THE STUDENT
HANDBOOK
This handbook is made for the international students coming to
study in Aalborg; as a help this will be provided for you with all the
information needed regarding moving to Aalborg, Denmark.
By Anna Høite Meersohn
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A great, warm welcome…
…to our town, to your dream education, and to some of the
best years in your life!
The time we spend studying is a wonderful and exciting time
– it is fun, challenging, difficult, and simply fantastic all at
once.
I am proud and delighted to wish you a warm welcome as a
student in Aalborg. I am, of course, pleased that you have
chosen Denmark as the country for your studies – but I am
even more pleased that you chose Aalborg as the city that
will set the scene for your studies in the coming years. And I
am glad, too, that you chose us, because Aalborg is a city
that really has a lot to offer you.
In Aalborg we really appreciate all our students – whether
they come from abroad or from Denmark – because every
one of you helps to add color to the city and bring even more
life and high spirit.
In return, we make a very special effort to make it an attrac-
tive town to study in.
I hope you enjoy your studies and the town, and I hope you
will have some fantastic years here in North Jutland. We will
do our best to help you feel at home in our town.
With best wishes
Thomas Kastrup-Larsen
Mayor
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Content
Accommodation .......................................................................................................................... 6
General about accommodation in Aalborg ........................................................................................... 6
Prices ................................................................................................................................... 7
Deposit ................................................................................................................................. 7
Heating, water, electricity and gas .................................................................................................... 8
What if I can’t find accommodation before I have arrived in Aalborg? ............................................................. 8
Internet ................................................................................................................................ 9
Furniture ............................................................................................................................... 9
Complaints about your housing situation ........................................................................................... 10
Costs of living ............................................................................................................................ 11
Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 11
Places to shop for groceries in Aalborg .............................................................................................. 12
Tips for when buying groceries ....................................................................................................... 14
Facebook pages for students ......................................................................................................... 14
Fitness centers and Sport activities in Aalborg ...................................................................................... 15
Health system and emergencies ........................................................................................................ 16
Emergencies .......................................................................................................................... 16
Medical ................................................................................................................................ 16
Pharmacies ............................................................................................................................ 17
Dental ................................................................................................................................. 17
CPR, taxation and S.U. in Denmark ..................................................................................................... 17
What to do when you come to Denmark? ........................................................................................... 18
Bringing a car with foreign number plates to Denmark ............................................................................. 20
What is S.U.? .......................................................................................................................... 21
Events in Aalborg ........................................................................................................................ 23
Annual events ......................................................................................................................... 23
Places to visit in and around Aalborg ................................................................................................ 24
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Welcome to Aalborg
There is a lot to learn about Denmark and we hope that this handbook will show you the way through
some challenges and give you some knowledge about how it is to live in Denmark and especially Aal-
borg.
Denmark is a small country placed in Northern Europe, just north of Germany, surrounded by ocean
and the other Nordic countries. It’s a country consisting of 5,6 million inhabitants who were known
back in history to be the dangerous Vikings.
It’s a country filled with stories and places to see our old history but at the same time one of the most
developed countries in the whole world, in regards to technology, medicine, etc. Today we are very
known for being the happiest people on earth; this is affected by feeling safe… the government in
Denmark has always put the welfare of the people as high a priority as possible, which means that our
taxes are very high but with this, you can get a university
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degree without paying for it, everyone can go to school, go to the doctor without having to pay, we
get help if we have children, we get help if we become unemployed or homeless; no matter what
happens there will always be a way to get help; this makes us feel safe… that we don’t need to worry
all the time and that we are living in a safe country filled with opportunities.
We are also known for our culture and attractions, like our monarchy which is the oldest uninterrupt-
ed European monarchy, or Hans Christian Andersen, a world-known writer who wrote tales like “The
little Mermaid”, which we have a statue of in Copenhagen; we also have the best restaurant in the
world!
We have a lot more to see all over Denmark, you will be busy when coming here!
So what about Aalborg? Aalborg is the fourth largest city in Denmark, placed in the Northern part of
Jutland with over 200.000 inhabitants. A long time ago Aalborg was a Viking-city!
Aalborg is a very international city with around 30.000 students, of these there is around 3000 inter-
national student from over 20 different countries all over the world.
Years ago Aalborg was mostly known for the industry, which created a workers city; since then it has
changed into a city known for the culture, music and art affected by people coming from all over the
world of all ages, implementing a little piece of their traditions into Aalborg; still this is a city filled
with history and Danish culture, this mix makes it an interesting city filled with events and exiting
things to see.
