To work as a bus driver in Denmark, you need a Danish or EU/EEA driving licence in the right bus category (D1, D1E, D or DE), a valid health assessment for that licence, the professional driver qualification known in Danish as chaufføruddannelse (shown as code 95 or on a separate qualification card), a digital tachograph driver card, and the legal right to work in Denmark. For commercial passenger work on a Danish licence, the licence also carries an entitlement for commercial passenger transport (erhvervsmæssig personbefordring, often shortened to EP). Bus driver requirements in Denmark are strict for people from outside the EU: commercial bus driving requires the Danish entitlement for commercial passenger transport, obtained by passing a driving test, bus drivers are not on the Positive List for Skilled Work, and the professional qualification must normally be earned in Denmark. This guide explains each requirement, the minimum ages and the order of the steps.

Bus driver requirements in Denmark at a glance

Denmark applies the common EU framework for licences and driver qualification, but the immigration side follows Danish national schemes because of Denmark's opt-out from EU justice and home affairs cooperation. A foreign bus driver usually needs all of the following before driving passengers for pay:

• A bus licence (kørekort til bus) in category D1, D1E, D or DE, held on top of a category B car licence.
• A medical certificate (lægeattest) when the bus category is first issued and at each renewal, because bus categories run on a short validity cycle.
• The EP entitlement on a Danish licence for commercial passenger transport, shown by code 425 or 426.
• The driver qualification (chaufføruddannelse), either through initial qualification or, for experienced EU drivers, through recognition of an existing EU qualification, plus periodic training every five years.
• A driver card (førerkort) for buses fitted with a digital or smart tachograph.
• The right to live and work in Denmark, either under EU free movement or through a Danish residence and work permit (opholdstilladelse and arbejdstilladelse).
• Checks linked to particular jobs, such as a child certificate (børneattest) for school and children's transport.

Bus licence categories D1, D1E, D and DE

Danish licence categories follow the EU model. Category D1 covers a small bus (lille bus), and D covers a large bus (stor bus). D1E and DE add a large trailer to the respective bus. According to borger.dk guidance on the bus licence, every bus category requires a category B licence first; D1E requires D1, and DE requires D. The EP entitlement is not a separate category but an endorsement on the licence: code 425 shows EP for both D1 and D, and code 426 shows EP for D1 only.

The test itself is demanding. For bus and EP, the theory test allows no more than three faults, against five for most other categories; the practical test is assessed more strictly, and the test includes an oral review of the rules on bus driving and the special requirements for buses. Driving lessons are taken at an approved training centre (uddannelsescenter), and a combined course for bus and EP is available. The application is made at Borgerservice in any municipality on form P23, usually submitted by the driving instructor, together with your current licence, a photo and the medical certificate.

One condition matters greatly for newcomers: applicants who are not Danish or Nordic citizens must have normal residence (sædvanlig bopæl) in Denmark, which normally means living here for at least 185 days a year, and must document their right to stay. Borgerservice decides whether your documentation is sufficient. In other words, you cannot take a Danish bus licence as a visitor.

Minimum ages for bus drivers in Denmark

Age rules for bus drivers come from two places: the Danish driving licence order (kørekortbekendtgørelsen), which sets the age for holding each category, and the Danish order on qualification requirements for certain drivers in road transport, which sets the age at which you may drive passengers professionally. Both have to be satisfied.

Licence ages

Under the licence rules, the general minimum age is 21 for D1 and D1E and 24 for D and DE. There are three important exceptions:

• Licence taken as part of the professional qualification. A D1, D1E, D or DE licence can be issued from age 18 if you take it as part of acquiring the basic professional qualification. Until you reach the general age (21 for D1, 24 for D), the licence is only valid for the driving permitted under the qualification rules.
• Service drivers. A category D licence can be issued from age 21 to people employed by or serving in the armed forces, the Home Guard, the emergency services or the police, limited to service driving until age 24.
• Mechanics. Mechanics and similar workers, and trainees in those fields, can hold category D from 21 for test driving linked to repair and maintenance.

Borger.dk summarises this as D1 and D1E from 21 or 18 if you are in education, and D and DE from 24 or 18 or 21 depending on the education. If you meet the conditions to start before 21, you may begin the bus licence once you hold category B and are at least 17 years and 9 months old.

