The Denmark-to-USA corridor is a transatlantic move with two halves that have to line up, or your shipment sits in a bonded warehouse racking up storage charges. On the Danish side you leave the EU customs territory, deregister from the population register, and settle your tax residency. On the American side, U.S. Customs and Border Protection decides whether your household goods enter duty-free — and that decision hinges on your immigration status. This guide walks through both ends, with every rule linked to an official source, and closes with a short note for the reverse direction (USA to Denmark). It is written for a resident of Denmark relocating to the United States, whether you hold a work visa, an immigrant (green-card) visa, or you are a returning U.S. citizen.

Key takeaways

• Your U.S. immigration status determines your customs treatment. Returning residents, immigrants and nonresidents on long-term visas all use the same form but qualify under different provisions of 19 CFR Part 148 — returning residents’ re-imported effects under § 148.31, and household effects used abroad under § 148.52.
• Household effects generally enter the U.S. duty-free only if they were used abroad for at least one year (19 CFR 148.52; CBP, Article 1392).
• Denmark’s customs authority is Toldstyrelsen (the Danish Customs Agency), which runs all export declarations through the DMS system since 2024 (toldst.dk / DMS).
• If you leave for more than six months, you must deregister from the CPR civil register with your municipality (cpr.dk).
• Danish full tax liability does not end automatically — it ends only when you no longer have a home available in Denmark (skat.dk).
• Dogs from Denmark (a rabies-free/low-risk country) need only a CDC Dog Import Form receipt, plus a microchip and a minimum age of six months (CDC).
• Cash or monetary instruments over US$10,000 must be reported to CBP on FinCEN Form 105 (CBP).
• Importing a car requires EPA Form 3520-1 and DOT Form HS-7 at the border (CBP).

1. How your U.S. visa and immigration status determine the customs treatment

Everyone importing unaccompanied household goods into the United States files the same document — CBP Form 3299, Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles (cbp.gov) — but the legal basis for duty-free entry differs by who you are. CBP recognises three main categories: returning U.S. residents (citizens or green-card holders coming home), immigrants arriving to live in the U.S. for the first time, and nonresidents on extended work or study visas (CBP, Article 1392).

The common thread is prior use. Furniture, tableware, books, artwork and other usual household furnishings enter free of duty only if they were used abroad for at least one year and are not intended for sale, under HTSUS subheading 9804.00.05 (19 CFR 148.52). The year need not be continuous or immediately before shipping, and you generally have up to 10 years after your arrival to import them (CBP, Article 1392). If you are emigrating, professional books, instruments and the tools of your trade can enter under a separate duty-free provision (CBP, Article 1392). New items bought shortly before the move, or goods for someone else, may attract duty. Because your visa class defines which box you tick on Form 3299, confirm your category before your Danish mover packs — it changes the paperwork on both ends.

2. The Denmark export side

Denmark’s customs authority is Toldstyrelsen, the Danish Customs Agency (toldst.dk). Shipping to the United States means moving goods out of the EU customs territory to a third country, which requires an export declaration. Since 29 May 2024, all customs declarations in Denmark — import, export and transit — run through DMS (Declaration Management System), which replaced the older e-Export platform (toldst.dk / DMS). The declaration takes the form of a Single Administrative Document describing the goods. In practice your removals company or freight forwarder lodges this export declaration in DMS on your behalf as part of customs clearance; private individuals rarely file it themselves.

Alongside the customs export, two personal-status steps need handling. First, deregister from the CPR (the civil registration system, or folkeregister). If you will be abroad for more than six months, you are required to report your departure to your municipality of residence so you are registered in the CPR as having left Denmark (cpr.dk). You do this through the self-service on borger.dk / lifeindenmark using MitID, or by booking an appointment with Borgerservice (Citizen Service) if you cannot use the digital solution (lifeindenmark.borger.dk). A short stay back in Denmark during your period abroad counts toward the six-month total rather than resetting it, and you keep your CPR number (cpr.dk).

Second, settle your tax residency with Skattestyrelsen (SKAT). Crucially, your full Danish tax liability does not end simply because you physically leave — if you keep a home available in Denmark, SKAT still treats you as resident and fully taxable here (skat.dk). Liability generally ceases when you give up your Danish home by selling it, ending the lease, or letting it out on an unbreakable lease of at least three years. Watch the exit tax on shares (fraflytningsbeskatning): if you hold shares or similar securities with a market value of at least DKK 100,000 at departure, Denmark can tax the unrealised gain as if the assets were sold on your departure date, though a deferral may be available (skat.dk). The Denmark-U.S. double-taxation treaty then governs how continuing Danish income (pensions, rental income) is taxed.

3. Ports and transit

Denmark’s principal container gateway is the Port of Aarhus, which handles the majority of the country’s container traffic and is the only Danish terminal able to receive the largest ocean vessels (Port of Aarhus). The second major container hub is the Port of Fredericia, whose container operations run with Associated Danish Ports and offer deep water and direct inland connections (ADP). Copenhagen (via Copenhagen Malmö Port), Aalborg and Esbjerg are additional working ports, but Aarhus and Fredericia carry most of the transatlantic container flow. Many Denmark-to-U.S. sea shipments also tranship through the larger North-European hubs — Bremerhaven, Rotterdam, Hamburg — before crossing the Atlantic.

The transit times below are freight-industry estimates, not official figures, and they vary with routing, season and transhipment. As a rough planning guide, sea freight from a Danish port to a U.S. East Coast port often runs in the region of three to five weeks door-to-port, and longer to U.S. West Coast or inland destinations that require onward rail. Air freight for a smaller consignment typically moves in a matter of days once booked and cleared. Treat the quote from your carrier as the working number, and build in clearance time on the U.S. side.

