Important insurances and what they cover

Private insurances will help you face the financial consequences of unfortunate situations, such as experiencing or causing an accident or burglary. There are many different insurance companies. Some are open to all whereas others will only accept clients from certain sectors of employment. Prices vary from company to company so you should study the market carefully to compare prices.

The Danish Insurers' Information Service has published the booklet 'Insurance for everyday needs' which outlines the risks typically covered by the individual types of insurance as well as non-covered risks. The booklet also includes a section about the types of insurance that apply in the workplace. Read Insurance for everyday needs.

Compulsory insurance

In Denmark the following insurances are compulsory:

• Third-party liability insurance if you own a car, motorcycle, scooter or moped
• Third party insurance if you own a dog
• Third party insurance if you own a horse
• Home-owner insurance if you own a house

Recommended private insurances

We recommend basic insurance (familiens basisforsikring or indboforsikring), which consists of the following insurances.

• Third-party/liability insurance (ansvarsforsikring): this insurance covers any losses you might have if you have to pay compensation to another person.
• Home insurance (indboforsikring): insurance of your personal belongings against fire, theft and water damage.
• Travel insurance is possible to add to the basic insurance package, which is often the most affordable option.

We also recommend

• Accident insurance (ulykkesforsikring): this insurance covers the financial consequences of an accident.

Other optional insurances

For further information about insurances visit the Lifeindenmark home page

Read more about private insurance on the Work in Denmark website

Aarhus University provides personal on-the-job injury insurance. This will cover you if you sustain an injury caused by the work or working conditions. 

The university also covers the expenses if you do damage (unintentionally) to Aarhus University property, on the job.

Persons covered

• Employees with employment contract
• Persons engaged in permanent, temporary or casual work, paid or unpaid
• Persons who are employed to carry out work in Denmark, but who go on official trips of a short or long duration

PhD students

It depends on your status as a PhD student, whether you are covered or not. A distinction is made between whether a PhD student is employed or enrolled without being an employee (for example, in the first part of the 4+4 scheme).  

Enrolled, employed PhD students are ranked in the same category as other employees and are, thus, covered.

Further information

Read more about personal injury and property damage on the Staff Portal under Insurance

Aarhus University travel insurance

If you need to travel in connection with your work (e.g. if you are attending a conference abroad), you will be covered by the Travel insurance policy for Danish government employees (Tjenesterejseforsikring). The insurance scheme is handled by the private insurance company Europæiske Rejseforsikring.

Aarhus University Travel Insurance cards can be issued to both Aarhus University employees and people not employed by Aarhus University if the university bears the travel expenses in full or in part.

The insurance only covers acute illness or an unexpected deterioration of existing or chronic illness and does not provide cover during holiday or leave. Routine examinations or scans (eg. in connection with pregnancy) are therefore not covered by this insurance.

As the Travel insurance policy for Danish government employees will not cover you while you are on holiday or on official leave (incl. sabbatical), you may consider buying private travel insurance.

Read more about the Aarhus University travel insurance

In Denmark, insurance against unemployment is voluntary. If you want to be insured against unemployment, you must apply for admission into an unemployment insurance fund (a-kasse).

However, please read the following guide before you go ahead and sign up with an a-kasse. Especially non-EU citizens may have difficulty to use the unemployment insurance system, since you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits.

Membership and requirements

Check the different options and find links for online signup forms at a-kasser.dk 

Requirements to being eligible for benefits:

• You must have been a member of an a-kasse for at least one year
• You must have earned/have had an income of at least DKK  238,512 (in 2020) during the last 3 years (in total) 

Unemployment insurance according citizenship

• Citizens of an EU/EEA country or Switzerland: If you come from another EU/EEA country, you can retain earned rights (membership period and working period) from your home country's unemployment insurance scheme. Read more about transferring periods of work and insurance from another EU/EEA Country in this article
• Citizens of a non-EU/EEA country: For people from non-EU/EEA countries, unemployment insurance may not be relevant or even allowed depending on the type of residence and work permit you hold. Contact the International Academic Staff Services (IAS) or Danish Immigration Authorities for further information.  It is not possible for non-EU/EEA citizens to transfer earned rights from an unemployment insurance scheme from your own country.
• Citizens who have lived in the Nordic countries: It is possible to transfer earned rights according to the unemployment insurance scheme between the Nordic countries. The only requirement is that you have been covered by the social security rules in one of the Nordic Countries. Read more about transferring periods of work

Leaving Denmark 

Upon leaving Denmark, you may transfer your periods of employment and unemployment insurance from Denmark to another EEA country. This will be possible if you have been employed and insured against unemployment in Denmark. You can read more about this here. 

What to be aware of as a non EU/EEA-citizen

If you have been working in Denmark and move to another EU country, it will not be possible to transfer earned rights from the Danish unemployment scheme.

However, if you move to one of the other Nordic countries, it will be possible to transfer earned rights from Denmark.

Unemployment insurance funds and trade unions

Read more about unemployment funds and trade unions 

Supplementary insurance

You can maximum get DKK 19,083 (in 2020) per month in unemployment benefits (dagpenge). This is regardless of your previous income.

It is, however, possible to buy additional wage insurance (Lønsikring). Nearly all a-kasser in Denmark also offer this extra insurance.

In order to buy supplementary wage insurance through the a-kasse, you must be a member and pay the normal (basic) unemployment insurance. 

You can also buy a similar kind of wage insurance at traditional insurance companies. In this case membership of an a-kasse is not required. 

If you stay in Denmark for less than 3 months, you cannot get a CPR number, and therefore it is difficult to take out private insurances in Denmark. Read more under Short-term stays

Aarhus University cooperates with the private insurance company Bupa Global, which provides worldwide coverage on health and travel insurance. You can also take out health, travel and personal liability insurance through Bupa Global for short term stays in Denmark. Read more about Bupa Global.