Apostille or Embassy Legalisation: What Denmark Requires

Last reviewed: 26 September 2026. Country requirements change. This page is re-checked periodically, and nothing on it replaces confirming the position with the Danish authority that will receive your document.

Denmark is a Convention country, so the formal answer is an apostille from DFAT. The practical answer is often less than that. Danish authorities decide case by case, much of Danish administration is digital, and for some purposes the Danish Government says Australian documents typically need no apostille at all. Where Australians do run into paperwork is buying property and setting up or running a company, and that is what this page is mainly about.

Two other Danish situations have their own pages: residence permits (see Notarising Immigration Documents for a Denmark Visa) and marrying in Denmark (see Getting Married in Denmark: Preparing Australian Documents).

Check the current position before acting on this or any other page. Denmark has been a party to the Apostille Convention since 2006. Confirm its status, and any objections, against the HCCH status table on the day you start.

Denmark and the Apostille Convention

The HCCH status table records Denmark's ratification in October 2006, with the Convention in force from 29 December 2006.

Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs states the general rule for documents from abroad: the Ministry does not legalise foreign documents; a document from a Convention country is endorsed with an apostille by the authority of the country that issued it; and you should check the requirement with the Danish authority that asked for the document.

That last point is the one to act on. Denmark does not have a single rule that every foreign document must carry an apostille. The authority asking for it decides.

Civil documents: often nothing at all

For certificates such as birth, marriage and divorce documents, the clearest official statement comes from the Danish Agency of Family Law (Familieretshuset). Its documentation page for certificates of marital status says documents from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Turkey and Great Britain need no further legalisation. It does require documents in other languages to be translated into Danish, English or German by an authorised translator. An Australian certificate is already in English.

That statement is made for one procedure. It is a strong sign of how Danish authorities treat Australian documents, but it is not a general exemption. If another Danish authority asks for an apostille, get one. DFAT can generally apostille an Australian registry certificate directly, without a notary. Confirm with DFAT.

Buying property in Denmark

Permission comes first. Denmark's Department of Civil Affairs (Civilstyrelsen) says that if you are not domiciled in Denmark, and have not lived there for at least five years, you generally need its permission to buy real property. That covers houses, building plots, apartments, summer houses and cooperative housing, whatever you mean to use them for. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens are treated differently; Australians who are not also citizens of one of those countries are not.

Permission is a separate application to Civilstyrelsen. It is not something a notary provides, and it is not solved by an apostille. Find out whether you need it before you sign a purchase agreement.

Signing the documents. Danish property transactions and land registration are handled largely online and signed with MitID, Denmark's digital identity. Most Australians living in Australia do not have MitID. If you cannot sign digitally, the purchase documents or a power of attorney to your Danish lawyer will need to be signed on paper, and the Danish side decides what certification that paper signature needs. Ask your Danish lawyer:

• Will you prepare the power of attorney, and in what language?
• Must my signature be witnessed by a notary, and does the notarial certificate need an apostille?
• Do you need the original posted to Denmark, and to whom?

An Australian notary can witness your signature, confirm your identity and attach a notarial certificate, and DFAT can then apostille it. Whether that is what the Danish land registration process needs in your case is your Danish lawyer's call. Do not sign until they have told you.

Companies and business registration

The Danish Business Authority's guidance on Business in Denmark says its self-service company registration requires a Danish personal identity number (CPR) and MitID, or an approved foreign electronic ID. Most Australians have neither, which is one reason non-resident founders commonly use a Danish adviser to register.

Its registration forms also ask for:

• a copy of the passport of any foreign person being registered
• for a foreign business, a copy of its registration certificate from the home country
• for a branch of a foreign limited company, official proof, not more than three months old, that the company is legally established

For an Australian company, that proof is usually a current ASIC extract. DFAT legalises government commercial documents, including ASIC documents, so an apostilled original is possible if the Danish side asks for one. The guidance we read does not say whether the passport copy must be certified or the extract apostilled. Ask the Danish Business Authority, or your adviser, before you order either. Watch the three-month limit: an extract ordered too early can expire in the post.

Board resolutions and powers of attorney signed in Australia for a Danish company are private documents. If the Danish side wants them authenticated, the route is an Australian notary, then a DFAT apostille.

Translation

The Danish authorities cited on this page accept English. The Agency of Family Law accepts Danish, English or German. For other languages, Danish authorities generally ask for an authorised translation. If you have a document in a third language, ask the receiving authority whether a NAATI-certified translation made in Australia will be accepted before commissioning one.

Frequently asked questions

Does the Danish consulate in Sydney need to legalise my Australian document? No. Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs says documents from Convention countries are endorsed with an apostille by the issuing country.

Can a Justice of the Peace certify documents for Denmark? Not for anything that needs an apostille. A JP certification cannot be apostilled.

Do I need permission to buy a summer house in Denmark? If you are not domiciled in Denmark and have not lived there for five years, generally yes. Civilstyrelsen says the rules cover summer houses too.

How long does it take? It depends on DFAT processing and the Danish authority. Do not plan to a figure quoted on a blog, including this one.