Taking over a business in Denmark? How to get access to its Google Business Profile

If the business you bought or now run in Denmark already has a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business), do not create a second one. Claim it if nobody has verified it. If someone else holds it, use "Request Access": the current owner has 3 days to reply. Then give your own team the right roles.

Button names, time limits and rules in this guide come from Google's Business Profile Help, read on 9 November 2026.

Who this is for

You have taken over a business in Denmark, or you have just been put in charge of one. Perhaps you bought a café in Aarhus from a retiring owner, or you joined as general manager of a guesthouse whose profile was set up by an agency years ago. The listing is on the map with photos and reviews, but nobody on your side can edit it. This guide is about getting control of that listing. If there is no listing at all, read how to get your business on Google Maps in Denmark instead.

First, check the accounts you already have

A profile belongs to one or more Google accounts, and you only see it when you are signed in to one of them.

1. Sign in to the Google account you think has access.
2. Search Google for "my business", or for the business name and town.
3. In the Google Maps app, tap "Business" in the bottom right corner.
4. If the account manages several businesses, tap the arrow at the top and pick the right one.

Try every account the business has used: a shared info address, a former employee's work account, the seller's account. If you open the listing and see neither "Claim this business" nor "Own this business", you may already own it.

When nobody has verified the listing

Some listings exist without an owner. Claiming one is free.

1. Open Google Maps on a computer.
2. Search for the business name and town, or select it on the map.
3. Choose "Claim this business" and then "Manage now".
4. Choose a verification option and follow the steps on screen.

In the app, open the listing, tap "About", then "Claim this business" and "Manage now".

Google assigns the verification method automatically and you cannot change it. Some businesses need more than one method, and the review can take up to 5 business days. Never pass the code on to anyone, including people who manage the profile for you.

When the seller or an agency holds the profile

After a purchase, the profile may still sit in the seller's account, or with an agency the seller paid. You have two routes.

Route one: the seller hands it over. If the seller is willing, agree on this before the sale closes:

1. The seller opens the profile, chooses "More", then "Business Profile settings" and "People and access".
2. The seller chooses "Add", enters your email address, picks "Owner" under "Access" and selects "Invite".
3. You accept the invitation. Then both of you wait 7 days.
4. The seller selects you, chooses "Edit" next to "Access", picks "Primary owner" and selects "Save".
5. The seller selects their own name and chooses "Stop managing" and "Confirm".

The order matters, because a primary owner cannot remove themselves until primary ownership has been transferred. Put the profile handover in the purchase agreement, with a date, alongside the keys and the phone number.

Route two: you ask Google. If the seller has gone quiet or an agency no longer answers:

1. Go to business.google.com/add and enter the business name and address.
2. Select the business. You will see "Someone else may manage this Business Profile".
3. Choose "Request Access", fill in the form and select "Submit".

You get a confirmation email. The current owner gets an email and has 3 days to reply. If the request is approved, you can manage the profile. If it is declined, you can still suggest an edit to the profile or appeal. If there is no reply after 3 days, open the confirmation email, choose "View request" and then "Verify", and follow the steps. That option is not always available.

A business that only serves customers at their location, with no shop or office, cannot use these steps. It has to contact Google support through the help page, enter "Transfer ownership of listing" in the "Tell us what we can help with" field and choose "Transfer ownership of listing" as the issue.

Roles for your staff, your accountant or your agency

Once you are in, decide who else gets access. There are three levels:

• Primary owner. Only one per profile, and only the primary owner can pass that role on.
• Owner. Full control, including adding and removing people and removing the profile.
• Manager. Almost the same as an owner, but cannot add or remove people or remove the profile.

To add someone, go to "People and access", choose "Add", enter the email address, pick a role and select "Invite". Pending invitations can be cancelled. Google Groups cannot be owners or managers, so each person signs in with their own account and nobody shares a password.

New owners and managers have to wait 7 days before they can remove or restore the profile, remove other people or transfer primary ownership. Plan for that week if you are about to leave on holiday.

A practical set-up for a small business: you and one trusted colleague as owners, and an outside agency or bookkeeper as manager. When someone leaves, an owner selects them and chooses "Remove person". Their earlier replies to reviews and their posts stay on the profile.

Danish paperwork that does not move the profile

Your CVR registration. Registering or updating the company in the Danish business register (CVR) through Virk does not change who controls the listing. Google's page on requesting ownership does not mention a CVR number at all.

MitID. MitID is not part of Google's verification, and you cannot prove the profile is yours by logging in with it.

The purchase agreement. It gives you the business. The profile still moves only through the roles or a request for access described above.

Once you control the profile, check that the name, address and phone number match in Danish directories, including DenmarkGuide. You can see how businesses are listed in categories such as Restaurants Aarhus and Hotels & Resorts Aarhus. A listing in DenmarkGuide is free, see Add your business for free. The sign-up form will be added to that page soon. More guides are collected under For business owners.

If you get stuck

You can check your business details yourself and follow Google's guidance. If you are unsure what to change, you can ask Madloba Consult: Google Maps SEO for local business

Sources

All sources were read on 9 November 2026.

• Google Business Profile Help: Find your business on Google
• Google Business Profile Help: Add or claim your Business Profile
• Google Business Profile Help: Request ownership of a Business Profile
• Google Business Profile Help: Manage your Business Profile owners & managers
• Google Business Profile Help: Transfer primary ownership of a Business Profile
• Google Business Profile Help: Verify your business on Google

Written by: DenmarkGuide editorial team (business guides). Fact-checked against Google's help pages on 9 November 2026.