Am I allowed to access the data a company holds about me in Denmark?
Yes — you have a right of access to the personal data an employer or company holds about you. Under GDPR and the Data Protection Act you can get confirmation and a copy of your data plus information on purpose, recipients and storage period, with no reason given. They must respond within 1 month (up to 3 months for complex cases, but they must tell you first). The first copy is free; a reasonable fee can only be charged for manifestly unfounded or repeated requests. The typical refusal is not a no but a half-answer: being told to go and find the data yourself is not enough — you must get an actual copy. If the right is breached, you can complain to the Data Protection Authority.
📋 The rules
- Right to access and a copy of your data
- They must respond within 1 month
- Up to 3 months for complex cases
- The first copy is free
- You can complain to the Data Protection Authority
🔓 Exceptions
- Data about others or trade secrets can be kept out
- The Data Protection Act §22 can limit access for reasons such as state security
- Courts and purely statistical purposes have their own exceptions
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Serious GDPR breaches can bring fines of up to 20 million euros or 4% of global turnover. In Denmark, though, the Data Protection Authority does not set the fine itself: it reports the case, and the courts decide the amount. The typical failing by a company is rarely a flat refusal — it is a half-answer. You are told where you can look the data up yourself, or you get a list with no purpose, recipients or storage period attached. Both are too little: you are entitled to an actual copy. If the 1-month deadline passes with no notice, you can complain to the authority.
📎 Official sources
- Data Protection Authority · Your rights →
- Data Protection Authority · Access (guidance) →
- Data Protection Act · Retsinformation →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I access my data?
Yes. You have a right of access to the personal data a company holds about you, and to a copy of it. You also get told the purpose, the recipients and the storage period, and you need give no reason at all.
How quickly must they respond?
Within 1 month, however large the company is. The deadline can be extended to up to 3 months for complex cases, but they must tell you before it expires — they cannot simply let it run out in silence.
Does access cost anything?
No, the first copy is free. A reasonable fee can only be charged for manifestly unfounded or repeated requests, so an ordinary access request must not cost you anything at all.
Is it enough to be told where I can find the data myself?
No. You must get an actual copy of the data, not just a pointer to go and find it yourself. Being referred to a self-service portal therefore does not satisfy the right of access.
Where do I complain if they refuse?
You can complain to the Data Protection Authority, which supervises the data-protection rules. The fines are set by the courts after a report from the authority, and serious breaches can cost up to 20 million euros.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
- “can I access my data denmark”
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