4. The U.S. import side

When your goods arrive in the United States separately from you, they clear on CBP Form 3299 (cbp.gov). The form asks for your identifying and arrival details, your U.S. address, port of arrival and carrier details, plus a description of the articles for which you claim free entry (cbp.gov). You do not have to travel with the shipment — personal and household effects entitled to duty-free entry can be shipped to your U.S. address later (CBP, Article 1392).

Pair the form with a detailed packing and inventory list valuing each carton, and have your passport and visa documents ready. Your U.S. customs broker or destination agent usually files the entry. Certain goods are restricted or dutiable regardless of the move — alcohol, tobacco and firearms have their own rules — so declare everything accurately. If part of your shipment is new or for resale, expect CBP to assess duty on those items rather than the whole container.

5. Pets

Denmark is not on the CDC’s list of high-risk countries for dog rabies, so it counts as a rabies-free or low-risk country (CDC). For a dog entering the U.S. from Denmark, the rules in effect since 1 August 2024 require that the dog appear healthy on arrival, be at least six months old, have an ISO-compatible microchip, and be accompanied by a CDC Dog Import Form online-submission receipt (CDC). The form is free, filed before arrival, and the receipt is valid for six months of repeat entries as long as the dog has not been in a high-risk country (CDC).

Cats are not required by the CDC to show proof of rabies vaccination, though the CDC recommends it and many U.S. states mandate it; cats must appear healthy and are subject to inspection at the port of entry (CDC). A USDA APHIS import permit is not needed for personal pet dogs or cats (CBP). Note that the CDC covers only public-health entry; individual airlines and U.S. states may add their own health-certificate or vaccination requirements, so check both.

6. Vehicles, money, and things people forget

Vehicles. To import a car you must file EPA Form 3520-1 (emissions) and DOT Form HS-7 (safety) with CBP at the time of entry (CBP). Most European-market cars are not built to U.S. EPA and DOT standards, so permanent import can require costly conformity modifications; the EPA publishes the current forms and codes (EPA; NHTSA HS-7). Confirm feasibility before shipping a Danish-registered car.

Money. There is no limit on how much currency you may carry, but if you bring more than US$10,000 in cash or monetary instruments into (or out of) the United States, you must report it to CBP on FinCEN Form 105 (CBP). For families or groups travelling together, the threshold applies to the combined total (CBP). Failure to report can lead to seizure of the funds (FinCEN Form 105).

Things people forget. Keep alcohol and tobacco out of the "duty-free household goods" claim — they are dutiable. Don’t ship prohibited or restricted agricultural items. Line up your U.S. arrival date so the Form 3299 entry is filed while your visa status is active. And remember the Danish side does not close itself: unfinished CPR deregistration or an un-surrendered home can leave you fully taxable in Denmark long after you land in the U.S.

How Flyto handles your Denmark to the USA move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe — combined with a carefully chosen network of vetted partners and subcontractors where it makes sense. For the U.S. leg we work with trusted local partners for destination clearance and delivery. We coordinate the whole corridor end to end so the Danish export and the U.S. import line up, and we are honest that the American side is handled through our partners rather than owned by us.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to be in the U.S. when my shipment arrives?
No. Personal and household effects entitled to duty-free entry can be shipped to your U.S. address after you arrive and cleared on Form 3299 (CBP, Article 1392).

Will I pay U.S. duty on my used furniture?
Generally no, if it was used abroad for at least one year and is not for sale (19 CFR 148.52). New items may be dutiable.

Do I really need to deregister from the CPR?
Yes, if you will be away more than six months. You report your departure to your municipality via borger.dk with MitID (cpr.dk).

Does leaving Denmark end my Danish tax liability?
Not automatically. If a home remains available to you in Denmark, SKAT still treats you as fully tax-liable (skat.dk).

What does my dog need to enter the U.S. from Denmark?
A CDC Dog Import Form receipt, an ISO microchip, a minimum age of six months and a healthy appearance — Denmark is a low-risk rabies country (CDC).

What about moving back — USA to Denmark?
Reverse the flow. Coming from outside the EU, you can import belongings to Denmark duty- and VAT-free if you have lived outside the EU for at least 12 consecutive months, will keep using the goods, and bring them within set time limits; you submit Toldstyrelsen’s declaration of personal property (Form 12.024) (toldst.dk; Form 12.024).

Sources

• Toldstyrelsen — The Danish Customs Agency
• Toldstyrelsen — Travelling to countries outside the EU
• Toldstyrelsen — DMS (Declaration Management System)
• Toldstyrelsen — If you move to Denmark
• Toldstyrelsen — Declaration of personal property (Form 12.024)
• CPR — Moving from Denmark
• Life in Denmark (borger.dk) — Change address / moving
• Skattestyrelsen (SKAT) — When you leave Denmark
• Skattestyrelsen (SKAT) — Tax on shares if you leave Denmark
• Port of Aarhus
• Associated Danish Ports — Container (Fredericia)
• CBP — Form 3299, Declaration for Free Entry of Unaccompanied Articles
• CBP — What is the process to move my used household goods and personal effects into the United States? (Article 1392)
• 19 CFR 148.52 — Exemption for household effects used abroad
• 19 CFR 148.31 — Effects taken abroad
• CBP — Money and Other Monetary Instruments
• FinCEN Form 105 (CMIR)
• CBP — Importing a Motor Vehicle
• EPA — Publications and Forms for Importing Vehicles and Engines (Form 3520-1)
• NHTSA / DOT — HS-7 Declaration
• CDC — Bringing a Dog into the U.S.
• CDC — Dogs from rabies-free or low-risk countries
• CDC — Bringing an Animal into the U.S. (cats)
• CBP — Bringing Pets and Wildlife into the United States