Figuring out the rules on free Danish classes has never been a walk in the park. And just when you thought you had it all figured out, this new voucher system comes knocking on the door to complicate things even further. If you’re part of the international community in Copenhagen, you’ve probably already heard a lot of the talk going around, and a lot of the concerns about what this new voucher scheme really means.
Before taking a deep dive with our looooooong guide to the new voucher, let’s start by setting a few things straight, for the record:
If you come to classes and make sure to do your homework (or at least some of it), then it “only” takes 15 to 24 months to complete your Danish language studies at Copenhagen Language Center. The new voucher actually gives you up to 42 months of Danish classes – and on top of that, you have a total of 18 months to postpone the start of your Danish studies and/or take breaks between modules.
So as you can see, the voucher isn’t unreasonable – but there are a few pitfalls you have to watch out for. Careful planning of your Danish studies is the key to ensuring your access to free classes and successfully passing the Danish Exam.
Whether you’re new in Denmark or have been here for a while, it’s important to know what the new voucher scheme means for you and your Danish studies.
In the following, we lay out the most important rules and explain what this new voucher is all about:
Who’s covered by the new voucher scheme?
As of 1 January 2018, all self-supporting foreigners who move to Denmark will be assigned a voucher for free Danish language classes.
You will be assigned a voucher if you move to Denmark:
- to study or work,
- as an accompanying spouse,
- through family reunification based on EU rules, or
- as an au pair.
The voucher is valid for five years from the time of your arrival in Denmark, and gives you plenty of time to complete one of the three Danish courses.
REMEMBER! The voucher system only applies for self-supporting foreigners.
What is the voucher?
If you haven’t learned Danish yet, you’ll receive an electronic voucher with up to 6 “units”: one unit for each module in the Danish course. You use your voucher units when enrolling in Danish classes at a language school.
When you pass a module test, the unit expires. You’re then automatically enrolled in the next module, and a new unit is deducted from your voucher. You cannot transfer leftover time from one unit to the next.
How do I get a voucher?
New work, new people, new surroundings ... Danish courses may not be among your top priorities when you’re just getting settled into your new life in Denmark.
But if you want to keep the right to free Danish classes while in Denmark, you have to make a pretty quick decision about when you expect to start learning Danish.
A short time after receiving your CPR number, your home municipality will send a letter to your digital inbox (e-Boks). This letter contains information about your right to free Danish language classes. As soon as you get that letter, the clock starts ticking on your right to 3.5 years of Danish classes within a period of 5 years.
Within four weeks of receiving this letter, you have to contact a language school and make an agreement about when you’ll start your Danish classes.
If you don’t want to (or can’t) start taking Danish classes right away, you can postpone the starting date. We’ve added a new form to our website for doing this – all you have to do is let us know when you expect to start taking Danish classes.
If you’re ready to start learning Danish right away, you don’t even have to wait for the letter from your home municipality. You can register for Danish classes as soon as you’ve received your CPR number.
REMEMBER! Make sure to contact a language school within four weeks, or your voucher will be automatically activated and units will be deducted even if you don’t sign up for Danish classes. And if that happens, you may not have enough units left to finish your Danish studies free of charge.
How does the voucher scheme work?
Once you’ve contacted a language school and signed up for Danish classes, the first unit on your voucher will be activated. This is when you want to make sure that you have a plan for your Danish studies – otherwise, you might end up losing one or more units on your voucher.
You use the units on your voucher to enrol in classes during your Danish studies. When you complete a module, the unit expires – even if you haven’t used all time available with the unit. Then the next unit is automatically activated, unless you tell us that you want to take a break in your studies. You cannot transfer leftover time from one unit to the next.
At Copenhagen Language Center, we administer your voucher for you. You’ll get an e-mail or text message from us when a unit is about to expire – and your teacher can always tell you how many units you have left.
Each voucher unit is valid for a limited amount of time. So make sure that you’re ready to learn Danish when you sign up for classes.
Once the first unit is activated, you cannot stop it or “press the pause button”. If you take longer to complete a module than expected – either because you don’t regularly attend classes or don’t pass a module test – your unit may expire before you finish the module. Once this happens, the next unit is activated – even though you didn’t proceed to the next module – and you may end up lacking units to complete your Danish studies free of charge.
REMEMBER! Once a unit is activated, you can’t stop it or “press the pause button”.
What if I want to take a break from my studies?
The voucher entitles you to 3.5 years of Danish classes within a period of 5 years. This means that you can take breaks totalling up to 18 months during your Danish studies.
If you need to take a break – because you’re busy at work, you’re having a baby or you’re going to travel – you have to make sure to take these breaks BETWEEN modules.
In other words, you can only take breaks after you’ve passed a module test and before starting a new module. You can’t stop the clock on a unit once you’ve started a module.
If you stop attending classes in the middle of a module, your unit will eventually expire and the next unit will be automatically activated. In a case like this, you may end up using multiple units, even though you’re not learning Danish – and if you want to complete your Danish studies at a later date, you probably won’t have enough units left on your voucher to do so free of charge.
If you want to take a break from your Danish studies, it’s super important that you wait until you’ve passed a module test. You can notify us that you’re going to take a break using this link. Remember to let us know when you expect to resume your Danish studies.
REMEMBER! You should only take breaks BETWEEN modules. Don’t forget to tell us that you want to take a break, or the next unit will be automatically activated when you complete a module.
What if I don’t pass my module test?
Fortunately, each unit comes with more than enough time to retake your module test if you don’t pass the first time.
If you still don’t manage to pass the module test before the unit expires, you’ll have to use the next unit on your voucher. This may lead to a lack of units at the end of your Danish studies.
If that happens, you can either choose to pay for the classes in the final module, of you can register for FVU reading if you want to learn more Danish. And regardless of your current enrolment status, you can always take the Danish Exam if you pay the exam fee.
Remember! If you don’t pass your module test, you’ll usually have enough time to take the test again. Speak with your teacher if you are worried about your time running out.
The Do's & Don’ts of the new voucher
Do's
- Remember to keep an eye on incoming mail in your e-Boks
- Contact a language school no later than 4 weeks after receiving the referral letter from your home municipality
- Attend classes and make a plan for your Danish studies
- Make sure to take the module test
- Notify your language school before taking a break
Don'ts
- Don’t overlook the referral letter from the municipality
- Don’t stop coming to classes
- Don’t miss out on the module test
- Don’t ignore the rules of the voucher scheme
Average completion time for a Danish course
The graph below shows the average completion time for Danish language course 2. For comparison, Danish language course 3 takes approx. 17 months and Danish language course 1 takes approx. 24 months.
Congratulations! You’re now an expert on the new voucher!
If you follow these simple rules, your voucher should provide plenty of time to learn Danish and to pass a Danish Exam.
At Copenhagen Language Center, we administer your voucher for you. You’ll get an e-mail or text message from us when a unit is about to expire – and your teacher can always tell you how many units you have left.
If you still have unanswered questions about the new voucher, you can post a comment on this page and we’ll answer your question lickety-split.
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