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Denmark is surprisingly lax about a lot of stuff, we have an impression of Danes being a highly educated and motivated society but the reality is definitely mor

Denmark is surprisingly lax about a lot of stuff, we have an impression of Danes being a highly educated and motivated society but the reality is definitely more average. Stupid shit like this happens all the time but nothing happens because usually the consequences aren't too big (read: noticeable), if they are Danish companies usually hire American consultants

marcus_holmes 3y ago
We got married in Denmark, as a lot of foreigners living in Germany do, because of this laxity. Germany requires a metric tonne of paperwork to prove everything was legit (and all of that had to be officially translated from source language into German). Denmark not so much (and they were fine with dealing with German and English documents). You gotta love the Viking attitude to paperwork ;)
- miningape 3y ago
  Nice! I'm also definitely on the side of preferring the lax life. I'm a foreigner living in DK and it was definitely one of the most unexpected aspects of life here. I had always had this strong impression it was much more organised and things work in a "perfect" way but that was simply not the case.
  - vertis 3y ago
    Would love to live in Copenhagen but it doesn't seem particularly easy unless you're prepared to marry (which my GF might have a problem with, given she wants to go too) or get a job in Denmark (I have existing international clients and an Estonian company). Would have no issues with starting a Danish company and transferring to using that and paying Danish tax but not really interested in working for a random Danish company just to qualify to live there. But that's not one of the options. I'll just have to settle for visiting frequently.
- throwaway4good 3y ago
  That is because you are both foreigners and the marriage doesn't give you any rights in Denmark. If you were a Dane marrying a non-EU foreigner it would be a completely different story.
  - marcus_holmes 3y ago
    I suspect you're right. But there doesn't seem to be a stream of Copenhagen-resident foreigners getting married in Berlin as there is a very definite stream of Berlin residents getting married in Copenhagen.
    - throwaway4good 3y ago
      Just be clear - the restrictions are on a non-EU foreign spouse's rights to residency in Denmark - not the marriage itself. Here Denmark is extremely restrictive forcing many Danish/non-EU-couples to live in Sweden and yes Germany.
      - marcus_holmes 3y ago
        Yeah, that's a different thing. We just went to Copenhagen to get married and then left immediately. Ended up in Australia as getting residency for my wife there was super easy compared to getting EU residence for me.
throwaway4good 3y ago
I can assure you that Copenhagen Airport and Denmark in general is not laxed at all about travelling without a valid ticket. Hoever getting a ticket that will get you into the departure area is fairly cheap - Ryanair will sell you something for less than 20 euros if you are not picky about the destination. The check that your ID matches your ticket is done at the gate not the security check.
- miningape 3y ago
  For sure, I'm not trying to say that this is common but rather that the expectations we have around Denmark do not match the reality. I will say though that CPH is one of my favourite airports because its always clean, and easy to get through (I've also never had to squat and cough there either which is not common for someone with my race+nationality combo! :))
itronitron 3y ago
I guess my point is that the statement is best in class PR spin. It's a pointless statement to make since everyone captured on surveillance footage at the airport will be seen without a valid ticket. However it's genius if the airport wants to assert that the airport does in fact have a working video surveillance system without being questioned about it.
coreyh14444 3y ago
Denmark is a "high trust" society and people generally assume others are acting properly. It is a bit of a cornerstone of the culture. This is what got them into problems with the Banking sector. They didn't check that you were receiving, sending funds for reasons other than what you stated, so a lot of Europeans figured this out and abused the system. Now the reverse is true and the banks here are incredibly particular about what you do. This is the land where people leave their babies asleep in strollers outside of the cafes after all. Source -American in Copenhagen.

marcus_holmes 3y ago

We got married in Denmark, as a lot of foreigners living in Germany do, because of this laxity. Germany requires a metric tonne of paperwork to prove everything was legit (and all of that had to be officially translated from source language into German). Denmark not so much (and they were fine with dealing with German and English documents). You gotta love the Viking attitude to paperwork ;)

miningape 3y ago
Nice! I'm also definitely on the side of preferring the lax life. I'm a foreigner living in DK and it was definitely one of the most unexpected aspects of life here. I had always had this strong impression it was much more organised and things work in a "perfect" way but that was simply not the case.
- vertis 3y ago
  Would love to live in Copenhagen but it doesn't seem particularly easy unless you're prepared to marry (which my GF might have a problem with, given she wants to go too) or get a job in Denmark (I have existing international clients and an Estonian company). Would have no issues with starting a Danish company and transferring to using that and paying Danish tax but not really interested in working for a random Danish company just to qualify to live there. But that's not one of the options. I'll just have to settle for visiting frequently.
throwaway4good 3y ago
That is because you are both foreigners and the marriage doesn't give you any rights in Denmark. If you were a Dane marrying a non-EU foreigner it would be a completely different story.
- marcus_holmes 3y ago
  I suspect you're right. But there doesn't seem to be a stream of Copenhagen-resident foreigners getting married in Berlin as there is a very definite stream of Berlin residents getting married in Copenhagen.
  - throwaway4good 3y ago
    Just be clear - the restrictions are on a non-EU foreign spouse's rights to residency in Denmark - not the marriage itself. Here Denmark is extremely restrictive forcing many Danish/non-EU-couples to live in Sweden and yes Germany.
    - marcus_holmes 3y ago
      Yeah, that's a different thing. We just went to Copenhagen to get married and then left immediately. Ended up in Australia as getting residency for my wife there was super easy compared to getting EU residence for me.

throwaway4good 3y ago

I can assure you that Copenhagen Airport and Denmark in general is not laxed at all about travelling without a valid ticket. Hoever getting a ticket that will get you into the departure area is fairly cheap - Ryanair will sell you something for less than 20 euros if you are not picky about the destination. The check that your ID matches your ticket is done at the gate not the security check.

miningape 3y ago
For sure, I'm not trying to say that this is common but rather that the expectations we have around Denmark do not match the reality. I will say though that CPH is one of my favourite airports because its always clean, and easy to get through (I've also never had to squat and cough there either which is not common for someone with my race+nationality combo! :))

itronitron 3y ago

I guess my point is that the statement is best in class PR spin. It's a pointless statement to make since everyone captured on surveillance footage at the airport will be seen without a valid ticket. However it's genius if the airport wants to assert that the airport does in fact have a working video surveillance system without being questioned about it.

coreyh14444 3y ago

Denmark is a "high trust" society and people generally assume others are acting properly. It is a bit of a cornerstone of the culture. This is what got them into problems with the Banking sector. They didn't check that you were receiving, sending funds for reasons other than what you stated, so a lot of Europeans figured this out and abused the system. Now the reverse is true and the banks here are incredibly particular about what you do. This is the land where people leave their babies asleep in strollers outside of the cafes after all. Source -American in Copenhagen.