How to buy a summer house in Denmark

If you, as a foreigner, wish to buy a summer house in Denmark, we recommend you to consult a Danish lawyer.

A Danish lawyer helps you with the following:

Guidance to ensure that you fulfil the conditions for the application
Guidance about your possibilities of obtaining permission from the Danish Ministry of Justice
Assistance with the application
Advising on the legal aspects with regard to the transaction

Crucial factors when you buy a summer house in Denmark

Under current Danish rules of law, foreign residents are not allowed to purchase real property in Denmark without obtaining permission from the Danish Ministry of Justice - unless they have previously been permanently resident in Denmark for at least 5 years.

To evaluate your permission, the Danish Ministry of Justice will consider the following.

Previous stays in Denmark
Specific family relations in Denmark
Specific business relations to Denmark
Specific cultural relations to Denmark
Specific financial relations to Denmark
Specific attachment to the property, you wish to buy

Application for permission

You can only apply for permission to buy a specific property in Denmark. This means that you will not be able to apply for a general advance approval to buy any summer house in Denmark. You may expect a review time of 10 weeks, once the Danish Ministry of Justice has received all of the required information.

Consequences of non-permission

If you purchase a property without the required permission, or if the conditions for the permission lapse, you may be ordered to sell the property within a period of 6 months.