Alcohol regulations in Denmark

Licensing, import, labelling and tax rules for spirits. Researched October 2026.

Research guide, not legal advice. Compiled in October 2026 from the public sources listed at the bottom of this page. Duty rates, fees and rules change often: confirm with the regulator, a customs broker or local counsel before you act. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.

Status: Legal
Legal drinking age: None (Danish law regulates the sale and serving of alcohol, not consumption by minors)
Legal purchase age: Off-premise (retail/online): 16 years for beverages with 1.2% to 6% ABV; 18 years for beverages over 6% ABV (effective 1 April 2025, lowered from 16.5% ABV). On-premise (bars, clubs, restaurants): 18 years for serving alcoholic beverages (2.8% ABV and above under the Restaurant Act). In designated municipal nightlife zones (nattelivszoner), no alcohol of 1.2% ABV or above may be sold or delivered to anyone under 18 between 22:00 and 08:00.

Licence to make spirits (distillery and bottling)

Licences needed: Excise authorisation as an authorised warehouse keeper (autoriseret oplagshaver) with an approved tax warehouse (afgiftsoplag); food business registration (registrering af fødevarevirksomhed) with Fødevarestyrelsen.
Authority: Skattestyrelsen (Danish Tax Agency) and Fødevarestyrelsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration)
Documents: Business/CVR and VAT registration, premises layout showing physical separation of duty-paid and duty-suspended goods, hazard analysis and critical control points (egenkontrol/HACCP) plan, explosion protection document (ATEX/APV) if employing staff, and excise accounting setup.
Fees: No statutory application fee confirmed for registration, but a mandatory minimum excise security deposit (sikkerhedsstillelse) of at least DKK 30,000 is required by Skattestyrelsen (subject to increase based on risk assessment).
Time to obtain: not confirmed

Import licence and registration

Who can import: Commercial imports may only be carried out by businesses registered in Denmark with a CVR number, registered as a food importer with Fødevarestyrelsen, and registered for excise duties with Skattestyrelsen (plus EORI registration with Toldstyrelsen for non-EU imports).
Licences or registrations: Excise registration with Skattestyrelsen as an authorised warehouse keeper (autoriseret oplagshaver), registered consignee (registreret varemodtager) for duty-suspended goods via EMCS, or certified consignee (autoriseret modtager) for duty-paid EU goods; food business registration (import activity) with Fødevarestyrelsen.
Authority: Skattestyrelsen (Danish Tax Agency), Fødevarestyrelsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration), and Toldstyrelsen (Danish Customs Agency)
Documents: Online registration forms via Virk.dk / Fødevarestyrelsen prior to commencing import activities, excise registration and security collateral with Skattestyrelsen, commercial invoice, and EMCS electronic administrative document (for EU movements).
Fees: Minimum DKK 30,000 collateral guarantee for authorised warehouse keepers; specific administrative registration fees not confirmed.
Time to obtain: not confirmed

Product and label registration

Required: no
Process: No pre-market brand or label registration/approval (such as US COLA) is required for standard alcoholic beverages. Notification to Fødevarestyrelsen applies only if vitamins, minerals, or novel food ingredients are added. Importers and producers bear legal responsibility for ensuring labels comply with EU and Danish food information rules upon placement on the market.
Authority: Fødevarestyrelsen (Danish Veterinary and Food Administration)
Documents and samples: None required for standard spirits.
Fees: None
Renewal: Not applicable
Time to obtain: Not applicable

Import rules

There is no state import monopoly. Commercial shipments must be imported by a registered importer of record. Intra-EU movements of spirits must travel through the Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS). Denmark does not require fiscal excise strip stamps on spirits bottles. Bottles are subject to Denmark's mandatory deposit and return system (pant) administered by Dansk Retursystem when sold in disposable packaging. Standard commercial invoices, packing lists, and certificates of origin (where claiming preferential tariff treatment) apply.

Import duty on spirits (HS 2208)

As an EU member state, Denmark applies the EU Common Customs Tariff. Under HS heading 2208, most distilled spirits (including whisky, rum, gin, and vodka) carry a 0% MFN customs duty (duty-free), though certain liqueurs, cordials, and specific spirituous beverages or non-preferential origins may be subject to minor specific duties per % vol/hectolitre under the EU TARIC schedule.

