Information for patients and relatives about new interpretation fee
A change in the law on 1 July means that citizens who have lived in Denmark for more than 3 years will have to pay for the use of an interpreter in the health care system. The doctor assesses whether an interpreter is needed.
The fee for interpretation is set to
- 334 DKK at consultation in medical practice and outpatient clinic (191 DKK with use of video interpreter)
- 675 DKK when admitted to hospital (DKK 957 using video interpreter).
It is the regions that charge the fee.
This means that a bill will come from the Region after your doctor’s visit if an interpreter has been used. There are exceptions, which means that there may be cases where no bill will be sent, for example, consultations with children are exempt from the fee.
See here list of citizens who will not be charged an interpretation fee even though they have been in Denmark for more than 3 years:
- Patients who, as a result of reduced physical or mental function, have temporarily or permanently lost the ability to acquire and use acquired Danish skills.
- Children who show up for treatment unaccompanied by parents.
- Parents who need interpretation services in the treatment of a child.
There is also no fee from individuals from the German minority, the Faroe Islands or Greenland.
The region may ask each patient to provide medical evidence that he or she is covered by point 1)