Professional driving ages

The Danish order on qualification requirements for drivers in road transport sets professional driving ages according to the qualification route you completed.

If you hold a qualification earned through the full basic qualification route that ends with the basic qualification test (grundlæggende kvalifikationsprøve), you may drive:

• D1 and D1E from 18
• D and DE on regular routes where the route does not exceed 50 km, from 18
• D and DE without passengers, from 18
• D and DE in general, from 20

If you hold a qualification earned through the accelerated route, called intensive basic training (intensiv grundlæggende uddannelse), you may drive:

• D1 and D1E from 21
• D and DE on regular routes not exceeding 50 km, from 21
• D and DE in general, from 23

Be careful with older Danish material, including parliamentary background notes, stating that nobody under 21 can drive a bus in Denmark: that described the rules before the current qualification order.

Foreign driving licences and licence exchange

Licence recognition is covered in depth in our separate guide on foreign truck driving licences, so this section focuses on what is different for bus work.

EU and EEA licences. A bus licence issued in another EU or EEA country is valid in Denmark for the categories it shows, and exchange is not required. You must still meet the Danish age requirement for an equivalent licence, with some exceptions for EU/EEA licences. You may exchange voluntarily, normally without a test. Once you are resident, Danish rules on validity periods and medical checks apply when the licence is renewed or exchanged, as the EU Your Europe guidance on licence exchange explains.

Non-EU licences. According to the Danish Road Traffic Authority's guidance on foreign licences, a valid non-EU licence can be used for up to 180 days after you take up normal residence in Denmark, provided it is in Latin script or officially translated, and you meet the age requirement. What happens next depends on the country that issued it. For countries in Denmark's agreement groups, only category B is exchanged without a test; for additional categories such as D, you generally pass a category B driving test, after which the previously earned categories are exchanged. Licences from other countries require both a theory and a practical test. Exchange applications are handled through the municipalities, and the authority states that your stay must normally have lasted more than six months before a non-EU licence can be exchanged.

The rule that matters most for bus drivers. Driving a bus commercially in Denmark requires a licence for commercial passenger transport, and the Danish Road Traffic Authority states that you must pass a driving test to obtain it, in its guidance on driving in Denmark with a foreign licence. A driver arriving with a licence from outside the EU and EEA should therefore plan to obtain a Danish licence with the bus category and the EP entitlement before taking paid passenger work, and should confirm with the authority whether a foreign licence may be used for this work in the meantime.

The EP entitlement for commercial passenger transport

Under the Danish licence rules, the entitlement for commercial passenger transport (erhvervsmæssig personbefordring) gives the right to drive a small bus (D1) or a large bus (D) when carrying people commercially. An EP entitlement for D also covers D1. To obtain it you need category B and must pass a driving test for commercial passenger transport, which is why borger.dk lists a combined test for bus and EP and a separate EP test for people who already hold a bus licence.

The Danish Road Traffic Authority decides EP applications after the municipality forwards them. If you have a criminal record, ask the authority before you apply how it will be assessed, because no official guidance we found sets out the test in detail.

The EP entitlement is not the same as the taxi driver card used for taxi work, so for minibus or taxi style work check which entitlement the vehicle and service require.

Health certificate and licence validity

Bus categories belong to licence group 2. According to borger.dk guidance on renewing a licence, group 2 licences are normally valid for five years, and a health-related restriction can shorten that. A medical certificate (lægeattest) is required when the bus category is first issued and when it is renewed. Lorry categories and commercial passenger transport follow the same rule.

The process is digital. You fill in your part of the certificate on borger. dk,dk, then attend a consultation with your doctor, who completes the certificate and sends it to the municipality handling your case. The certificate should normally come from your own doctor (your GP, praktiserende læge) or a specialist; if another doctor issues it, you must explain why. The doctor charges a fee, which you pay yourself and which covers the examination and certificate only, not the licence. The certificate may be no more than six months old when you submit your application.

The minimum health standards are set out in an annex to the licence order on physical and mental fitness, and a health condition can lead to a refusal, a shorter validity period, or further assessment, so declare health matters honestly. Drivers aged 70 and over have shorter validity periods. Renewal is handled through the self-service "Ansøg om/forny kørekort" on borger .dk, followed by an appointment at Borgerservice. Plad: borger.dk notes that processing can take longer for group 2 categories and health assessments, and the temporary paper licence is valid in the Nordic countries only.