Because there are so many students in Aalborg, the city is always working hard to improve the city to
make the students who lives in Aalborg feel at home and give them plenty of possibilities for hobbies,
activities, night-life and events throughout the year, so there is always something to do!
In this handbook you will find all the information you need to prepare when planning to move to Aal-
borg.
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Accommodation
When you get your acceptance from your uni-
versity the first thing to think about is accom-
modation.
Aalborg is a university city, which means that
there are plenty of opportunities for accommo-
dation; but where should you go? What should
you expect? There are many questions when
trying to find a place to live in another country
and here you will find all the information you
need.
General about accommodation in Aal-borg
In Aalborg there are more than 6.000 dorms
and youth-apartments, moreover there are
plenty of single rooms and private owned
apartments rented out for students. Further-
more, Aalborg is always planning and building
new and modern facilities for new-coming stu-
dents to develop the city to become more stu-
dent-friendly and attract more students from
all over the world.
When you start searching for accommodation
in Aalborg you have to go to www.aku-
aalborg.dk where you sign up as a candidate
and start searching; and don’t worry, the web-
site is also in English!
When you have signed up as a candidate you
are now inside the AKU-register of all student
accommodations in Aalborg; here you will see a
map which shows the various areas of Aalborg,
where you should click on the area which you
would like to live in and look through the vari-
ous possibilities for accommodation in that
specific area.
The red area is the center of Aalborg, where
you will find the city center, which is the most
expensive area to live in.
Next to the center you see the yellow, brown,
light brown and green area, which are the clos-
est to the center and the various schools and
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are of course cheaper than living in the center
of Aalborg.
In the areas around the above mentioned are
outside of Aalborg and far from the city center,
this means that you will not have the same ac-
cessibility to the schools and the city center.
When you click on the areas you will be able to
see a list of various possible apartments or
rooms which you will be able to click on and
look at the specific information about prices,
size, etc. When you have found a place which
you would like to sign up for, you add it to you
wish-list, which will then lead you to infor-
mation about your queue-number etc.
Please just add the wishes for your accommo-
dation, which you are interested in and can
afford.
One thing you have to remember is that if you
say “No, thank you” when you get an offer from
AKU-Aalborg about an apartment or room
which is now available for you, there is a limit;
if you say “No, thank you” four times your ac-
count at AKU-Aalborg will be deleted.
Prices
Living in Denmark is more expensive than most
countries; this is especially regarding the prices
for rent. In Aalborg you will find
accommodation from 2.000 – 4.500 and the
most expensive place to live is of course the
city center. If you want to find the difference-
between your city and Aalborg regarding prices
of accommodation etc. look at
www.numbeo.com.
Deposit
In Denmark, before you move in to your new
apartment or room you have to pay a deposit.
The deposit is insurance for the landlord, so
that if you damage the apartment, you haven’t
paid your rent or the apartment needs to get
new inventory the landlord will subtract the
money from the deposit which you have paid.
The deposit is normally the rent of the accom-
modation for 3 months; this means that if the
rent on your apartment or room is 2.500 Danish
crowns, you would have to pay 7.500 Danish
crowns before moving in.
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The deposit varies from place to place, some-
times it is only 1-2 months’ rent or more than
three, which means that the deposit can be up
to 20.000 Danish crowns, but it will always be
stated in the description of the accommodation
when you search for them online.
If you are offered an apartment, where the de-
posit is called (in Danish) “Indskud”, you can
apply for a loan from the municipality. (Please
notice, it’s only the type of deposit called (in
Danish) “Indskud”, to which you have this op-
portunity. Ordinary deposit you will have to pay
by yourself). You can find further information at
www.borger.dk This means that if you lend this
money from the municipality, so that they pay
for the “indskud” and you move out, the land-
lord will pay the money back to the municipali-
ty, resulting in that you don’t have to pay any-
thing unless you have made damage in the
apartment or similar, which means that you will
have to pay the money for reparation, etc. back
to the municipality.
Heating, water, electricity and gas
Here is something you have to be aware of
when looking for accommodation, cause in
Denmark normally the heating is included in
the rent but not the electricity, gas and the wa-
ter usage.
For example when looking at AKU-Aalborg’s
database of accommodation you will find this
when clicking on a specific apartment or room
which you have found:
This shows the rent, which is 1.912,00 Danish
crowns and heating (A conto varme) 165,00
Danish crowns, which makes the total amount
of rent: 2.077,00 Danish crowns. But as you can
see it says nothing about the electricity, gas and
water. This is because the water, gas and elec-
tricity are provided by a private company in
Aalborg; therefore once or twice a year you will
receive a letter from these companies who will
either ask you to look on a monitoring device
and write to them how much you have used or
they will tell you when they will come to check
and you would have to be available and be at
home in that period of time; this will then show
how much you have to pay to these companies
for your consumption.
