Is there a VPN ban in Denmark, and what is actually blocked?
No. VPNs are legal in Denmark, with no licensing, no registration and no restriction on which provider you use. The scare came from a copyright bill in consultation in late 2025 whose anti-piracy section would have made it unlawful to use a VPN to access content not licensed for Denmark or to bypass court-ordered blocks on illegal sites. The minister withdrew that section in December 2025, said the ministry would revisit the piracy measures separately, and stated plainly that VPNs serve legitimate purposes including data security. Nothing restricting VPN use has been passed since, and Freedom House rates Denmark Free.
Denmark does block some sites, and has for years. Since 2005 Danish providers have run a child abuse filter with the police, since a 2008 court order against Tele2 they have blocked The Pirate Bay, and under a 2012 agreement between the telecoms industry and rights holders every Danish provider blocks pirate sites once a court orders it. Unlicensed gambling sites have been added since 2011. None of that touches a traveller using normal services: WhatsApp, FaceTime, Zoom and Teams calls work on every network, and social media, news and streaming load normally.
The everyday reason is shared Wi-Fi. Copenhagen's hostels, cafes, the DSB trains and the many coworking spaces run networks used by thousands of people a month, and your banking and work logins should not cross them unencrypted. The commercial friction is the other reason: since Brexit, UK subscribers are outside the EU content portability rules, so BBC iPlayer will not play and Netflix shows a Danish catalogue. If something breaks late at night, 24/7 live chat from NordVPN or Surfshark is worth more than any feature list.
What a VPN does and does not do in Denmark
A VPN encrypts everything between your device and the VPN server, so the hostel router, the train Wi-Fi and the carrier see only scrambled traffic. It also lets you choose where you appear to be. A UK server makes your bank, iPlayer and streaming accounts behave as they do at home, and a Copenhagen server (both of our picks have one) gives you a Danish IP for local sites, DSB tickets and MitID-linked services if you are staying a while.
It does not change Danish copyright law, and the 2025 debate is a reminder that rights holders in Denmark are watching how geo-blocks are circumvented. It will not make a packed hostel network faster, and some streaming platforms block VPN ranges regardless of provider. Both picks come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so test them on your actual connection: NordVPN for a city break, Surfshark for a longer stay.
Recommended VPNs for Denmark
NordVPN, best for short trips and month-by-month plans
It is the one for you if you are covering yourself, or you and a partner, and want something simple to run and easy to forget about. One plan covers 10 devices, and the apps are quick to install and easy to switch off and on as you need. Plans run by the month, the year or over two years, all with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Surfshark, best for long stays and unlimited devices
It is the one for you if one subscription needs to cover everyone. Connections are unlimited, so every phone, laptop and tablet you travel with, and anyone you share a place with, runs on the same plan at once. That suits a stay that stretches to months rather than weeks. It sells the same three terms and adds bonus months on the longer two, with the same 30-day money-back guarantee.
Server networks and speeds in Denmark
Both of our picks have servers in Copenhagen. NordVPN lists more than 70 servers there, and Surfshark lists a Copenhagen location on its server map, with Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands minutes away in network terms if Copenhagen is busy. For UK services you route to London either way, roughly 1,000 km and a couple of dozen milliseconds from Copenhagen, which is fine for video calls and streaming.
Local networks are among the fastest in Europe. Ookla's Speedtest Global Index for March 2026 put Denmark's median mobile download at about 192 Mbps and fixed broadband at about 292 Mbps, both well inside the global top tier. Coverage is close to universal, including on Bornholm and in rural Jutland, so the VPN server, not the Danish network, is the only place latency gets added.
How to choose between them
The differences that matter fit in one table, and the last two rows are there to name two promises you should not believe from anyone, us included.
| Feature | NordVPN | Surfshark |
|---|
| 1 month | $14.99 | $16.45 |
| 1 year plan, total upfront | $65.88 (12 months billed) | $50.85 (15 months billed) |
| 2 year plan, total upfront | $94.23 (27 months billed) | $67.23 (27 months billed) |
| Devices per plan | 10 | Unlimited |
| Kill switch and auto-connect | Yes | Yes |
| Independently audited no-log policy | Yes (2025) | Yes (2025) |
| Money-back guarantee | 30 days | 30 days |
| Guarantees access to any blocked site, anywhere | No | No |
| Makes slow Wi-Fi faster | No | No |
On a single month NordVPN is cheaper. Over a year or two Surfshark is. On everything else the choice is about shape rather than money: 10 devices and a simple setup on one side, unlimited devices on the other.
Setting up before you travel
Do the setup at home, on Wi-Fi you trust, before the airport. Install NordVPN or Surfshark on each device, sign in, and connect once to confirm everything works. Then turn on two settings both apps include: the kill switch, which stops your traffic travelling unprotected if the VPN drops, and auto-connect, which brings the VPN back up when your connection returns.
Nothing you need is blocked in Denmark, so install and log in before you fly, turn on the kill switch for hostel, train and cafe Wi-Fi, and save a UK server as a favourite if you rely on banking apps or iPlayer. Denmark is in the EU, so EU SIMs roam at home rates; UK travellers should check whether their plan still includes EU roaming, since several UK networks have reintroduced charges. Our Best eSIMs for Denmark guide covers getting online the moment you land; both VPN apps work on an eSIM plan as well as Wi-Fi.
Final recommendation
Denmark is a simple country for VPN use: legal despite the 2025 scare, nothing a traveller uses blocked, very fast networks and Copenhagen servers from both providers. For a Copenhagen weekend or a work trip, NordVPN is the pick. Its 70-plus Copenhagen servers keep latency low, its UK servers are reliable for banking and iPlayer, and ten device connections cover a family or a work kit.
If you are moving to Denmark for a job, a degree or a long stay, Surfshark is the better value. Unlimited devices covers every phone, laptop and TV stick in a shared flat on one account, and its Copenhagen location gives you a Danish IP whenever a local site wants one.
