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Denmark Expat Forum

Preparing to move from the US to denmark, Any advise?

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trisler2013
10/27/2013 23:16 EST

Hello! My boyfriend and I are seriously thinking of moving to Denmark. We have known eachother for 4 years, and I currently have sole custody of my 3 month old baby out here. Him and i do not have kids together, But he is a big part of my sons life. My boyfriend has family in Denmark, And my boyfriend also knows some Danish as well. What we are curious on is a few things. What will we need to bring, Are we legally allowed to marry when we get there if we are from the US, without shipping our car (going without) what would the cost be about to move? Im sorry for the long post. But we are curious about starting a new life. I know it is not the same as here. We know what to expect (: and we are excited. Just want advise as well from others who moved from the US to denmark. We would like to make Denmark our permanent home

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GeorgiaPeach
10/29/2013 09:50 EST

You should seriously reconsider. I am a US Citizen that fell in love with a Dane, moved to Denmark, married in Denmark and now my Danish husband and I live back in the US and are much happier than when we were in Denmark. Your living costs will triple, your child will have to absolutly learn Danish in order to socialize and survive in society. Good luck getting your residency card, mine took over 7 months AFTER I was married and even then I almost got kicked out of the country due to an error on Immigrations part. Danes only want Danes to live in their country, they like you to visit and spend lots of US dollars, but after that you can go home. You will get no benefits from the social system and that is if you get your residency permit before your 3 month passport visa is up. Don't even bother with your car, the taxes you would have to pay are way more than what the vehicle is worth I can tell you that. You think you know what to expect, but you really don't. You would be able to marry in Copenhagen, but it will be difficult. Bring every piece of paper work from the day you were born, your first report card, your first love letter you ever received, your first F you received on a report...you get my jist. Serioulsy re-think this. Good luck finding a job, as well. You don't speak Danish and they don't want to hire non-Danes! Don't mean to discourage you, but you wanted input, so there you have it.

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DarlingLisa
11/14/2013 10:41 EST

agree with Georgia Peach, this place will eat you alive. If you don't speak Danish you will be alone and unemployed and broke.

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JDaghri
1/17/2014 15:44 EST

I lived in Denmark for two years and met many women who married a Danish man. The wives were from various countries, including American. Expatriating is not for the faint of heart. If you haven't ever lived overseas, you really don't understand the momentous undertaking that living in a foreign culture can be. I've lived overseas three times and I thought each time that I knew what we were getting into. I was wrong each time. It's an adventure to say the least.

What others have said is true... your expenses will triple because of all the taxes; forget about saving any money for your future; your options are limited as far as what you can purchase which is why so many people go shopping in Sweden and Germany; the housing is extremely expensive and poorly built/maintained -- we spent $8000 a month for a three bedroom townhouse way outside of Copenhagen!; the social services doctors are barely nurses in my opinion (my doc would google symptoms right in front of me!); private doctors are extremely expensive and not worth it either; the long long winter and short short winter days make everyone in the country run away in July.

In regards to your child... I'm not a lawyer but have children and have travelled internationally often by myself with them. Foreign countries require that the father signs a document allowing you to travel with your child outside of the country. Even though you have sole custody, this could be an issue if the father ever wanted to challenge this he has the right to. My children went to NGG International School and then moved to CIS which was horribly expensive. NGG was poorly run and with the exception of a few teachers, poorly taught. Public schools have extremely short days with children getting out by noon and going home to an empty house because everyone works to pay the super high taxes. I don't think they are taught to read until 1st grade.

Don't even think of arriving there on a travel visa and plan on getting your documents in order while there. It takes forever. Do it from here and make it all legal before you go. Everything is ran through your CPR #. Denmark is only interested in people who are willing to come over and work to pay the taxes for the more than 50% of natural residents who aren't working. It will take you up to two years to get proficient enough in Danish to get a decent job. You might be able to get an ok job without Danish but it won't be enough to live off of. Oh... and the drinking age is 14 so be prepared to deal with that when you child grows up and goes to drinking parties. Danes profess to be the happiest place on the world to live. The truth is those are the people who can't live without expats moving in to actually do the work. The expat community there is fairly active and you'll make friends easily. Forget about trying to make Danish friends unless they have lived outside of Denmark and have experienced life somewhere else.

Best of luck but I really really suggest that you reconsider. There are so many more options here in the US to have a much much better life than what one can have in Denmark.

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GeorgiaPeach
1/21/2014 17:25 EST

I have just returned to the states after living in Denmark for over one year and needless to say I am SOOOOO happy to be back.

I fell in love with a Dane, moved there and married there. The immigration process was an absolute nightmare and I almost got kicked out of the country, even though I am married to a Dane.

The people are nice enough, but finding friends is difficult, you really have to be an outgoing person (which I am) and be willing to put yourself through the uncomfortable situation of going to parties to try to make friends and no one there will even try to speak to you. The majority of Danes speak english, but there is a generational gap in the older age (sometimes 50+) and they could care less about communicating with you.

They do not go out and socialize like we do because it is SOOOO damn expensive so be prepared for many quite nights huddled around a fire with a bottle of wine (if your lucky). Now this may sound romantic to most, but it becomes a stagnet routine at best.

If you do move I recommend Cophenhagen, this will be your best location for a chance of a job, but you will probably not get one as they will hire a Dane before you. This is how they keep all Danes off of the Social System.

It's cold, rainy, overcast and windy the majority of the time. You will be lucky to wear shorts three to four times out of the year.

I will always have a connection to Denmark through my husband, but with out that, it is one of those places in the world that would be "o.k., been there done that, next!"

Think long and hard before you move my friend.......long and hard!

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JDaghri
1/22/2014 12:51 EST

Well put GeorgiaPeach. After living in Denmark for two years I couldn't be happier coming back to the US. I forgot to mention in my previous post to this question was that there is a new point system for immigrants to Denmark. If you aren't a college graduate, you probably won't get in even if you are married to a Dane. And, there's an age requirement as well, even if you are married to a Dane. I'm thinking it is 25. Correct me if I'm wrong on that one please. We knew a Danish man who married a 23 yr old Thai woman and she wasn't admitted into Denmark. Could be the whole Thai thing raising a flag but he was told she couldn't move into the country due to her age. So unless you are a refugee, Denmark wants highly skilled labor who are at least in their mid-twenties. I highly suggest that you speak to the Danish Embassy and what the process is and get that started before buying your tickets to head there. Best of luck!

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GeorgiaPeach
1/22/2014 17:00 EST

Immigration laws in Denmark changed with the new parliment being voted in in 2012.

There were roughly 365 new laws voted in at the same time, so needless to say no one in the Kommunes (the local government offices in each city) knows what is going on. This was the problem that we faced.

Unless you are coming to Denmark as a skilled worker already employed, a refuge that is fleeing their home country due to war, starvation, political persecution or you have married a Dane that is over the age of 26 (this is due to an old law that a Dane cannot marry a person that is not Danish unless the Dane has lived in Denmark for over 26 years.....who knows what they were thinking when they wrote that one, other than it is keeping Danish blood pure for the clans and I'm not EVEN kidding).

So in other words, Denmark is not the country you just pick up and move to.....visit as a tourist, spend your money, tell eveyone that you had a wonderful time in Denmark and everyone was so happy and nice, but move here as a non-Dane...they really don't want that!

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