What if I can’t find accommodation be-fore I have arrived in Aalborg?
If you still haven’t found accommodation be-
fore coming to Denmark, we have a housing
guarantee which means that you have a place
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to stay at a hostel in Aalborg for a very low
price until you find accommodation.
There will be a bed provided for you with bath-
room and kitchen facilities for 80 DKK pr. day,
which is a very low price in Aalborg.
This offer ends the 15th of November, after this
date you would have to pay full price for the
accommodation at the hostel, which is 210 for
students under 26 years and 315 for students
above.
To be able to get this offer, you have to have a
membership at AKU-Aalborg.
After getting your membership at AKU-Aalborg,
you will be able to see your applicant number
in your profile on AKU-Aalborg’s website, which
you have to use when booking at Danhostel
Aalborg to get your guarantee for housing.
You will be told more about this offer and the
specifics from the international office at your
place of education.
Internet
In Aalborg we have around 10 different inter-
net-suppliers, which means that there are plen-
ty of possibilities for various prices and speed.
To see and compare the various possibilities
you have there is a website made to compare
the various prices and services from the differ-
ent suppliers, it is called
www.bredbaandsguiden.dk.
This website is in Danish but with a little effort
and help from here you will not have any prob-
lem figuring out where to look.
Under “Bredbåndspriser” you will be able to
find a list of all suppliers and their prices for
their various services. On the side you will be
able to set your requirements to find the per-
fect match for you.
Furniture
There are plenty of possibilities to find cheap
furniture for your new apartment.
Other than IKEA placed in the south of the city
you will be able to find plenty of second-hand
shops where they sell all from books and
clothes to all kinds of furniture at a very low
costs.
In the picture below, showing a map of the cen-
ter of Aalborg you can see all the second-hand
stores and IKEA-Aalborg. If you want to find the
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specific address you can go to Google Maps and
search for “Genbrug”.
Moreover we students in Aalborg have a very
good network on Facebook where we sell all
kinds of things to each other, from books for
school, clothing, electronics and furniture; they
are called “Aalborg Market”, “Girls’ Marked
Aalborg” and there are many others, it’s just
about searching and you will be able to find a
lot of things at very low prices.
Complaints about your housing situa-tion
You should always feel free to ask your landlord
if you have any doubts about your housing situ-
ation (maintenance, rent etc.). Furthermore
your place of education can help you with
questions and queries. You have rights as a
renter in Denmark – these rights are defined by
law and in the agreement in your leasing con-
tract.
But in some cases it may be necessary to con-
tact one of the public housing boards – the cost
to bring a case to these public housing boards
will be around 20 euros (140 DDK) – see de-
scription below:
Beboerklagenævnet (Only subsidized housing/
social housing):
Deals with: Formalities regarding rent/ rent
increases, interior condition when moving, lack
of maintenance, renovation on vacation, re-
payment of deposit, payment of utilities, swaps,
sub lettings and continuation of the lease, rules
and regulations – what are you allowed to do,
the legality of decisions of tenants' democracy.
So if you have any problems with something
mentioned above contact them by using the
contact information below.
Contact: Aalborg Kommune, Postboks 462,
Boulevarden 13, 9100 Aalborg, [email protected],
Phone: 9931 1742
Huslejenævnet (Private landlords only):
Deals with: Rent size, rent increases, water and
heating accounts, renovation on vacation, view-
ing of the apartment when moving out, no re-
fund of deposit, lack of maintenance. So if you
have any problems with something mentioned
above contact them by using the contact in-
formation below.
Contact: Aalborg Kommune, Boulevarden 13,
9000 Aalborg, [email protected], phone: 9931
1616
If you have any further questions for accom-
modation in Denmark, feel free to contact oth-
11
er students on Facebook, the International Of-
fice at your place of education or the municipal-
ity of Aalborg, we will be happy to help you at
any time!
Costs of living
Denmark is an expensive place to live, especial-
ly for students and there are plenty of expenses
to think about when you don’t live with your
parents and when it’s in another country with
another language, it’s hard to know where to
go to get the best discounts or where the
cheapest places to buy groceries are.
In this section of the handbook you will be pro-
vided with information about different expens-
es and what possibilities you have around Aal-
borg.
Transportation
Transportation is known to be expensive in
Denmark but there are ways to get around
without spending all your money.
