NemKonto Explained in English: What It Is & How to Set Up

NemKonto (Danish for "easy account") is not a bank account you open — it is a designation you apply to an existing Danish bank account that tells the state where to send your money. Once designated, the Danish public sector uses your CPR number to pay tax refunds, benefits, and other payments straight into that account. Every resident with a CPR number is legally required to have one, and you designate it in your bank's netbank or at nemkonto.dk with MitID.

Tax refunds, salary supplements, child benefits, unemployment benefits, and any other payment from the Danish public sector go directly to your NemKonto. If you do not designate one, the state cannot pay you, and payments accumulate in a holding system until you do. Note that it must be a Danish account — Wise and Revolut don't qualify because neither issues Danish account numbers. See where NemKonto sits in the full sequence with the interactive setup tracker.

What NemKonto Actually Is

The confusion most newcomers have is thinking they need to open a special "NemKonto account." You do not. NemKonto is a flag applied to a bank account you already have.

When you designate an account as your NemKonto:

• The Danish state (and many private companies) can send payments directly to that account using only your CPR number
• You do not need to share your account number for every transaction
• Senders simply look up your CPR number in the NemKonto registry and the payment goes to the right place automatically

The registry is maintained by the Danish Bankers' Association and connected to all Danish banks.

Why It's Mandatory

Danish law (the NemKonto Act, or NemKontolov) requires every person with a CPR number to have a NemKonto. The rationale is efficiency: the public sector processes millions of payments per year and needs a single reliable destination for each citizen.

If you do not have a NemKonto, the following happens:

• Tax refunds will not reach you — they sit in a holding account
• Benefits and supplementary payments are delayed
• Some government agencies will send paper cheques as a fallback, which are inconvenient and slow to process
• Your employer's payroll may encounter problems with certain types of supplementary payments

This is not optional. Once you have a CPR number and a Danish bank account, designate your NemKonto as soon as possible.

How to Designate Your NemKonto

There are three ways to do it.

Option 1: Through Your Danish Bank's Netbank (Recommended)

When you open a Danish bank account, most banks ask during onboarding whether you want to designate that account as your NemKonto. Say yes. If you missed this step, log in to your netbank (online banking), find the account settings, and look for a "NemKonto" option. Every major Danish bank has this — it is typically a toggle or a simple form.

Option 2: Through borger.dk

1. Go to borger.dk
2. Log in with MitID
3. Search for "NemKonto" in the search bar
4. Select "Change or see your NemKonto"
5. The portal will show your currently registered NemKonto (if any) and allow you to change it

This method requires MitID to be active, so you need your CPR number first.

Option 3: By Contacting Your Bank Directly

Call or visit your bank branch and ask them to register the account as your NemKonto. They can do this directly in the registry on your behalf.

Which Account Should You Designate?

Most people designate their primary Danish current account (checking account). This is the account your employer pays your salary into, so it makes sense for tax refunds and other state payments to go there too. If you have not opened one yet, see our guide to the best bank account in Denmark for expats.

There is no rule against designating a savings account, but it can create confusion if you need to access funds quickly (some savings accounts have withdrawal restrictions).

You can only have one active NemKonto at any time. If you change banks, you will need to update your NemKonto designation. The old designation does not transfer automatically.

What If You Don't Have a Danish Bank Account Yet?

This is the situation most new arrivals face: you need a NemKonto but you cannot open a Danish bank account without a CPR number, and you are still waiting for CPR.

The dependency chain:

1. Register at Borgerservice → get your CPR number (1–2 weeks)
2. Use CPR to open a Danish bank account
3. Designate that account as NemKonto

During this waiting period, you are not in violation of anything — you simply cannot set up NemKonto until you have both CPR and a bank account. Your employer may pay you using alternative methods in the interim.

Can You Use Wise or Revolut as a NemKonto?

Wise and Revolut are popular with new arrivals in Denmark because you can open them immediately without CPR. But no — neither can be your NemKonto:

• Wise does not issue Danish account numbers at all. Its local account details are in currencies like EUR and GBP, and DKK can only be received into Wise via SWIFT. There is no DK account number to register.
• Revolut accounts for customers in Denmark are held with Revolut Bank UAB in Lithuania, so your account details are a Lithuanian IBAN — not accepted by the standard NemKonto registration.

The practical answer: use Wise or Revolut for day-to-day spending while you wait for your Danish bank account, but they cannot be your NemKonto. As soon as you have a real Danish bank account, designate it. If you are deciding between the two, see our Wise vs Revolut in Denmark comparison.

What Happens If You Have an Outstanding NemKonto From a Previous Stay?

If you previously lived in Denmark and had a NemKonto, it may still be registered to an old account. When you return:

1. Log in to borger.dk with MitID
2. Check the NemKonto portal to see which account is currently registered
3. Update it to your current account

Payments sent to a closed or defunct account will bounce back to the sender. Tax refunds sent to a closed account will be held by SKAT (the Danish Tax Agency) until you update your details and claim them.

Changing Your NemKonto

You can change your NemKonto at any time through borger.dk or your bank's netbank. The change typically takes effect immediately or within one business day.

It is worth updating it when:

• You change banks
• You close an account that was your NemKonto
• You want to redirect state payments to a different account (e.g., a joint account)

Who Sends Payments to NemKonto?

Not just the government. The NemKonto registry is also used by:

• Private employers (many use it for salary payments)
• Insurance companies paying out claims
• Pension providers
• Some utility companies processing refunds

In practice, once you have a NemKonto, most institutions will use it for outgoing payments to you rather than asking for your account details manually.

Key Takeaways

• NemKonto is not a bank account — it is a designation applied to your existing account.
• It is legally required for everyone with a CPR number in Denmark.
• Designate it through your bank's netbank, through borger.dk (requires MitID), or by contacting your bank directly.
• You cannot meaningfully set it up until you have both a CPR number and a Danish bank account.
• Wise and Revolut cannot be your NemKonto — get a Danish bank account as soon as you have CPR.
• If you previously lived in Denmark, check borger.dk to make sure your NemKonto is not pointing to a closed account.