two cornerstones of Digital Denmark and integral parts of life in Denmark are Digital Post and MitID.
The film Welcome to Digital Denmark gives a quick introduction to Digital Denmark and you can also find information on it at Denmark | DIGITAL NATIONS.
Digital post
Danish public authorities no longer send out physical letters. Instead, you will automatically get a digital mailbox when you register with your municipality of residence and get your CPR number. This means that all correspondence, for example letters and appointment confirmations, from Danish public authorities will be sent to your digital mailbox.
Digital post is also the preferred means of sending letters, invoices, etc. by banks and a number of private companies such as utility companies, insurance companies and service providers. It is however not mandatory to receive digital post from private companies and as a user you can choose not to agree to this.
You can access your digital post from public authorities on lifeindenmark.borger.dk. You will however need to use e-Boks if you wish to receive digital post from private companies as correspondence from them will not feature in your digital mailbox on lifeindenmark.borger.dk.
You can find more information about Digital Post at Digital Post (borger.dk).
MitID
When registering with the municipality, you also need to register for MitID (‘My ID’), which is the Danish digital ID and your personal key to digital services in Denmark. MitID is linked to the CPR number.
You need MitID for many things as it is your personal secure login for online public self-service solutions, your personal digital postbox (Digital Post), e-tax, health care and online banking. MitID also serves as your digital signature and is used to validate online purchases and to sign contracts – you do for example no longer have to show up in person at the bank to sign for a loan.
You can log onto e-government services with MidtID at your own convenience which means that you for example can sign your child up for kindergarten or book an appointment with Citizen Service (Borgerservice) from home, when on holiday or in the evening.
To get your personal MitID, you either need to scan your passport or ID card in the MitID app or book an appointment with Borgerservice. If you have problems setting up your MidtID, you can also book an appointment with Borgerservice. To book an appointment with Borgerservice for help with MidtID, please contact on 87 87 87 47 instead of using the online appointment booking system.
When you book an appointment with Borgerservice to get your CPR number, you can also get help setting up your MitID and thus sort out both at the same time.
For general information about MitID see MitID – Denmark’s national eID. You can also find information on Viborg Municipality’s website on How to get MitID.
NemSMS
If you would like to be reminded about your appointments with public authorities, you can register on the NemSMS service.