Bike
This is the cheapest and most student friendly
way of transportation. Fortunately Aalborg
Kommune has provided very good bicycle
routes everywhere. This means if you have a
bike you can save around 4200 DKK a year. The
winter season (which starts from mid-October
until mid-March) is a bit rough if you are riding
a bike.
There are plenty of bike-stores around Aal-
borg’s city center where you can buy new bikes,
but it’s quite expensive. Another opportunity
you have is to go on the students Facebook-
sites and ask if anyone is selling a bike, there is
always someone selling their bike, and here you
have the opportunity to find a bike for a very
low price.
Aalborg Kommune bikes – You can find Tourist-
bike all around Aalborg and they are available
for 20 DKK, which you receive back when you
return the bike to the specific stands.
Taxi
This is the most expensive way of transporta-
tion of all. For example, a taxi-ride from the
airport to the main bus-terminal in the center,
which is a taxi-ride of around 7 km, will cost
you around 200 DKK, where you could take the
bus for 20 DKK for the same starting point and
destination.
Bus
A single ticket for the bus costs 20 DKK and it’s
valid for 1 hour and it covers 2 zones – which
means the whole center, Nørresundby and the
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south part of the city where you can find IKEA.
Tickets can be bought from inside the bus, only
with cash. If you want to use the bus as every-
day transportation, you can buy a monthly tick-
et, which costs 378 DKK for 2 zones in all busses.
If you need to see how to get from one place to
another with public transportation you can use
www.rejseplanen.dk, it’s a website where you
can enter your starting-point, destination, time,
etc. and it will give you different possibilities for
transportation. Don’t worry, it’s also in English!
Train
To buy a train ticket you can go on www.dsb.dk,
which is also in English, you will be able to type
in your starting point, destination and time;
from there you will be able to look at your vari-
ous possibilities and prices for the travel.
You might get really good deals if you book
your ticket around 2 months in advance from
the day of your journey; these tickets are called
“Orange tickets” and can be bought only online.
With these you can take the train from Aalborg
to Copenhagen for 159 DKK instead of the
normal price of 419 DKK.
If you will travel with the train often it’s better,
economically, to buy a DSB Wildcard, which is a
card for people under 26 years and with this
you can get up to 50% discount on your tickets,
depending on the day you will travel.
Rejsekort (Travel-card)
This card is a magnetic card which you can
charge with money online or at the main bus
terminals or the train stations. This you can use
to pay for transportation both for trains, met-
ros and busses in the whole country. This is a
cheaper solution than paying cash.
Airplane
We have an airport in Aalborg, which you can
reach easily with the bus which goes directly
there.
From here you can reach Copenhagen, Amster-
dam, Alicante, Barcelona, Greenland, Istanbul,
London, Malaga, Mallorca, Oslo, Nice, Reykjavik,
Split, Stavanger, Stockholm and Torshavn.
There are around 16 daily flights to Copenha-
gen which takes around 30 minutes and costs
around 349 DKK for a one-way trip.
IMPORTANT: TRAVELLING WITHOUT A TICKET
WILL RESULT IN A 750 DKK FINE!
Places to shop for groceries in Aalborg
ALDI
This supermarket is with a smaller assortment,
cheap and good quality products.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 08-20 Weekends: 08-18
www.aldi.dk
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BILKA
This is the biggest shop in Aalborg. The prices
are similar to the other shops but there are
more brands and a very big assortment. You
can find not only groceries, but also other
things, such as electronics, bikes, etc.
Opening hours: 08-22 all week
www.bilka.dk
FAKTA
Good prices, always open, you can find it al-
most on every corner.
Opening hours: 8-22 all week
www.fakta.dk
KIWI
There is a lot of nice offers and discounts. It’s
the shop with the longest working time.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 07-23 Weekends: 08-22
www.kiwiminipris.dk
LIDL
This is a shop with a big assortment and very
low prices.
Opening hours: 08-21 all week
www.lidl.dk
NETTO
Here you will find a lot of nice offers, low prices
also on organic products.
Opening hours: 08-22 all week
www.netto.dk
REMA 1000
Very well organized shop with a lot of quality
products for low prices.
Opening hours: 08-21 all week
www.rema1000.dk
Føtex
They have a lot of high-quality products for a
medium-high price and a big assortment and a
lot of ecological products. They also have a
bakery in the store.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 08-21 Weekends: 08-21
www.foetex.dk
SuperBest
They have a big assortment of high-quality
products for a medium-high price range; they
also have a bakery inside the store.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 08-20 Weekends: 08-18
www.superbest.dk
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Eurospar
They have a big assortment of low-medium
quality products in a low-medium price range.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 06:30-20 Weekends: 07:30-20
www.eurospar.dk
Super Brugsen
Big assortment of high-quality products for high
prices; here you will also be able to find a lot of
ecological products.
