Cars from Denmark: where to look, what to check and what delivery costs

The short answer, in figures

What the Danish market is like, and why a price is not directly comparable with Germany

A car is registered in Denmark after paying a registration tax on a rising scale: 25% of the first DKK 76,400, 85% of the amount up to DKK 232,400 and 150% of the rest. It is calculated on the car’s value including VAT and the dealer margin but excluding the tax itself (borger.dk). That is the main reason a Danish ad price cannot simply be set beside a German one: ask whether the sum is a price for the Danish market or for export.

Whoever exports a car and takes it off the Danish register can apply for a refund of part of the tax. The refund equals the tax that would be payable if the same car were imported into Denmark, minus 15% (at least DKK 8,500 for a car). The car has to pass an extended registration and customs inspection no more than 4 weeks before the valuation is requested; the valuation costs DKK 2,250 and takes about 9 weeks; the export must be documented within 3 months (Motorstyrelsen, 2026-10-17).

None of this tells you whether a particular car is priced lower or higher — it is a question for the seller. Find out in writing who claims the refund, whether it affects the advertised price and when the car will come off the register.

The Danish inspection (syn) is due every two years (The Local, 2025-03-12).

Where to look for a car in Denmark

Searching starts on two sites: Bilbasen.dk and DBA.dk. We only name them — we do not rate them, and every ad gets the same checks.

Danish words to know in ads and papers

• •“nummerplade” — number plate; “stelnummer” — chassis number, the VIN
• •“registreringsafgift” — the registration tax; “afgift” — a tax
• •“syn” — the roadworthiness test; “synsrapport” — the test report
• •“kilometerstand” — mileage; “servicebog” — the service book
• •“Bilbogen” — a register in which charges laid on a car are entered

Cars from Germany priced for Latvia

What to check before you buy

The Danish Motor Register (Motorregistret) lets anyone look up a car registered in Denmark without logging in: in the menu “Køretøjsdetaljer” → “Vis køretøj” (motorregister.skat.dk). Enter the plate or the chassis number and you see the car’s details and when the next test is due (The Local, 2025). Compare them with the ad and the papers.

Also ask about charges: Motorstyrelsen says a tax-refund application is rejected if a charge is registered on the car in Bilbogen. Ask the seller to show that there is none. Check the mileage and the VIN history yourself, independent of the ad, and ask for copies of the last test report and the service book.

• •The VIN in the document matches the VIN on the car
• •In the Motor Register the make, model and first-registration data match the ad
• •The date of the next test and what the last report said
• •No charge registered (Bilbogen)
• •Service history and mileage
• •A clear written answer: does the price include the Danish tax, and who claims the refund

VIN check · Mileage check

Papers and taking the car off the Danish register

If the seller wants to reclaim part of the tax, the car has to come off the Danish register and the export has to be documented; the application goes to Motorstyrelsen (form 21.044) and the number plates are handed in to a plate provider (Motorstyrelsen, 2026-10-17). The refund is paid to the seller about 9 weeks after complete documents arrive, so the car can leave for Latvia before then.

Before you pay, agree in writing who takes the car off the Danish register, when the plates are handed in and when you will receive proof. Which set of papers a Danish seller issues for export is something to ask the seller — we name no specific document here.

On the Latvian side CSDD asks for a registration document issued abroad and a copy of the certificate of conformity (COC), with the original shown (csdd.lv).

What to take from the Danish seller

• 📄The Danish registration document (ask which document proves the registration and the deregistration)
• 📄The original certificate of conformity (COC) — CSDD requires it
• 📄A sale-purchase contract with the VIN, price and both parties’ details
• 📄Proof that no charge is registered on the car
• 📄Proof of deregistration and of the plates being handed in
• 📄The last test report
• 📄The service book and invoices

Delivery to Riga

It is about 1,900 km from Copenhagen to Riga and about 2,000 km from Aarhus. Ask the carrier for a delivery date in writing.

This page states no transport price for the Danish route — there is no verified published price list. Take two or three quotes from carriers that insure the load and sign a contract, and put the figures into the import cost calculator.

Car delivery — prices and times · Import cost calculator

Costs and registration in Latvia

There is no import duty on a car already in free circulation in the EU. CSDD fees, taxes and OCTA are payable; Latvian VAT applies only to a “new” car (up to 6 months or up to 6,000 km; VAT act, Article 1, point 9(a)). An ordinary used car leaves €208 at CSDD and €100–180 of OCTA, €308–388 together.

Show an imported car to CSDD for the unit-number comparison within five days of bringing it in. The operation tax depends on CO₂ and age — use the calculator or the tax guide.

CSDD registration · Import costs from any country · Vehicle tax 2026

Cars from Europe in the AutoPase showroom

Cars from Europe with a price for Latvia: see the available cars. In the AutoPase showroom delivery is included in the car’s final price (from Austria €600, from other countries €800).

Application for car search and delivery

If no suitable car is available yet, AutoPase accepts an application for car search and delivery: the history and the mileage are checked before the purchase, and delivery takes up to 14 days. What the service includes and what it does not is on the service page.

AutoPase does not give its own commercial warranty on the car. The consumer’s statutory rights against the seller remain.

Application for car search and delivery through AutoPase

Frequently asked questions

Where to go next

Sources

Prices and rates checked on 17 October 2026. Sources:

• borger.dk — Afgifter på køretøjer — The 2026 registration-tax rates for passenger cars: 25%, 85%, 150% and the band limits. (2026-10-17)
• Motorstyrelsen — Exporting vehicles — The refund of part of the tax on export: the calculation, the 15% deduction, the valuation fee, deadlines, inspection, handing in the plates. (2026-10-17)
• Motorregistret (motorregister.skat.dk) — Public information on a car registered in Denmark without logging in (“Køretøjsdetaljer” → “Vis køretøj”). (2026-10-17)
• The Local Denmark — periodisk syn — The Danish inspection (syn) every two years; checking a car’s details and next test date in the Motor Register (2025-03-12). (2026-10-17)
• CSDD — The list of documents first registration in Latvia needs, including the COC and the foreign registration document. (2026-10-17)
• Pievienotās vērtības nodokļa likums (likumi.lv) — Article 1, point 9(a): a new land vehicle is one used for under six months or driven under 6,000 km. (2026-10-17)
• CSDD — The CSDD price list: registration certificate and two plates, unit-number comparison; the natural-resources tax and the test fee come from the code module. (2026-10-17)