Registration and re-registration of a ship in the Danish Register

As a basis for the admission of a ship, a document proving that the owner of the ship has ownership of the ship is required. The document is called a document of title, and for that there are a number of formal requirements.

As a starting point, there is a requirement to use the forms

• Form I 3 (Bill of lading)
• Blanket I 2 (Bill of Sale)

approved by the registrar of ships.

However, there is practice of waiving the form compulsion if a corresponding foreign Bill of Sale or Builder's Certificate contains the same information as the approved forms. In particular:

1. Unambiguous identification of the ship
2. Unambiguous identification of buyer and seller
3. Unambiguous timestamp of transfer of ownership from transferor to recipient; the time may instead be indicated/documented with a copy of a Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance;
4. To what extent the ship is transferred shall be indicated. For example, 100/100 is a whole ship. If half of the ship is sold, it is given as 50/100

An invoice or a purchase receipt will normally not be sufficient to constitute a document of title. The title document must normally be issued in Danish in order for it to be registered.

However, title documents in Swedish, Norwegian and English are usually also accepted.

Documents of title in other languages must have been translated by a sworn or approved translator. Both the original document and the translation must be submitted to the Register of Shipping.

The document of title must clearly state that ownership of the ship passes from the seller to the buyer. In the case of newly built ships, possibly from shipyard to builder.

If the title document does not specify a date for the buyer or the developer's acquisition of ownership, the title document may be supplemented by a Protocol of Delivery and Acceptance, which states the date of acquisition. A delivery protocol signed on behalf of each of the parties may be sent by e-mail. There is no requirement that the signatories are authorized signatories.

The document of title must always be signed by the transferor of the ship (seller or yard).

The document of title must be submitted to the Register of Shipping with the original signature(s) of the transferor (seller) or construction yard. All signatures must be dated, indicating the day, month and year of the time of signature. The names of the signatories must be repeated in block capitals, typescript, stamps or the like.

If the transferor is an undertaking, the document of title must be signed by the person of the undertaking who is an authorized signatory. If the transferor is a shipping partnership, all shipowners must sign.

The document of title may also be signed by a person who is an authorized signatory through a power of attorney. It is then a requirement that an original power of attorney is  presented and that the  power of attorney is signed by the seller, the signatory of the seller or all part owners.

Read more about power of attorney here

Separate documentation for a Danish company, a legal person or other plurality of natural persons does not have to be presented if the provisions regulating the power to bind and the authorized signatory is present in the CVR register. The Register of Shipping itself checks that the signatory is an authorized signatory by performing a lookup in the CVR register.

If the transferor is a Danish association, foundation or the like, without provisions regulating the power to bind and the authorized signatory  present in the CVR register, the signatories can be authorized through a public notary, or by submitting articles of association together with signed and dated minutes of a general meeting of shareholders. As many minutes of the general meeting of shareholders must be submitted as necessary in order to document that the signatories are elected and have the necessary function in the association.

If the transferor is a Danish municipality, a municipal institution, a region or a regional institution, a signature from the mayor/regional chairman or municipal director/regional director is required, unless a power of attorney is presented for the signatory's authority to sign.

If the transferor is a government agency, separate proof of the signatory’s authority to sign is usually not required.

If the transferor is a foreign company, the authority to sign can be documented by a notary confirming the identity and authority of the signatory on behalf of the company.

If the notary is not resident in the EU/EEA, the notary's confirmation must be legalized or apostilled. Legalization or apostillation is not needed if a notary from within the EU/EEA is used.

Authority to sign for foreign companies established in EU/EEA countries can also be documented by presenting a copy of a digital transcript from the register, or an original signed confirmation from the register in question.

If the transcript or confirmation is not in Danish, Swedish, Norwegian or English, it must normally always be translated into Danish or English by a certified or approved translator.

Who can and should sign depends on who is signed for:

1. Private individuals and individual companies: The individual person
2. Companies: Must be signed by the person authorized to sign in accordance with the provisions regulating the power to bind
3. Shipping partnerships: All shipowners must sign – except in the case of pledging only the concerned party’s part of the ship
4. Associations, limited partnerships, partnerships and the like: Signatures must be made in accordance with the articles of association of persons appointed under the articles of association.
5. Municipalities: Must be signed by the mayor, municipal director or according to directives/power of attorney given by the mayor or municipal director
6. State: Must be signed by a, for the registration, relevant government official.

An objective party witness is a person who confirms by his/her signature that the signature is the signatory’s, and that the date of the signature is correct. If the document issuer is a natural person, the witness must also confirm the authority of the signatory.

A person who may have financial interest in the transaction or is the spouse of the signatory shall not be accepted by the Register of Shipping as an objective party witness.

The objective party witnesses names, positions and places of residence must be indicated and the names of the witnesses must be reproduced in capital letters, stamps or typescript.

If a Danish lawyer signs as an objective party witness, the title, name and business address must be clearly stated.

If a notary confirms the document, the confirmation must be signed and stamped.