Opening hours: 09-22 all week
www.superbrugsen.dk
Salling Super
Salling Super is located in Salling and here you
will be able to find very high-quality products
for high prices, but here you will also find ex-
traordinary products which you will not find in
other supermarkets; if you want to cook some-
thing special.
Opening hours:
Weekdays: 09-20 Weekends: 09-18
Tips for when buying groceries
You can find more and better offers in
the shop if you go around 1 hour before
they close. Sometimes the food with an
approaching expiration date gets a big
decrease on their prices.
If you are looking for a specific product
on discount, but you don’t know where
they have it on discount, you can go on
www.tilbudsugen.dk and write the
name of the product; here it will show
you if there is a discount and in which
shop you can get it.
Facebook pages for students
Roommate in Aalborg - The best place when it
comes to looking for flats and place to live.
From students for students. (English)
Aalborg Marked – Buy and sell group (English)
Girl’s marked Aalborg – The same as Aalborg
Marked, but for girls (English)
International Aalborg – Everything that is hap-
pening in Aalborg (English)
International network Aalborg – for students,
jobseekers, who have just arrived in Aalborg
and seek to form networks and ease their inte-
gration in Denmark (English)
Salg af tøj, sko osv. For Nordjylland og Aalborg
omegn! – This is a huge market group for eve-
rything you can think of. NB: It’s in Danish and
most people who post there are Danish (it has
around 25,000 members)
15
Aalborg free stuff - Page for free stuff.
Fitness centers and Sport activities in Aalborg
Fitness centers
Fresh Fitness - This is a low-price fitness center
with a lot of different possibilities and offers.
They are open 24/7 and are placed in the cen-
ter, right next to the train station. The sign-up
fee is 299 DKK, and then the monthly payment
is 149 DKK.
www.freshfitness.dk
Fitness World – This is the biggest fitness chain
with a lot of different opportunities for differ-
ent kind of training.
Here there are different kinds of membership
prices according to your needs and the sign-up
fee is 299 DKK.
www.fitnessworld.dk
DGI Huset in Nordkraft – This is a small fitness
center located in Nordkraft. Here there is no
sign-up fee and the monthly payment is 149
DKK.
www.dgihusetnordkraft.dk
Fitness DK – This is a big fitness chain with a lot
of opportunities. The sign-up fee is 299 DKK
and the monthly payment is 169 DKK if you
train between 09:00 -16:00 in the weekdays; if
you want to train in the weekends or earlier
than 9 in the morning and later than 16 in the
afternoon you have to pay 130 DKK extra.
www.fitnessdk.dk
Butterfly Fitness for women – This fitness cen-
ter is only for women, they have various possi-
bilities for membership.
www.butterflywomen.dk
Sports activities
Aalborg offers a great variety of sports in dif-
ferent sport clubs, here are the most popular:
Badminton – www.abc-aalborg.dk/Cms/
Basketball – www.aalborgbasket.dk
Football – www.fodbold.aabsport.dk
Handball – www.aalborghaandbold.dk
Karate – www.shikon.dk
Running – www.aalborg-roadrunners.dk
Swimming – www.aalborgsvommeklub.dk
Volleyball – www.aalborg-hik.dk
If you want to see a full list of all sports and
sports clubs in Aalborg, you can visit
www.studyaalborg.dk/sport-og-fritid.aspx
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Health system and emergencies
When travelling to another country you should
have a Health Insurance, which will cover you
for the first month when you come to Denmark.
Afterwards you will receive your CPR number,
which will include a Danish Health Insurance
Card.
This card, which you will receive around a
month after you come to Denmark, will give
you free medical care for the rest of your stay
in Denmark.
Emergencies
In case of emergency you can call 112 which is
free to call from your own phone or public
phones. This is the number for the ambulance,
police and the fire department.
When you call you have to tell your name, the
address you are calling from or where there is a
need for help and the phone-number you are
calling from, after that you have to stay on the
phone until the information you have given is
confirmed and help is on your way.
If something has happened which is not a life-
threatening situation you can call the police on
114.
