If you live in Denmark and hold foreign shares, ETFs or other securities, you should check your Danish tax information before 1 July.
Last updated: May 2026
Foreign shares Danish tax reporting can create problems even when the investment itself looks simple. Many people living in Denmark use foreign banks, trading apps or online brokers to buy shares, ETFs and other securities. The platform may work smoothly, but Danish tax reporting does not always follow automatically.
With Danish banks, Skattestyrelsen often receives much of the relevant investment information directly. Foreign depots and non-Danish platforms can work differently. Therefore, investors should check whether TastSelv contains the correct details before the 1 July deadline.
This matters because missing information can affect more than the current year. In some cases, late or missing purchase information can also affect whether you can deduct a future loss.
Why foreign shares need extra attention in Denmark
If you live in Denmark and have foreign shares or securities, you must make sure the correct information appears in your Danish tax information. This may include purchases, sales, dividends, gains, losses and the value of the foreign account or depot.
Foreign brokers do not always report information in the same way as Danish banks. Even when countries exchange some information, you should still check whether the Danish tax system has received the details in the right form.
In other words, “my broker has the information” does not always mean that everything is ready for Danish tax purposes.
Why the 1 July deadline matters
The 1 July deadline matters because Skattestyrelsen must receive certain information on time. The most important point often concerns purchase information.
If Skattestyrelsen does not receive the required information about a purchase before the deadline, you may risk losing the right to deduct a future loss on those shares or investment certificates.
For shares, relevant purchase information may include:
- which shares you bought
- how many shares you bought
- when you bought them
- the purchase price
- trading costs
- relevant currency information
Do not wait until you sell the shares. Put the purchase information in place from the beginning.
The risk many investors overlook
Most investors know that gains on shares may create tax. Fewer people realise that losses do not always give an automatic deduction.
This can become a real problem with foreign shares. If you sell foreign shares with a gain, you may still need to report and pay tax on the gain. At the same time, a loss may not give the expected deduction if you did not report the purchase correctly and on time.
That is why you should check foreign investment accounts before the deadline — not only when you sell something.
What you should check before 1 July
A useful review does not need to be complicated. Start by identifying which investments you hold outside Denmark and whether they appear correctly in TastSelv.
You should also collect the most important documents from your broker or platform. These may include annual statements, transaction reports, purchase confirmations, sales confirmations and dividend statements.
Before 1 July, check:
- what you bought and sold
- when you bought and sold it
- how many shares or units the transactions involved
- what you paid and received
- whether you received dividends
- whether a foreign country withheld tax
- whether the information appears correctly in TastSelv
This check becomes especially important if you use more than one platform or hold investments in different currencies.
Foreign dividends and tax withheld abroad
Foreign shares may also pay dividends. Danish taxpayers generally need to consider both the dividend itself and any foreign tax withheld before the payment reaches them.
In some cases, a foreign country withholds dividend tax. Denmark may allow relief or credit within the limits of Danish rules and the relevant double taxation agreement. However, the investor still needs documentation.
Therefore, you should not treat dividend statements and withholding tax details as secondary documents. They may become important when you complete or correct the Danish tax assessment.
ETFs and investment certificates can follow different rules
Foreign investment products do not always follow the same Danish tax treatment as ordinary listed shares. Many foreign investment certificates, including many ETFs, may fall under rules where annual value changes matter even if you have not sold the investment.
This makes classification important. Do not assume that all foreign products follow the same tax treatment as listed shares. If your portfolio includes ETFs, funds or other investment products, check the Danish tax category before reporting.
Professional assistance can be useful here, especially when the platform report uses foreign terminology that does not match Danish tax categories directly.
A practical example
Imagine that a Danish taxpayer bought shares through a foreign trading platform in 2025. The platform gives the investor a transaction report, but the purchase does not automatically appear in the Danish tax system.
If the investor later sells the shares at a loss, the right to deduct that loss may depend on whether Skattestyrelsen received the required purchase information by the deadline. Waiting until the sale year may therefore be too late.
The practical lesson is simple: keep purchase information from the beginning, not only when you sell.
What a clean investment tax file looks like
A clean setup gives you a clear overview before the tax deadline. It also makes future sales, dividend reporting and tax corrections easier.
In practice, keep broker reports and transaction documents in one place. Separate different types of investments, check whether TastSelv includes the relevant information, and save purchase documentation even for investments you plan to hold for many years.
A strong investment tax file could include:
- annual statement from the broker
- full transaction list
- purchase and sale confirmations
- dividend report
- foreign tax withholding report
- year-end portfolio value
- notes about currency conversion
- copies of what you submitted to Skattestyrelsen
This may feel like extra administration, but it can save time and uncertainty later.
Checklist before 1 July
Use these questions before the deadline:
- Do all foreign investment accounts appear in your tax overview?
- Have you checked purchases, sales, dividends, gains and losses?
- Do you have purchase confirmations for the securities you bought?
- Have you saved broker reports and annual statements?
- Have you checked whether any foreign tax was withheld?
- Have you identified ETFs, funds or other investment certificates separately?
- Do you know whether the products follow ordinary share rules or different Danish tax rules?
- Have you saved documentation of what you submitted to Skattestyrelsen?
If the answer is unclear, check the documentation before the deadline passes.
Need help checking foreign investment tax information?
We can help you review foreign share documentation, broker reports, dividends and purchase information before the 1 July deadline.
How Andreas Regnskab can help
Foreign investments often create practical challenges because the information may sit across different platforms, currencies and reports.
At Andreas Regnskab, we help companies and individuals with bookkeeping, accounting and ongoing financial administration. If you have foreign investments and want a better overview of your documentation before tax deadlines, you are welcome to contact us.
We can help you understand which documents to collect, what information you should check in TastSelv, and when professional tax review may be useful.
Conclusion
Foreign shares and investment accounts can be useful and completely legitimate. However, they require extra attention when you live in Denmark and report Danish tax.
Before 1 July, check whether purchases, sales, dividends, gains and losses have been reported correctly. The most important point is not only whether you must pay tax now. You also need the right documentation if you want to deduct a future loss.
Good documentation gives you a clearer overview and makes it easier to handle Danish tax deadlines correctly.
This article provides general information only. Do not treat it as legal or tax advice. The correct treatment depends on the specific facts of each case. If your situation is complex or high-value, get professional advice before making decisions.
Sources and further reading
Foreign investments: notify Skattestyrelsen by 1 July
https://skat.dk/borger/udlandsforhold/du-bor-i-danmark-og-har-indkomst-fra-udlandet/giv-os-besked-om-dine-udenlandske-investeringer-senest-1-juli
Conditions for deducting losses on shares and investment certificates — Skattestyrelsen
https://skat.dk/borger/aktier-og-andre-vaerdipapirer/skat-af-aktier/betingelser-for-fradrag-for-tab-paa-aktier-og-investeringsbeviser
Tax on shares — Skattestyrelsen
https://skat.dk/borger/aktier-og-andre-vaerdipapirer/skat-af-aktier
Tax on investment certificates and investment companies — Skattestyrelsen
https://skat.dk/borger/aktier-og-andre-vaerdipapirer/skat-af-investeringsbeviser-udstedt-af-investeringsforeninger-og-investeringsselskaber
Årsopgørelse 2025 Denmark: Deadlines, Checklist & Tips — Andreas Regnskab
https://andreasregnskab.dk/news/aarsopgoerelse-2025-denmark/