Denmark

• 2 objective party witnesses
• 1 lawyer with Danish appointment
• 1 notary

Other countries

• 2 objective party witnesses, and copies of each witness’ passport.
• 1 notary

The Register of Shipping must have documentation of who has owned the ship, all the way back to the ship's delivery from the shipyard or until the ship was last registered in the Danish register or the Boat Register. The documentation must consist of a complete unbroken timeline.

The documentation of previous owners can be done by presenting documentation of previous transfers with a copy of deeds / bill of sale / receipts, etc. Alternatively, the previous owners can fill out a Declaration of Previous Ownership confirming when they bought the ship, whom they bought the ship from and to whom they sold it afterwards. The declaration must be presented in original to the Register of Shipping.

If the ship at some point has been entered in a foreign ship register  or is imported from abroad, documentation must only be submitted back to the person who was registered as an owner in the foreign ship register when the ship was deleted from there.

When the registered owner of a ship changes address, it must be reported to the Register of Shipping - send an e-mail to srg@dma.dk.

Please note that the Register of Shipping cannot register the new address until it is registered in the CPR or CVR register.

The change is then registered and you receive a new nationality certificate.

A new form will come soon - until then, use the form Notification for registration of ship to Danish flag (Form II 22)

 When the Danish Maritime Authority receives this form, the ship will be assigned a control number (Official Number) and a set of signal letters/call sign. There are no special requirements for who can sign the form on behalf of the shipping company.

Please submit the form as early as possible, so survey etc. can be planned. For digital notification, submit the form after you have been assigned identification letters in the self-service after step 2.

If a commercial ship, including a fishing ships, is to be registered in DAS, DIS or FTJ with a foreign owner, an original declaration of fulfillment of the activity and establishment condition must be submitted in connection with the registration of the vessel.

The form must be signed by the owner/authorized signatory for the owner, just as the form must be signed by the authorized signatory for the person who fulfills the activity and establishment conditions.

Find the forms below:

• Enkeltmandsrederi - EU/EØS-borger (R11)
• Udenlandsk-partrederi (R12)
• Udenlandske-selskaber med begrænset ansvar (R13)
• Udenlandske-selskaber uden begrænset ansvar (R14)

(Link form II 16 – 19) (New forms coming soon)

Read more about foreign shipowner

When a ship is registered or registered with a deadline, a final certificate of nationality may be issued to the ship. One of the particulars contained in the final certificate of nationality is a short text describing the place in the interior fixed structure of the ship where the signal letters are marked/carved.

You must therefore send us an e-mail, srg@dma.dk or a letter in which the marking point is described with a short text. We can only issue the final certificate of nationality once we have this information.

Example text: "on the inner side of the aft-most crossbeam".

It is a requirement for registration that a Tonnage Certificate has been prepared for the ship.

The Tonnage Certificate must have been prepared by a Danish authorized ship surveyor. Here you will find a list of authorized ship surveyors. As of 16 January 2023, the Danish authorized surveyors will report the information contained in the Tonnage Certificate directly in DSRG.

In the case of a ship from abroad and if your ship already has an international Tonnage Certificate issued by someone other than an authorized Danish surveyor, you can send a copy to us. No later than three months after the ship has been registered in the Danish ship register, you must submit a copy of a Danish Tonnage Certificate.

In the case of a ship to be entered or resumed in a Danish register, and the ship has a Tonnage Certificate issued by a Danish authorized ship surveyor, the old Tonnage Certificate can only be used if it was not issued more than 18 months ago, counting from the report of the ship. If the Tonnage Certificate is older, a new one must be issued.

A new Tonnage Certificate must be issued together with report of changes in the tonnage of the ship.

You report an owner by submitting one of the available forms to the Register of Shipping. Which form to choose depends on the "type" of owner you want to report. The Maritime Act calls an owner of a ship a "shipping company" and that language is followed in the forms. You can choose from these forms:

• Blanket II, 13 Enkeltmandsrederi
• Blanket II, 14 Partrederi
• Blanket II, 15 Interessentskab, kommanditselskab, Forening, fond eller stiftelse
• Blanket II, 16 Enkeltmandsrederi (ikke dansk)
• Blanket II, 17 Partrederi (ikke dansk)
• Blanket II, 18 Selskab med begrænset ansvar (ikke dansk)
• Blanket II, 19 Selskabe uden begrænset ansvar (ikke dansk)

If the owner is already registered as the owner of a ship, no new report is required, except in the following two situations where an ownership report must always be submitted:

1. When the owner is a shipping partnership, because one shipping partnership can only own one ship and it must be stated how much of the ship each party owns.
2. When the ship is a commercial ship and the owner is non-Danish, because there are requirements for compliance with the activity and establisment conditions, and the fulfillment of these requirements must be documented and stated specifically for each individual ship.

If the reported owner is a foreigner, special requirements apply

See who can sign forms on the page See who can sign forms

1. First of all, for all ships other than pleasure crafts, including houseboats for private use, you must submit Form II 22 Notification for registration of ships to Danish flag. (link).
   The form does not lead to registration, but is an administrative notification, which is used to assign signal letters to the ship and create it in DSRG, the Self-Service Solution and to start a case about surveys, etc. of the ship.
   There is no requirement that the form is signed by the ship's owner and the form can be submitted by anyone.

