For information on the Danish legal system please consult the websites of the Danish Ministry of Justice and the Danish Parliament.
Legal sources
The main sources of law in Denmark are legislation, preparatory legislative work and case law.
Legislation is the primary source of law and is published in the Law Gazette. Since 2008 the Law Gazette has only been available in electronic form. Legislation is divided into, among other things, laws, orders and administrative regulations. Laws are adopted by the Danish Parliament, orders are issued by the Government, and administrative regulations are drafted by authorities.
Parliament is the only body with the power to adopt new laws or to amend existing legislation. Once adopted, legislation may be repealed or amended only by Parliament
Court rulings also play an important role in the application of the law. Supreme Court rulings are often more significant than rulings by lower courts.
Preparatory legislative work, which is carried out during the legislative procedure, is also an important part of the application of the law.
Legal databases
The legal information portal (Retsinformation) gives citizens access to:
- laws, administrative rules, treaties and consolidated legislation
- parliamentary documents
- administrative decisions
- decisions by the Ombudsman.
The portal contains all legislation in force on 1 January 1985 and all legislation adopted after that date.
Access to the database is free of charge.