How to Hire Truck Drivers from Abroad in Denmark (2026)

7 min

Is there a real shortage of truck drivers in Denmark, and what does it cost you?

Denmark faces a persistent structural shortage of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers. Transport hubs across Jutland - particularly around Padborg near the German border, the Triangle Region (Taulov, Fredericia, Vejle), and logistics parks in Horsens and Greater Copenhagen - routinely operate with vacant cabs. Local recruitment drives and national training initiatives have failed to keep pace with retiring drivers and expanding freight volumes.

Hiring truck drivers from outside the EU or EEA is not a quick fix in Denmark. It is a legally intricate, heavily regulated process. Because Denmark strictly enforces minimum wage standards and commercial driving qualifications, bringing in a non-EU driver requires significant upfront investment and administrative patience. If your operations require a driver in two weeks, non-EU recruitment will not meet your timeline. However, for transport fleet operators willing to plan 3 to 6 months in advance and invest in compliance, international recruitment provides a stable source of professional drivers who are looking for long-term employment.

Before committing to international recruitment, you must evaluate the total cost of bringing a driver to Denmark versus the operational cost of keeping an engine idle. Beyond salary, you will incur permit application fees, mandatory driving test and conversion costs, initial accommodation support, and translation fees. Expect the administrative and onboarding process alone to cost between 25,000 DKK and 45,000 DKK per driver before their first commercial shift.

What is the legal route, and who files what?

In Denmark, immigration and work permits for third-country nationals are managed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI - Styrelsen for International Rekruttering og Integration). Truck drivers do not fall under a general open-border work scheme; they must qualify through specific work permit routes.

The primary legal pathways for third-country truck drivers are:

The Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme (Supplerende beløbsordning): Requires a minimum annual salary set by the Danish government (updated annually, roughly 393,000 DKK per year as of recent updates). The employment terms must match Danish standards.
The Pay Limit Scheme (Beløbsordningen): Requires a higher minimum annual gross salary (around 487,000 DKK per year). This route bypasses labour market tests but requires a salary above standard entry-level driver wages.
Special Collective Agreement Routes: If your company is bound by a collective agreement (overenskomst) signed by representative social partners in Denmark (such as 3F Transport and Danish Transport and Logistics or Confederation of Danish Industry), SIRI evaluates whether the salary and terms strictly match the collective agreement for that specific job category.

The application process is initiated jointly by the employer and the prospective employee using the online portal AR1 on the Ny i Danmark website. The employer completes part 1 (specifying company details, contract terms, salary, and job description), pays the SIRI processing fee, and generates an application ID. The worker completes part 2, attaching their passport copies, employment contract, and relevant driving documents, before submitting their biometrics at a Danish diplomatic mission abroad.

Crucially, obtaining a work permit from SIRI does not automatically allow a driver to sit behind the wheel of a C or CE category vehicle in Denmark. Commercial driving qualifications are strictly regulated by the Danish Road Traffic Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen). Drivers holding a commercial license from a non-EU country generally cannot simply swap their license for a Danish one. They must pass a Danish theoretical driving test, a practical driving test, and complete the mandatory EU Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC / Code 95) qualification through an approved Danish driving school (køreskole).

How long from decision to the worker starting?

The total timeline from signing an employment offer to having a driver fully operational on Danish roads typically ranges from 3 to 6 months. Employers should plan for the following stages:

Contract and Application Preparation (2 to 3 weeks): Drafting an employment contract that meets SIRI requirements, gathering documentation, paying fees, and submitting the AR1 online application.
SIRI Permit Processing (1 to 3 months): Official processing times vary based on the scheme used and current caseworker backlogs. The Pay Limit schemes generally process faster than routes requiring individual wage evaluation.
Biometrics and Visa Issuance (2 to 4 weeks): The driver must attend an appointment at a Danish embassy or VFS application center in their home country to record biometrics and receive an entry visa.
Arrival, CPR Registration, and License Conversion (4 to 8 weeks): Once in Denmark, the worker must register with the Civil Registration System (CPR) to receive a CPR number and tax card. Simultaneously, they must undergo mandatory medical checks, enroll in a local driving school, pass the Færdselsstyrelsen theoretical and practical tests, and obtain their Driver Qualification Card (Code 95).

