Yes, as a non-European expat moving to Denmark in 2017, my experience was eye-opening.
I needed one physical visit to the International affairs section of the citizens service(Borger service), where they took my biometrics, and issued me a CPR number(a national Id equivalent I that of social security number in the US, or Aadhaar ID in India), and another set of codes called Nem-Id which serves as a second factor authentication for all things online.
That’s it.
I could go online, login with my CPR number, and use the Nem-ID as the second factor auth, and register my address, bank account, immigration details, driving license etc.
Need a bank account?
Open one by using the CPR number and second factor auth using Nem-ID.
Same goes for phone connection, internet at home, whatever else.
Need holidays?
Paid for by the government, and I login using my CPR number ti check my state of holidays. Independent of my employer.
Childcare benefit?
Apply using the CPR number online.
Need to find a daycare(Vuggestue) for your kid? No need, login with the kid’s cpr number and apply, and you get assigned to one of the neighborhood ones.
I move to a different address within Denmark? Change the address in that borgerservice portal, and that’s it. Even my internet provider sends a bill to the new address automatically.
End of the year, I get a tax report from SKAT(tax authorities) because they already know all my details as they are linked with my CPR number. All I need to do is report any corrections. If not my tax reporting is done by default.
When my kid was born in Denmark, the nurse came with a bag with a stork doll, and an envelope with….. CPR number :-)
It was a pleasure how things were digitized in Denmark.
It sounds really nice when you say it like this, I've always felt bad about all the hoops you have to go through as a foreigner in the Nordics. I wish I had time to rate countries on different bureaucracy flows like the ones you list; child care, immigrant, bank account, id theft, police report, filing and paying taxes as a employee, handling sales tax. You get so blind to these small inefficiencies.
As a German living in Denmark I often wonder why we Germans don't do it a bit like the danes .. it's just a hop over the border and ask them ;_;
Also if you change to a different bank or want a different "main" bank account both your monthly payments and wages get applied to your new bank account without you having to inform anyone.
denial. Look at all the other Germans saying "But all other countries are the same, it's not just Germany".
As a non-eu person living in Germany. It was easier to go to Denmark to marry because of the unreasonable paperwork in Germany. Like "Get a certificate you haven't been married in any country you have lived". Many countries don't issue those certificates.
Every scandinavian person knows how a good digitalized country looks like, Germans just can't even accept they are inefficient.
I needed one physical visit to the International affairs section of the citizens service(Borger service), where they took my biometrics, and issued me a CPR number(a national Id equivalent I that of social security number in the US, or Aadhaar ID in India), and another set of codes called Nem-Id which serves as a second factor authentication for all things online. That’s it.
I could go online, login with my CPR number, and use the Nem-ID as the second factor auth, and register my address, bank account, immigration details, driving license etc.
Need a bank account? Open one by using the CPR number and second factor auth using Nem-ID.
Same goes for phone connection, internet at home, whatever else.
Need holidays? Paid for by the government, and I login using my CPR number ti check my state of holidays. Independent of my employer.
Childcare benefit? Apply using the CPR number online.
Need to find a daycare(Vuggestue) for your kid? No need, login with the kid’s cpr number and apply, and you get assigned to one of the neighborhood ones.
I move to a different address within Denmark? Change the address in that borgerservice portal, and that’s it. Even my internet provider sends a bill to the new address automatically.
End of the year, I get a tax report from SKAT(tax authorities) because they already know all my details as they are linked with my CPR number. All I need to do is report any corrections. If not my tax reporting is done by default.
When my kid was born in Denmark, the nurse came with a bag with a stork doll, and an envelope with….. CPR number :-)
It was a pleasure how things were digitized in Denmark.