Excise and taxes

Spirits excise duty (spiritusafgift): DKK 150.00 per litre of 100% pure ethyl alcohol (effective for beverages over 1.2% ABV; equivalent to DKK 42.00 for a 70 cl bottle at 40% ABV). Small, legally and economically independent distilleries producing 10 hectolitres of pure alcohol or less in the preceding calendar year qualify for a reduced rate/relief (moderationsordningen) of DKK 75 per litre of pure alcohol. VAT (Moms): 25% applied to the value including customs and excise duties.

Retail and distribution

No state retail monopoly exists. Beer, wine, and spirits are sold in private supermarkets, grocery stores, kiosks, convenience stores, and specialist shops with no general national daytime hour restrictions on off-premise sales (except the ban on selling alcohol >=1.2% ABV to under-18s between 22:00 and 08:00 in designated nightlife zones). Under retail placement rules effective 1 October 2025 (enforced fully from 1 April 2026), stores may not place alcoholic beverages directly next to candy, chips, toys, or fruit/vegetable sections, and must keep alcohol away from checkout areas where possible. On-premise sale in bars, hotels, and restaurants requires a municipal alcohol licence (alkoholbevilling) under the Restaurant Act.

Online sale and delivery

Allowed. Since 1 October 2024, all online sellers of alcohol must implement mandatory digital age/ID verification at the point of purchase (not merely a self-declaration checkbox) and display statutory age-limit notices.

Labelling

Governed by EU Regulation 1169/2011 and Danish food labelling orders. Mandatory particulars include: legal product name/category, net quantity in metric units (l, cl, ml), actual alcoholic strength by volume ('% vol') for drinks >1.2% ABV, name and EU address of the producer, packager or EU importer, lot number ('L...'), and allergen declarations (e.g., 'Indeholder sulfitter' if >10 mg/l). Beverages over 10% ABV are exempt from a minimum durability ('best before') date. Mandatory consumer information and allergen declarations must be in Danish (or a language only slightly different in spelling, such as Norwegian or Swedish). Health warnings and fiscal excise stamps are not mandatory.

Advertising

Regulated by the Danish Marketing Practices Act (Markedsføringsloven), the Broadcasting Act, and self-regulatory guidelines enforced by the Alcohol Advertising Board (Alkoholreklamenævnet) and the Consumer Ombudsman (Forbrugerombudsmanden). Markedsføringsloven § 11(2) strictly prohibits any mention, image, or reference to alcohol in marketing directed at children and young people under 18. Under Alkoholreklamenævnet guidelines (applicable to drinks >0.5% ABV, and all ABVs if targeting youth), models/actors and influencers appearing in alcohol ads must be at least 25 years old; ads must not link alcohol with driving, sports performance, work, pregnancy, or social/sexual success, nor encourage immoderate consumption.

Legal definitions of spirits

Directly governed by EU Spirit Drinks Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2019/787). Minimum ABV thresholds include: Whisky/Whiskey (37.5% no, 40% ABV minimum, matured at least 3 years in wooden casks <=700L), Rum (37.5% ABV), Vodka (37.5% ABV), Gin / Distilled Gin / London Gin (37.5% ABV), Brandy/Weinbrand (36% ABV), Fruit spirit (37.5% ABV), Liqueur (15% ABV), and Ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin / neutral spirit (96.0% ABV).

Dry or restricted areas

No dry areas exist. However, police may designate municipal nightlife zones (nattelivszoner) where off-premise sales and delivery of alcohol (1.2% ABV and above) to persons under 18 are prohibited between 22:00 and 08:00.

Recent changes

1 October 2024: Mandatory effective digital age verification required for all online sales of alcohol.
1 January 2025: Minimum fine for retailers illegally selling alcohol to underage buyers increased to DKK 50,000 for a first offence.
1 April 2025: Minimum age to purchase beverages with more than 6% ABV in retail and online shops raised from 16 to 18 years (previously the 18+ threshold applied only at 16.5% ABV and above); purchasing alcohol on behalf of a minor was also prohibited, and nightlife zone restrictions (22:00–08:00 for under-18s) took effect.
1 October 2025 – 1 April 2026: New retail store placement rules took effect (with a six-month transition ending 1 April 2026), prohibiting stores from displaying alcoholic beverages near checkouts or adjacent to candy, chips, toys, or fruit and vegetable sections.

Opportunities for exporters

Unlike its Nordic neighbours Sweden, Norway, and Finland, Denmark has no state alcohol retail monopoly, allowing exporters to sell directly through private importers to supermarkets, specialty shops, online retailers, and the hospitality sector. Strong consumer interest in craft spirits, premium cocktails, and low/no-alcohol alternatives offers accessible entry points for foreign brands.

Regulators

Sources

Selling into Denmark or buying from it?

Find producers Post a requirement