If you need treatment if you have had an inci-
dent, occurred within the latest 24 hours, for
example broken arm, illness, need for stitches
or something alike you can call the hospital
which is open 24/7, see the contact information
below:
Aalborg Hospital South
Hobrovej 18-22
Phone number: +45 99 32 11 11
Police station
Jyllandsgade 27
Phone number: +45 96 30 14 48
E-mail: [email protected]
Medical treatment
As mentioned before when you arrive to Den-
mark you will receive your Health Insurance
Card which will give you free access to medical
treatment by doctors and in the hospital.
When you are registered in the National Regis-
ter you will be asked to choose a doctor, here
you will be able to choose a doctor according to
the area in Aalborg you want your doctor to be,
if you want a male or a female, etc. You can
also go on the internet and search for recom-
mendations for a good doctor in Aalborg; oth-
erwise you will always be able to change your
doctor if you are not satisfied.
17
When you go to your doctor, always remember
to bring your card, since it contains all the in-
formation about you which the doctor will need
to treat you.
If you haven’t received your card yet but need
to go to the doctor you have to bring your
Health Insurance papers.
To get an appointment with your doctor you
can call them, normally between 8 and 9 in the
morning; you will be able to find their number
on your Health Insurance Card.
Normally the doctors are available in the week-
days between 8 in the morning to 4 in the af-
ternoon; but closed in the weekends and in the
holydays which means that if you have an issue
which you have to talk about with a doctor you
can call “Lægevagten” which is a doctor availa-
ble at any time the normal doctors are not, this
doctor is normally situated at the hospital; the
phone number to get in touch with this doctor
in Aalborg is +45 70 15 03 00.
Pharmacies
There are several pharmacies around the cen-
ter of Aalborg.
Normally they are open from Monday to Friday
from 9 in the morning to 17:30 in the afternoon,
and on Saturdays from 9 in the morning to
14:00 in the afternoon.
Thought there is the “Budolfi Apotek”, which is
open 24/7, it’s placed on the corner of Vester-
bro/Algade in the center of Aalborg.
The phone number to reach this pharmacy is
+45 98 12 06 77.
Dental treatment
Dental treatment is very expensive in Denmark,
of course depending on which treatment you
need and it also varies from dentist to dentist.
There are some dentists in Aalborg who offers a
discount for students, for example the dentists
“Anneli Paludan & Anja Krogh” who are placed
in Nørresundby, right next to the city center, on
Østerbrogade 142; they offer a discount of 41%.
You can search for a dentist and to make an
appointment you have to call them in the
morning, to have the best chance of getting to
talk to the dentist as fast as possible. If you
need to get in touch with a dentist in the week-
ends or in the holidays you can call “Falck” on
+45 70 10 20 30 and they will tell you which
dentist is available for you.
CPR, taxation and S.U. in Denmark
The Danish Welfare state is mostly based on
the concept that we all have equal rights and
should all have access to various services,
which will be paid through the taxes.
18
If you are coming to Denmark to live, you have
to provide the Taxation System information
about your incomes even though it’s from a
source outside of Denmark.
It’s based on:
That everyone must be able to get help
in situations, such as unemployment or
illness.
All children must attend school and
have the possibility of completing an
education.
All citizens must have access to infor-
mation and guidance, like libraries or
media.
The tax rate in Denmark is one of the
highest in the world, as Denmark has a
very large public sector.
The public sector looks after many ser-
vices.
All citizens use the public sector; therefore it is
a general principle that therefore, all citizens
have to pay for it. The tax funds pay for differ-
ent expenses, such as: welfare benefits, state
pension, child benefits, schools, hospitals, li-
braries and the police.
The Danish taxation system is progressive,
which means that the more you earn the more
you should pay.
As soon as you get your Health Card in Den-
mark (your CPR) the taxation system will be
automatically provided with all the information
they need, moreover when you get a job in
Denmark your employer will provide infor-
mation about your salary, the banks will pro-
vide them information about your income and
expenses and last but not least the unemploy-
ment funds and unions will provide information
about your membership payment etc.
What to do when you come to Den-mark?
When you come to Denmark, as mentioned
before you have to get your CPR number, which
gives you access to the healthcare system in
Denmark.
To get a CPR number, you need to go to the
local municipality’s Citizen Service Centre and
there you need to bring:
Valid registration certificate or residence
permits.
Passport/ID card with picture.
Nordic CPR number if you are from a Nor-
dic country
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A proof of your address in Denmark, for
example a rental contract or a letter from
your landlord.
Marriage certificate, if you are married.
Children’s birth certificate if you have chil-
dren.
The blue health insurance card, if you are a
student.
After a month or two you will receive your CPR
number and your Health Card in your mailbox;
which looks like this:
After getting your CPR there are a few other
things which are important for you to get a job,
salary, etc.