What are you obliged to pay and provide?

Denmark does not have a single statutory national minimum wage set by law. Instead, wages and working conditions are governed by collective bargaining agreements (overenskomster) negotiated between trade unions (such as 3F) and employer associations (such as ATL, DTL, or DI). Even if your company is not a formal member of an employer association, SIRI will not approve a work permit unless the wage offered matches the standard Danish market rate for the role and region.

Pay rates for full-time heavy goods vehicle drivers generally range between 30,000 DKK and 42,000 DKK per month before tax, depending on shift structures, night work allowances, overtime, and hazard pay. Your contract must specify:

Base Hourly Rate or Monthly Salary: Equal to local collective agreement baselines.
Working Hours: Standard 37 hours per week, with clear provisions for paid overtime.
Pensions and Holiday Pay: Mandatory contributions under Danish labor law (Feriepenge according to the Danish Holiday Act and pension contributions as per industry standards).

Housing obligations depend on the hiring structure. While transport employers are not legally required to provide free housing permanently, you have a practical duty to ensure your driver has registered legal living accommodation. In Denmark, you cannot receive a CPR number without a valid residential address. Because finding rental housing in logistics centers like Padborg or Greater Copenhagen is difficult for newcomers, employers usually provide or arrange temporary company housing, staff apartments, or motel rooms for the first 1 to 3 months. Deductions from wages for housing are strictly regulated and must be explicitly agreed upon in writing without reducing net pay below legal minimums.

What this costs you, roughly

Here is an estimate of the direct setup costs for bringing one non-EU truck driver to Denmark:

SIRI Case Processing Fee: 4,000 DKK to 6,000 DKK (paid directly to the immigration authority).
Driver License Exchange & Code 95 Training: 15,000 DKK to 28,000 DKK (includes driving school fees, theory/practical exam fees with Færdselsstyrelsen, and Driver Qualification Card issuance).
Travel & Logistics: 2,500 DKK to 7,000 DKK (one-way flight/bus ticket and initial transport).
Initial Accommodation Support: 5,000 DKK to 12,000 DKK (first month temporary room setup or deposit assistance).
Medical Certificates & Official Translations: 1,500 DKK to 3,500 DKK.

Protecting candidates and avoiding recruitment fraud

Danish labor laws and international ethical recruitment standards strictly prohibit charging job seekers any fees for securing employment. Under Danish law and international conventions, a legitimate employer or recruitment partner must never require a worker to pay for their job placement, employment contract, or visa processing.

Third-party agencies operating in foreign markets sometimes extract illegal placement fees, passport withholding, or debt-bondage payments from prospective drivers. If a non-EU worker arrives in Denmark having paid thousands of Euros to an intermediary, they are victims of fraud. Employers who knowingly or negligently utilize agencies charging worker fees risk severe legal penalties, loss of SIRI hiring privileges, reputational damage, and potential prosecution under Danish human trafficking and labor exploitation statutes. You must verify directly with your candidate that no fee was requested or paid to any party during the hiring process.

Finding drivers on the Workuro registry

Workuro operates a direct candidate registry designed to remove middleman costs and recruitment agency markups. On Workuro, commercial truck drivers from non-EU countries create self-managed profiles stating their experience, current driving licenses, language capabilities, and explicit willingness to relocate to Denmark.

As a Danish employer, site manager, or fleet supervisor, you can search the registry based on license class (such as Category C or CE), experience with refrigerated transport or container logistics, and availability. You contact candidates directly to conduct interview screenings, negotiate terms, and initiate the formal employment agreement.

Workuro charges no per-hire placement fees, commission rates, or success bonuses. Employers pay for access to the registry, keeping direct oversight over their talent pipeline. Please note that the Workuro registry is young and continuously growing. Profile availability for specialized roles varies over time, but every profile represents an individual worker actively seeking international placement on transparent, fair terms.