Professional driver qualification for bus drivers

The professional driver qualification (chaufføruddannelse) is separate from the licence. Under the Danish qualification order, which implements the EU Directive on initial qualification and periodic training of drivers, a driver of D1, D1E, D or DE vehicles on public roads must hold a driver qualification certificate (chaufføruddannelsesbevis). The order applies to EU/EEA nationals and to non-EU nationals employed by or used by an undertaking established in the EU/EEA.

Initial qualification routes

There are two routes to the basic qualification:

• Basic qualification test route. This ends with written theory exams totalling at least four hours across all subjects in the order's annex, a driving test of at least 90 minutes and a practical test of at least 30 minutes. It gives access to the lowest professional driving ages listed above.
• Intensive basic training. This accelerated route consists of at least 140 hours, including at least 10 individual driving lessons, and ends with a written exam. Passenger drivers must have at least two lessons in a three-axle bus at least 13.5 metres long. Up to four of the driving lessons may take place on a closed site, test track or advanced simulator. The hours cannot be reduced on the basis of individual assessment.

Drivers already qualified for goods transport who move into passenger transport do not repeat the whole course. An intensive course of at least 35 hours, including 2.5 individual driving lessons, covers the change of activity. Drivers who held a bus licence before the EU driver qualification rules first took effect are exempt from initial qualification but not from periodic training. Apprentices in an approved vocational programme may drive domestic transport during training for up to three years if they hold the relevant licence.

Periodic training every five years

Periodic training (efteruddannelse) is at least 35 hours, normally five days, repeated every five years. Courses must be at least seven hours each and may run over two consecutive days. The Danish structure is a two-day mandatory module, a two-day sector module, and a one-day optional module. If your qualification lapses, you must complete periodic training before resuming professional driving. Periodic training may be taken in the EU/EEA country where you normally live or where you work.

Code 95 and the qualification card

Denmark issues a driver qualification card (chaufføruddannelsesbevis) following the EU model, which carries the harmonised EU code 95. It is normally valid for five years, but the period can be shortened or extended to line up with the licence, within a range of three to seven years. If you complete periodic training within three months before expiry, the new card runs from the old expiry date, so you lose no time.

A driver qualification card issued in another EU/EEA country is valid in Denmark according to its content. Non-EU nationals working for an EU/EEA undertaking must prove their qualification; for passenger transport that means a licence showing EU code 95 or a driver qualification card. The driver attestation used in road haulage applies to goods transport, not to bus drivers.

Where drivers from outside the EU train

The qualification order also decides where you train. EU/EEA nationals with normal residence in Denmark take initial training here. Non-EU nationals working for an EU/EEA undertaking must take it in Denmark if they hold a Danish permanent residence permit or work permit, or if the undertaking is established in Denmark. In practice, a non-EU driver hired by a Danish operator should expect to complete the Danish qualification at an approved Danish training centre, not abroad.

Driver card and driving time rules

Most buses in regular and tourist service use a digital or smart tachograph, and the driver must use a personal driver card (førerkort), which records all driving activity. The Danish Road Traffic Authority's tachograph card page explains that you apply digitally through borger.dk using MitID, photos of the front and back of your valid driving licence, and a portrait photo meeting strict requirements. Paper applications are possible through the authority's postboxes but take longer, and the physical tachograph counters have closed. A fee applies and is shown on the application page.

Because the digital application relies on MitID, you apply in practice once registered and resident in Denmark. If you already hold a driver card from another EU country, speak to the authority before applying, as a driver may hold only one valid card. For renewal, you can apply up to two months before expiry and no later than 15 days before the current card runs out.

Bus drivers are also bound by the EU rules on driving times, breaks and rest periods, and the Danish Road Traffic Authority publishes guidance on them. Ask your employer which rules apply to your duties, as short regular routes can be treated differently.

Criminal record and child certificate checks

Denmark has no single "bus driver police check", but several checks can apply depending on the job.

EP entitlement. Ask the Danish Road Traffic Authority whether a criminal record affects an EP application before you apply.