You need to get a tax card, which whoever
will pay your salary will provide for you.
This is a card with a limit, which means that
if you have 42.000 Danish crowns on this
taxation card you can earn up to 42.000
Danish crowns pr. year. without paying full
taxation, this would normally be 8%.
If you earn more than 42.000 Danish
crowns pr. year you have to pay 39% of
your income to the taxation system.
You need to get a bank account called
“NemKonto” which is an “Easy Account”.
This account is used for your salaries,
therefore it’s very important you have it,
otherwise your employer will not be able
to pay you your salary.
This you can get at any bank.
You have to get “NemID” (EasyID), which is
a common log-in solution for Danish inter-
net banks and government websites. This is
very important to get since you will not be
able to go on any Danish internet bank site
or pay your bills, etc. without having this
card.
You can get it fromwww.nemid.nu/dk-en/ and
order one for yourself.
20
Bringing a car with foreign number plates to Denmark
If you have a car and want to bring it with you
to Denmark there are certain things you need
to be aware of.
What you can do if you bring your car with for-
eign number plates to Denmark is:
1. Apply for permission to drive your vehicle
in Denmark without paying registration tax.
2. Seek permission from SKAT to pay quarter-
ly a proportion of the normal vehicle regis-
tration tax.
3. Import it and have it registered to Danish
number plates.
These various options vary depending on how
much you use your car here in Denmark or
what you are here in Denmark for.
The taxation also varies according to which kind
of car you own, how old it is, how much it pol-
lutes etc. The calculation to find out how much
you have to pay in taxes is made from a basis of
information collected by a car-service; here
they write down all information about your car
and send it to SKAT, who then sends you a let-
ter saying how much you have to pay, depend-
ing on whether you choose option number 2 or
3 mentioned above.
If you want to apply for permission to drive
your vehicle in Denmark without paying Danish
registration tax you have to be staying in Den-
mark because you are a student or because of
short-term employment.
You are allowed to drive a foreign vehicle in
Denmark if:
The vehicle has temporary stickers that
are valid for a maximum of seven days.
The stickers must have been issued by a
competent authority in an EU/EEA state,
the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
The vehicle has been rented abroad for
a maximum of seven days; the driver's
name must be listed on the rental
agreement, and the driver must drive
from the border directly to the destina-
tion in Denmark where the vehicle is to
be delivered according to the rental
agreement.
The registered owner or user is a pas-
senger of the vehicle.
If you want to seek permission to pay quarterly
a proportion of the normal registration tax you
can apply if:
If you are a foreign national and live in
Denmark for a period of one to three
years, you can seek permission from
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SKAT to pay quarterly a proportion of
the normal vehicle registration tax.
You are considered a foreigner if you
are not a Danish citizen.
Citizens from the Faroe Islands and
Greenland are not regarded as foreign-
ers.
If you want to register for Danish number
plates you must bring your car for inspection; if
doesn’t pass through inspection it cannot be
registered as a Danish vehicle; this will be done
at an inspection center, like a car-service. After
the inspection, all the information about your
car will be sent to SKAT and they will make an
evaluation of your car and decide how much
you have to pay in taxes and for registration of
the car so that you can get your number plate.
If you need more detailed information you can
go to SKAT’s website (www.skat.dk) and search
for “Bringing a vehicle with foreign number
plates to Denmark”; there you will find all the
forms you need to fill in and more detailed in-
formation. Otherwise you can always ask at the
municipality offices for help.
What is S.U.?
S.U. is an economical help which the govern-
ment provides for Danish students every
month; lately they have changed it to also be
valid for international students.
Every month the Danish students receive a
monthly payment from the government be-
cause they are students; this is valid from when
they turn 18 years old.
So not only is it for free to get a good and long
education in Denmark, but we also get paid to
study! You might find this weird but the Danish
government has seen this as an investment for
the future of Denmark; they give all people, no
matter their family-background or economical
situation the opportunity to get a good educa-
tion. Moreover they pay them so that they
have the opportunity to be stable economically
so that they can live wherever they want to,
have money for books, computer and whatever
else they need for their education and living,
since living in Denmark is also very expensive.
If you are not Danish you must fulfill some spe-
cial conditions to be placed on an equal level
with Danish citizens and also be able to receive
the State Education Support, which is this eco-
nomical support payment from the Danish gov-
ernment.
There are two different sets of rules; one set of
rules is according to Danish rules and the other
is according to EU rules.