2. You report a ship for registration by submitting one of the following forms to the Register of Shipping. Which form you should choose depends on which register you want to report the ship to. You can choose from these forms:

• Blanket II, 1 Skib til DAS med en BT på 20 eller mere
• Blanket II, 2 Skib til DAS med BT mellem 5 og 20
• Blanket II, 3 Skib til DIS
• Blanket II, 4 Skib til FTJ
• Blanket II 6 Skib under bygning, Skibsbygningsregistret

See who can sign forms on the page here. 

If a ship is already registered in another country's register of ships, the ship must be deleted from this register before it can be entered in a Danish register.

A Certificate of Deletion must be provided from the register of this other country, showing that the ship is no longer registered and that the ship is free from registered mortgages and encumbrances.

The certificate must have been issued by the ship registration authority of the country in which the ship was registered immediately prior to its entry into a Danish register.

The Certificate of Deletion must be presented to the ship register in its original form before the ship can be registered. Please note that digitally verifiable Certificates of Deletion are usually accepted as original and can therefore be sent to the Register of Shipping as an attachment by e-mail.

If all other requirements for registration are met, except that the Register of Shipping has not received an original Certificate of Deletion,  it is possible for ships to be registered with a time limit of 7 working days, on the basis of a copy of the Certificate of Deletion. The reporter must request registration with a time limit. The request can be made by e-mail. If the 7-day time limit is exceeded, it means that the ship and any mortgage will be wiped out of the Danish register. However, the registrar of ships may, on request and in exceptional circumstances, extend the time limit.

Registration with a time limit is usually only used if a mortgage is to be registered on the ship in connection with the registration. If no mortgage is to be registered, it is usually chosen to obtain a provisional Certificate of Nationality until the original certificate has been received by the Register of Shipping.

If the foreign ship registration authority does not issue Certificates of Deletion, a legal opinion from a licensed lawyer in that country can usually be presented instead, who can confirm that such a certificate is not issued. At the same time, it must be specifically agreed with the Register of Shipping how it is instead confirmed that the ship is not registered and that it is free from encumbrances.

If a ship has not been registered before being entered in one of the Danish registers, instead of a certificate of deletion, you must present a certificate that the ship has not been registered in the relevant country where the ship is imported from, usually the country where the seller is living. In case of doubt, non-registration certificates may be required from several countries. The certificate is called a non-registration certificate (Certificate of Non-registration).

In the case of a newly built ship which has not been previously registered, a Certificate of Non-Registration, issued by the ship registration authority of the country in which the ship was built, showing that the ship has not been registered there, must be presented instead of a Certificate of Deletion.

Certificates of Non-Registration are usually not required to be legalized or apostilled.

CSR reports and requirements apply to all passenger and cargo ships engaged in international voyages (SOLAS SHIPS), with a GT of more than 500.

The CSR reports contain the history of the ship. These include, for example, the ship's previous ownership and flag. All reports must be on board the ship.

Anyone can apply by using forms II 23 seen below:

• CSR initial input form
• Amendments to the continuous synopsis record
• CSR Index of Amendments

Submission of the CSR document is not a registration requirement, but if the ship does not have the correct CSR documents on board, it may be detained for that reason.

Read more about CSR here

1. When the ship is registered – issuance of certificate of nationality

A Danish certificate of nationality documents that the ship is entitled to fly the Danish flag and is thus documentation of the ship's nationality as Danish.

All certificates of nationality are issued as electronic, verifiable documents. You can at any time by, for example, scan the QR code on the certificate of nationality and see if the certificate is valid.

You can access the certificate  of nationality on the Danish Maritime Authority's website in the shipowner's self-service with MitID or after registering as a user. See instructions here. https://www.soefartsstyrelsen.dk/publikationer-og-vejledninger/vejledninger/soe-guide-uk

The certificate  of nationality must always be available on board the ship, either in physical or electronic form

2. Temporary certificate of nationality

The ship register can, upon written request - preferably by email - issue a temporary certificate of nationality. Issuance of and requests for temporary certificates of nationality cannot be made in DSRG, Self-service.

Temporary certificate of nationality can be issued to ships which have been reported for registration in Denmark when the ship has been build or is under construction for the purpose of a trial trip or the like. Furthermore, various things must be documented and made probable.

A temporary certificate of nationality is issued for a shorter, limited period, usually 7 – 30 days. Temporary certificates of nationality can be extended upon written request and the circumstances.

A temporary certificate of nationality can serve as a basis for issuing a navigation permit, crew determination, insurance certificates, etc. issued by the Danish Maritime Authority.

A temporary certificate of nationality gives the opportunity to sail under the Danish flag before the ship is registered. A temporary certificate of nationality is not a registration of the ship and no mortgage or other rights in the ship can be registered on that basis.