Danish fishing licences: prices and rules in 2026
Short answer
A Danish rod-fishing licence costs DKK 46 for a day, DKK 150 for a week or DKK 214 for a year in 2026. It does not automatically grant fishing rights in every lake or river. Recreational eel fishing is prohibited in both fresh and salt water as checked on 11 November 2026.
Which licence applies?
A lystfisketegn covers light handheld equipment such as a fishing rod. It is generally required from age 18 until Danish state-pension age. Do not rely on an old fixed upper limit such as 65: Borger.dk ties the exemption to the applicable pension age.
Passive equipment such as nets and traps falls under fritidsfiskeri and has different requirements. Its annual licence costs DKK 347 in 2026 and also covers rod fishing.
Use the official fisketegn.dk service and select the correct starting date. An exemption from payment does not remove species, location or access restrictions.
National licence versus local permission
The national licence is only one element. Lakes and rivers may also require permission from the fishing-rights holder or a local fishing permit.
The Danish Nature Agency makes selected lakes and watercourses available for angling. Locate them through its information and Udinaturen, then read the conditions for the actual water. Free local access does not remove species restrictions.
At the coast, check protected zones, access and local restrictions. A public beach does not prove that every method or target species is permitted.
Saltwater registration
The Environmental Protection Agency requires registration before recreational saltwater fishing. A valid fishing licence registers you automatically. People exempt from payment because of age must register separately through fisketegn.dk.
Catches of reportable species must be entered in RecFishing on the same day, including released fish. Check the current species and geographical scope with the authority. A reporting option is not permission to target a protected species.
Can you fish for eel?
Not recreationally under the rules checked here. DTU Aqua explains that, from 1 August 2026, the prohibition covers both fresh and salt water.
Accidentally caught eels must be released immediately and cannot be kept or landed. Commercial minimum-size information does not make recreational eel fishing lawful.
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Questions and answers
DKK 46 in 2026 according to Borger.dk.
No. Separate permission or a local permit may be needed.
Under-18s are generally exempt from payment, but saltwater registration and other restrictions still apply.
No. The recreational prohibition also covers freshwater from 1 August 2026.
No. Release it immediately.
No. Reporting and permission to fish are separate requirements.
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