22
If you are a foreign citizen and apply according
to the Danish rules you must fulfill one of these
requirements:
1. You came to Denmark with your parents.
2. You are married to or living in a registered
partnership with a Danish citizen.
3. You have worked in Denmark.
4. You have resided in Denmark for a mini-
mum of 5 years.
5. You belong to the Danish minority in
Southern Slesvig.
If you are a foreign citizen and apply according
to the EU rules you must fulfill one of these
requirements:
1. You are the child of an EU or EEA citizen
with a residence in Denmark or if not, is
working in Denmark.
2. You are married or are in a registered
partnership with an EU or EEA citizen,
moreover you have to be employed in
Denmark and live with your partner
while working in Denmark.
3. You work or have worked in Denmark.
4. You have resident in Denmark for at
least 5 years.
5. You are a parent of an EU EEA or Swiss
citizen; your child must be employed in
Denmark and you must be supported
and live together with your child.
Remember that you can only get S.U. if you
study in Denmark and in addition to that you
must fulfill one of these requirements.
Most of you will be able to receive S.U. because
of being an EU or EEA citizen in Denmark and
working here as the requirement number 3
according to the EU rules.
If you wish to apply to receive S.U. in this case
you have to:
1. Be an employee or self-employed in
Denmark, or
2. have previously been an employee or
self-employed in Denmark (there must
be a connection as regards content and
time between your work in Denmark
and the study program for which you
are applying for SU), or
3. Have been an employee or self-
employed in Denmark, but in need of
re-training as a consequence of involun-
tary unemployment
When you want to apply you have to be able to
prove that you are employed in Denmark ac-
cording to the EU-law.
23
In order to be regarded as an employee in
Denmark according to the EU-law, you have to
have had a minimum of 10-12 hours or work
per week; moreover you have to provide doc-
umentation that you have been employed by a
genuine and effective workplace, which means
that you have to be able to present as a mini-
mum that the company is registered in the Dan-
ish National Register (CVR) and have had a
turnover.
A proof can be for example an employment
contract or documentation of payment from
the company you have been employed by.
Remember that when you start receiving S.U.,
it will also be taken into account as a salary;
therefore it will be included on your tax-card,
as mentioned in the section regarding salary.
If you need more information you are always
welcome to ask your place of education, go to
the S.U. website (www.su.dk) and find more
information.
Events in Aalborg
Annual events
Aalborg in Red Festival – This is a weeklong
festival which is held in the first week of Sep-
tember. It takes place all around the city and
includes many different activities, such as music
concerts, musical events, markets, children’s’
games, sports events and competitions. Most
of the events are for free.
Aalborg Carnival – This is the largest carnival in
Northern Europe, with up to 25.000 partici-
pants from all over the world. Here everyone
participates in the parade at the end of Carnival
Week in the end of May, which is held all over
the city.
The Blue Festival – This is a four day long jazz
and blues festival, also called “The Mini New
Orleans Festival”, which gathers Danish and
International musicians at several places
around Aalborg. This is one of the biggest festi-
vals in Denmark and most of the events have
free entrance.
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Places to visit in and around Aalborg
Aalborg Zoo – This is the second biggest zoo in
Denmark and one of Aalborg’s most popular
attractions. There are more than 1.500 animals
from all over the world.
Aalborg Historical Museum – The museum is
located in the city center and is open from
Tuesday to Sunday. The price for students is 15
DKK, but remember to show your student card!
Lindholm Høje Museum – This is a Viking burial
site, located in Nørresundby and is usually open
during the daylight hours.
Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art –
This museum is called KUNSTEN museum and
has a permanent collection of Danish and for-
eign art. They also have different special exhib-
its, concerts, movies and lectures. It’s opened
from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
The price for students is 20 DKK, so remember
your student card!
Event organizations
Studenterhuset (The student house) - is located
in the center of Aalborg on Gammeltorv. This is
the most popular place for students, to gather
and get to know new people, study, play games,
party and go to concerts. The student house is
run entirely by volunteers who, in their daily
life are students in Aalborg. At the Student
house there are a lot of concerts, competitions,
karaoke-nights, etc. during the whole year and
every Wednesday they have the International
Night, where a lot of international students
gather at the Student House to have fun.
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I-Life – This is an organization which is estab-
lished for students for arranging trips and
events for both Danish and international stu-
dents. They work to integrate the international
community in Aalborg through organizing vari-
ous trips, activities, events and parties.
For more information regarding what’s hap-
pening in and around Aalborg you should look
at these links:
www.visitaalborg.com
www.studenterhuset.dk
www.facebook.com/ILifeAalborg
www.visitnordjylland.dk