Since 2003, Healy Consultants Group has assisted our Clients to start a company in Denmark. The services we provide include i) Denmark business registration ii) company licensing iii) corporate bank account opening services iv) human resources strategies v) work permit applications and vi) office rental solutions.

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Denmark business setup summary

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• Advantages and disadvantages

  Advantages of Denmark company registration

  

  1. Registering a company in Denmark is easy, because:
     • A limited liability company can be established in Denmark within one week, with a minimum of one shareholder and one director of any nationality. Our Clients do not need to travel to complete the engagement;
     • The minimum capital is €1,600 (DNK50,000), of which 25% must be paid up upon incorporation;
  2. Denmark offers a world-class business environment, with benefits including:
     • Denmark is ranked the 2^nd least corrupt country in the world, according to the 2017 Corruptions Perception Index released by Transparency International;
     • Denmark’s strategic location makes it an ideal business gateway to Europe, providing easy access to the lucrative European Union market. Germany and the UK are its two largest trade partners;
     • Employers in Denmark benefit from the 12^th most flexible labor market in the world, offering high flexibility in hiring and firing practices. The Danish workforce is also amongst the most productive in Europe, with productivity of 128 index points in the 1^st quarter of 2018
     • Denmark boasts an exceptional transport infrastructure. Copenhagen Airport serves 132 destinations and boasts the shortest goods transport time of all European airports. Denmark is also home to more than 100 ports, making Denmark a nodal point for transport in Europe, perfectly suited for import and export;
     • Denmark is ranked as the 3^rd easiest country in the world for trading across borders, according to the Doing Business study by the World Bank. Denmark companies can import and export goods in an average of 5 days, compared to the OECD average of almost 10 days;
     • For all the reasons listed above, Denmark is ranked as having the 12^th most competitive economy in the world, according to the 2017/18 World Competitiveness Yearbook.
  3. Denmark boasts several industries that provide excellent opportunities for investment, including:
     • Denmark is the world leader in clean-tech energy, with the industry comprising 3.1% of the economy. Danish companies control one third of the wind power market and Denmark is the first country to allow the commercial usage of 2^nd generation biofuels;
     • Denmark has a rapidly growing IT industry, boosted by the world’s most technology-ready population. Denmark boasts world-class IT infrastructure, with high-speed fiber optic internet connections and 4G cellular coverage widely available;
     • Denmark has the best test market in Europe, with the fastest population in the world for adopting new products.
  4. Denmark has competitive business costs because:
     • The Danish social security rates and the employer costs are amongst the lowest in Europe and all the Scandinavian countries;
     • Copenhagen’s salary levels, social security costs and office rent are around 15-20% less than that of Stockholm, Sweden

  Disadvantages of Denmark company registration

  1. Denmark is an expensive location for a company, because:
     • Companies registered in Denmark are subject to a corporate tax rate of 22%, though this is below the EU average;
     • Additionally, VAT is levied on most goods at a rate of 25% on products sold in the country or exported to other EU States;
     • For persons employed in Denmark, personal income tax is levied at high rates of up to 59%, with minimal deductions available to reduce the individual’s tax burden.
  2. A Denmark company may not offer an entrepreneur’s desired level of privacy because:
     • Annual audited financial statements must be submitted to the Denmark Inland Revenue Department including a complete tax return;
     • The details of shareholders and directors of Denmark companies will be publicly available at the Danish Business Authority.
  3. Opening a Denmark corporate bank account can be difficult, as Denmark banks are selective when accepting a new customer;
  4. It is difficult to obtain an entrepreneur visa for a person to live in Denmark after registering a Danish business. The business incorporated must meet Danish regulations and the entrepreneur must provide evidence to prove the necessity of hiring a foreigner for the company’s operations;
  5. Denmark does not have a minimum wage at all since the nation is highly unionized. This implies that with the union’s collective bargaining, the price of labour might rise unexpectedly

• Best uses for a Denmark company

  1. Denmark is an excellent location for a business headquarters because:
     • Copenhagen is the world’s most livable city, comprising a cosmopolitan population living and working in Denmark, a developed infrastructure for tourism, banking, entertainment, business, high quality office and residential accommodation, reliable power and utilities, first class hotels, hospitals, schools and shops;
     • High quality labor is easy to find in Denmark, with 97% of the country having a high school diploma and 47% of the country having a college degree. Thus, entrepreneurs will be able to spend less time and money on job searches;
     • Employers in Denmark have no social contribution requirements to pay for employees. Denmark’s world leading pension scheme is funded through public means with no necessary contributions from the employer;
     • English is spoken by 80% of the Danish population and Denmark is ranked 2^nd in the English Proficiency Index by Education First. Business documents do not need to be translated into Danish and most important government websites are available in English;
     • Denmark is a paradise for high net worth entrepreneurs. With a strategic location for wealthy entrepreneurs, the country is synonymous with luxury and is home to some of the biggest brands in the world.
  2. A Denmark holding company is a good way to book profits sourced from EU countries because:
     • Registering a Denmark company portrays a positive image and provides an excellent corporate vehicle to promote your business to global customers, suppliers, investors, venture capitalists, governments and banks;
     • Capital gains and dividend received from both local and foreign subsidiaries are usually exempt from corporate tax, provided i) the company receiving dividends holds more than 10% of the capital of the subsidiary and ii) the subsidiary is based in the European Union or in a country which has signed a double taxation avoidance DTA with Denmark;
     • Denmark boasts 76 DTAs, minimizing global withholding tax.