School and children's transport. A Ministry of Transport order on child certificates requires operators of certain non-public transport, including bus transport under agreements with schools and special route transport for children, to obtain a child certificate (børneattest) for drivers with a fixed attachment before they start. Where a driver works more than three months and drives at least three times in that period, the certificate must be obtained within three weeks if the attachment continues. A child certificate shows whether a person has been convicted of certain offences against children, and your employer requests it with your consent.

Operator good repute. Bus companies holding a community licence (fællesskabstilladelse) must meet good repute requirements, but these cover the company, its managing directors and its transport manager, not individual drivers.

Employer checks. Employers may ask for a criminal record certificate (straffeattest) or a foreign police certificate as their own requirement, and permit schemes can add conduct conditions: the Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme, for example, excludes applicants fined DKK 3,000 or more under the relevant criminal or aliens legislation in the two years before applying.

Danish language and local knowledge

The licence and qualification rules do not set a formal Danish language level for bus drivers. That does not mean Danish is optional in practice.

For the licence test, the Danish Road Traffic Authority's guide to taking a licence states that the test can be taken in four languages besides Danish: English, German, Faroese and Greenlandic. The practical test can be taken in English anywhere in Denmark; the theory questions can be read aloud, and where an interpreter is used, the authority arranges and pays for it. Courses and exams for the professional qualification are run by approved training centres, so confirm the teaching and exam language with the centre before you enrol.

On the job, the picture changes. Passengers ask questions in Danish, and communication with the control room, ticket inspectors and emergency services may be in Danish, so many operators expect conversational Danish, especially for city and regional routes. Local knowledge also matters: route familiarisation, ticketing systems, accessibility procedures, winter driving and heavy cycle traffic form part of employer training. Free Danish education for newcomers and workplace language needs are covered in our separate guide on Danish language requirements.

Work and residence authorisation for bus drivers

A bus licence and qualification give you the right to drive, not the right to work. Your immigration route depends on your nationality.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work in Denmark under free movement rules. For a stay longer than three months, you apply for an EU residence document through the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). According to SIRI's page for EU employees, you apply online, appear in person at a SIRI branch within 30 days, provide an employment contract or employer declaration signed less than 60 days before SIRI receives it, and pay no fee. You then register with your municipality for a CPR number, which you need for MitID, tax, health care and, in practice, for applying for the driver card and Danish licence documents. Nordic citizens follow separate, simpler rules.

Bus drivers and the Positive List for Skilled Work

Bus drivers do not appear on the Positive List for Skilled Work (positivlisten for faglærte), SIRI's list of skilled occupations with shortages. The nearest driving entry is ambulance driver, which is a different occupation. The list is updated twice a year, on 1 January and 1 July, so check the current version before relying on this. Demand reported by employers or job portals does not make an occupation eligible for a permit; only the official list does.

Pay-based schemes

Without a Positive List route, a non-EU bus driver offered a job in Denmark usually has to look at the pay-based schemes:

• Pay Limit Scheme (beløbsordningen). Open to any occupation if the guaranteed annual salary reaches the threshold, which SIRI adjusts every 1 January. Only cash salary with fixed supplements, labour market pension contributions and paid holiday allowance count; benefits such as a car or housing do not. The job must be at least 30 hours a week and on Danish terms. See SIRI's Pay Limit Scheme page for the current amount.
• Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme (den supplerende beløbsordning). This has a lower salary threshold, also adjusted every 1 January, but extra conditions: the job must be full-time, it must have been advertised on Jobnet and the EURES portal for at least two weeks before you apply, and the scheme is only open while seasonally adjusted gross unemployment has not averaged above 3.75% over the previous three months. SIRI publishes the current amount on its Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme page.

Whether a bus driving contract reaches either threshold depends on its guaranteed gross salary, so compare the offer with SIRI's current figures before applying. Both schemes tie the permit to the specific job. The procedure, fee and biometrics are covered in our separate guide on applying for a residence and work permit.

Other residence grounds

Some foreign nationals already in Denmark hold residence on another ground, for example as the spouse or partner of a Danish resident or as the accompanying family member of a permit holder, which may include the right to work. If your permit gives you free access to the labour market, you may take bus driving work without a separate work permit, but you still need the Danish licence, EP, qualification and driver card. Check your own permit conditions with SIRI or the Danish Immigration Service first.

