++UPDATE SEE BELOW++
With our neighbours to the north, the opening regulations are off to a somewhat slow start: After the cruiser department received verbal confirmation from the Danish embassy in Berlin almost a week ago that crews will be able to sail across the border from 15 June, there has been no written confirmation of this so far. Following an enquiry by YACHT to the responsible ministry, the editorial team received the answer that the border police - and only the border police - decide whether owners are allowed to cross or not. You should try the border or call the police info number for information.
The only problem is that anyone who calls this number usually hears an announcement in Danish and ends up on hold. Attempts by some YACHT readers who speak Danish have shown that the announcement very often simply says that the hotline is busy and that you should either call again or end up in an endless waiting loop.
But now there is movement in the matter: yesterday evening the Danish police made the following written statement to the charterer of 1st class yachts:
"If you are travelling from Germany, Norway or Iceland, you must be able to prove that you have booked six nights in Denmark after 15 June. It doesn't matter whether you are staying in holiday homes, on campsites or in marinas. It is also not a problem if the nights are split between several marinas. It's just the fact that the nights must be documented when you enter the country."
But as practice shows, this is only half the truth. Several YACHT readers tried to book six berths in Danish harbours, but none of them succeeded in getting a booking confirmation for even one night. Most of the Danish municipal harbours are not technically prepared for such reservations. This was also confirmed when a YACHT employee travelled around the country last week for the Denmark update in YACHT No. 14/2020: Not a single harbour master knew how this should be implemented and whether it is really legal to call at the harbours.
Attempts to make reservations via the harbour booking portal www.marinabooking.dk have also failed so far. The question therefore arises as to which marina in Denmark accepts reservations at all.YACHT readers who manage to make such a booking are kindly asked to send a short message to the editors, where this is possible (fritsch@yacht.de)!
It also seems that the border officials are currently deciding at their own discretion who is allowed into the country and who is not. Two owners with permanent moorings and boats in Denmark were able to enter Denmark last week with proof of their mooring contract, as the border officials equated their contract with owning a holiday home in Denmark. YACHT editor Menso Heyl, on the other hand, was stopped by officials at the border when he tried to do just that and was forced to turn back.
As you can see, the start of the summer sailing season in Denmark has not yet got off to a good start. As soon as we know more, we will publish the information on YACHT online.
YACHT reader Stefan S. reports:
"I have used the booking portal mentioned in the article "Denmark's opening - and the problems with it"
in the following harbours via the booking portal mentioned in the article:
Assens
Juelsminde
Nyhavn 2, Middelfart
The latter was only available in English or Danish. In German I was told that there were no bookable seats available. I couldn't book in Bogense because payment was only possible with DanKart.
I have received an email from three other ports in response to my "Booking Request" that I am welcome, and I understand this as a booking confirmation, so I now have what I believe to be six confirmed booking requests.
YACHT reader Jörg R. reports
I wrote to the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the "problem of visiting my own yacht".
I was referred to the police hotline and told that they had no jurisdiction. I have just got through here too. Result: A visit to your own boat is simply not possible!
Six harbour bookings that have been confirmed in advance at least allow you to sail. Alternatively, you can rent a hotel room or house so that you can get the boat ready for sailing. In this case, however, the six overnight stays are also obligatory.
UPDATE: The hotline employee has just informed me of the possibility from 15.06.2020: The contract (or a copy) for the berth as well as a confirmation from the harbour master about the year-round use and the identity card should "open the border". The six overnight stays are then no longer necessary.
YACHT reader Jan A. reports:
Attached you will find the form from Lyoe. Everything should be filled in and sent back to the harbour master. Very uncomplicated and we received an answer directly by e-mail.
YACHT_reader Jan S. reports:
"Entering Denmark for permanent residents is not as easy as we had hoped. When we showed our annual contract for our berth in Sonderburg at the border crossing on the A7 motorway yesterday, the officials were of the opinion that as it wasn't a summer house, hotel or similar and we couldn't occupy it for 6 nights, we wouldn't be allowed to enter the country. Only my obvious annoyance and the fact that even the Danish foreign minister saw things differently helped us to cross the border as a gesture of goodwill, and the official then "graciously" believed that we wanted to stay 6 nights... It is therefore advisable to carry a written receipt for 6 nights."