Bus operators, agencies and pay conditions

Commercial bus transport in Denmark requires the operator to hold a community licence from the Danish Road Traffic Authority, and route services also need a contract or a route permit. According to the authority's page on the community licence, the operator must show good repute, financial standing, professional competence through a transport manager who has passed the bus operator exam, and a genuine establishment in Denmark with drivers available in proportion to its activity. The operator must also follow the driver pay and working conditions in the relevant collective agreements, or keep its overall labour cost level from deviating materially from them.

Agencies that hire out drivers temporarily for passenger or goods transport need separate approval from the authority. The authority's page on rental of temporary drivers states that when drivers are hired out to drive in Denmark in Danish-registered vehicles, the agency must follow a wage level equivalent to the guiding collective agreements for drivers. A sole trader cannot hire themselves out under this approval. If you are offered bus work through an agency, ask whether it holds this approval and which collective agreement or pay level applies.

Step-by-step route for drivers from outside the EU

Because the requirements depend on one another, the order matters. A typical path looks like this:

1. Check your immigration route first. Confirm whether you already have a right to work in Denmark or which scheme a job offer could fit. Without a residence ground, you cannot meet the normal residence condition for a Danish licence.
2. Secure residence and register. Obtain your permit, register for a CPR number and MitID, and open a Danish bank account.
3. Deal with your foreign licence. Find out which exchange rules apply to your country, and confirm with the authority whether your foreign licence may be used for commercial passenger transport while you wait.
4. Get the medical certificate. Start the lægeattest on borger.dk and see your doctor, keeping the six-month validity in mind.
5. Take the bus licence and EP. Enrol at an approved training centre and pass the theory, practical, and oral elements for the category you need.
6. Complete the driver qualification. Choose the full or intensive route, bearing in mind the professional driving ages each one allows.
7. Apply for a driver card. Apply through borger.dk once you have the Danish licence and MitID.
8. Complete job-specific checks. Provide any child certificate or record certificate your employer needs, and complete route and ticketing training.

EU/EEA drivers with an existing bus licence and code 95 can usually skip most of steps 3 to 6 and start much sooner, provided their licence, qualification and medical status are valid, and they register their residence.

Common mistakes and their consequences

• Driving passengers on a non-EU licence. This is not permitted for commercial passenger transport and can lead to fines for the driver and operator and to problems with your residence status if you work outside your permit's terms.
• Letting periodic training lapse. Without valid periodic training, you may not drive professionally until you complete it, and the order contains penalty provisions for breaches.
• Assuming shortage means eligibility. Recruitment campaigns for drivers do not change the fact that bus drivers are not on the Positive List for Skilled Work.
• Working before a permit is granted. A non-EU national may only work in Denmark when a valid permit allows it. Illegal work can lead to fines, permit refusal and expulsion, and our separate guide for employers explains employer liability.
• Paying for promises. No one can guarantee a Danish permit, licence or job, so be cautious of offers that charge for "guaranteed" placements.

EU and EEA drivers with recognised licences and qualifications can move quickly. Drivers from outside the EU should plan around a legal residence ground, a Danish licence with EP and the Danish driver qualification, and confirm current rules with the Danish Road Traffic Authority, Borgerservice and SIRI before making commitments.

Sources and References

• Kørekort til bus (bus licence), borger.dk
• Forny dit kørekort (renewing a licence), borger.dk
• Order on qualification requirements for certain drivers in road transport, Retsinformation
• Directive on initial qualification and periodic training of drivers, EUR-Lex
• Foreign driving licences, exchanges and visitor's licences, Danish Road Traffic Authority
• Driving licence exchange and recognition, Your Europe
• Tag kørekort, sådan gør du (taking a licence), Danish Road Traffic Authority
• Ansøg om takografkort (tachograph card applications), Danish Road Traffic Authority
• Order on child certificates in the Ministry of Transport's area, Retsinformation
• Fællesskabstilladelsen (community licence for bus operators), Danish Road Traffic Authority
• Rental of temporary drivers for freight and passenger transport, Danish Road Traffic Authority
• EU residence as an employee, SIRI
• Positive List for Skilled Work, SIRI
• Pay Limit Scheme, SIRI
• Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme, SIRI
• Guidance on driving in Denmark with a Ukrainian licence, Danish Road Traffic Authority