The Copenhagen Embassy serves as the bilateral Mission between Denmark and the United States, as well as the hub for a number of Nordic and Baltic U.S. Representations. Regional representations include the Office of Environment, Science and Technology, as well as the Legal Attaché and the Drug Enforcement Agency under the Department of Justice. Other Embassy offices include the Commercial Service under the Department of Commerce, The Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The Embassy also houses the procurement office for the U.S. Air Force Base at Thule, Greenland – Detachment 1. You can contact them via email: 21CONS.Det-1.OMB@us.af.mil
Diplomatic relations between Denmark and the United States go back to 1801, which makes Denmark one of the countries with the longest unbroken diplomatic ties to the U.S. See the Office of the Historian for more background information on U.S. diplomatic history.
The section and offices are listed below. If you are in need of Consular or American Citizens’ Services assistance, please use the drop down menu on top of the page.
Ambassador's Office
The Ambassador’s offfice, or Executive Office as it is also called, is the center of operations of an Embassy. The Ambassador, also known as the Chief of Mission, is the personal representative of the President of the United States to the government and people of Denmark. A Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) manages the daily business of the Embassy on behalf of the Ambassador. If an Ambassador’s term has ended and another Ambassador has yet to be appointed, the DCM acts in the Ambassador’s stead as Chargé d’Affaires ad interim. The Executive Office is also staffed by one or more office managers.
Commercial Section
The American market is open to products, ideas, and inward investment in ways that few others are. President Obama has emphasized this openness to both foreign and domestic investors. In 2011, he established “SelectUSA” to assist foreign companies as they invest in our country.
SelectUSA also has consolidated information on federal programs and services available to companies that operate in the United States into a one-stop web portal. This resource should be a perfect tool for Danish companies and we hope that more will benefit from this new service.
With its stable political and economic environment and well developed rule of law, Denmark is an excellent market for U.S. companies. With its state-of-the-art infrastructure and distribution systems, a highly skilled labor force and a central location, Denmark is an excellent distribution point for the Scandinavian, Northern European and Baltic markets. Furthermore, Denmark is a firm advocate of liberal trade and investment policies and actively encourages foreign investment.
The Embassy, including the Commercial and Political/Economic Sections, is dedicated to promoting and protecting U.S. commercial interests in Denmark and stands ready to offer a variety of services to both U.S. and Danish companies.
We hope you find the information on this site useful, and please do call upon us to assist you in whatever way we can.
Please visit the Business Section of this website for more information.
Consular Section
The Consular Section of the American Embassy provides assistance to American citizens residing in or visiting Denmark and visa services for temporary visitors and immigrants to the United States.
The American Citizen Services Unit helps American citizens with passport applications and renewals, reports of birth for children born in Denmark, voter registration, applications for Social Security numbers, federal benefits, income tax forms, child custody issues, and notarial services. The unit also provides emergency services for American citizens in distress.
The Visa Unit processes nonimmigrant visas. Nonimmigrant visas are processed for persons who seek short-term visas to the United States, such as tourist visas, business visas, student visas, crew visas, and temporary work permits.
Please note that all immigrant visa processing for residents of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden takes place at the U.S. Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Immigrant visas are processed for persons who are entitled to reside permanently in the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen only provides very limited immigrant visa-related services.
Defense Attaché Office and Office of Denfense Cooperation
The United States Defense Attaché Office (DAO) performs representational functions on behalf of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretaries of the Military Services, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chiefs of the U.S. Military Services and the Commander of European Command.
The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) Denmark is responsible to the U.S. Ambassador and the U.S. European Command for administering U.S. Security Cooperation and International Armaments Cooperation (IAC) Programs, as well as reinforcing defense logistics planning activities for Denmark.
Environment, Science, Technology, and Health Office
The ESTH Hub office is the United States’ point of contact for regional Environment, Science, Technology, and Health (ESTH) issues for the Nordic/Baltic/Western Europeanregion.
The office acts as a liaison between governments, international organizations, the private sector, research institutions, and non-governmental organizations on these issues. Additionally, the Regional Hub Officer coordinates programs of regional interest. The Hub region covers twenty-one countries including Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lichtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the Vatican City.
Office of Defense Cooperation
The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) Denmark is responsible to the U.S. Ambassador and the U.S. European Command for administering U.S. Security Cooperation and International Armaments Cooperation (IAC) Programs, as well as reinforcing defense logistics planning activities for Denmark.
Security Cooperation
Security Cooperation includes Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of U.S. defense equipment and training. Specifically, Security Cooperation concerns the transfer of military equipment, technology and services through sale, grant, lease, or loan to friendly foreign governments. Such transfers are carried out under the principle that if they are essential to the security and economic well-being of friendly foreign governments, they are equally vital to the security and economic well being of the United States. This is in keeping with US European Command’s “Stronger Together” vision.
International Armaments Cooperation
IAC includes support for bilateral government-to-government cooperative programs such as the F-16 Multinational Fighter Program, Data Exchange Agreements, Foreign Comparative Testing, Engineer & Scientist Exchanges, and support to U.S. defense industries seeking to do business in Denmark.
Logistics Planning
Logistics planning includes coordinating bilateral mutual logistics support agreements, which provide the U.S. and Denmark flexible and responsive logistics support during peacetime and war.
The primary constituency of ODC-Denmark includes U.S. Department of Defense personnel, Danish Ministry of Defense staff, Danish Chief of Defense staff, the Joint Materiel Command of Danish military services – the Danish Defense Acquisitions and Logistics Organization/Forsvarets Materiel Tjeneste (DALO/FMT) , U.S. defense vendors, and Danish defense-related industries wishing to participate in cooperative programs in order to gain access to the U.S. market. Specific areas in which the ODC may provide assistance include:
- National and defense decision-making process
- Defense procurement regulations and policies
- Defense budget and procurement plans
- Defense industries and product lines
- Points of contact for specific procurement programs
- Coordination with other U.S. Embassy offices
- Industrial cooperation requirements
- Bilateral logistics agreements
- Data Exchange Agreements
- Foreign Comparative Testing programs
The Political and Economic Section
The Political/Economic Section coordinates with the Danish Government on the full range of political, economic, security and transatlantic issues. We utilize our official contacts with representatives in the Danish Government, as well as officials in Greenland and the Faroe Islands, non-governmental organizations, and commercial interlocutors to advocate policies consistent with U.S. interests and to coordinate in areas of shared interest.
Some of the specific issues handled by the Political/Economic Section are:
- Bilateral and multilateral trade policy
- Energy
- Civil aviation
- Biotechnology
- Intellectual Property Rights
- Maritime affairs
- Information technology and telecommunications
- Labor affairs
- Financial issues
- Development assistance coordination
- NATO
- Missile Defense
- International peacekeeping and security issues
- Counterterrorism, including countering the financing of terrorism
- Law-enforcement coordination
- Human rights
- Trafficking in Persons
- Religious freedom
Public Diplomacy Section
The Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the is responsible for delivering information to the Danish public about the United States, its government and its policies, and about America’s institutions and its people and culture. As part of this role, the section’s officers serve as the Embassy’s official press spokespersons.
In addition, the section organizes conferences, seminars and talks by visiting American officials and academics, as well as electronic meetings of American and Danish counterparts. As part of the Embassy’s overall outreach efforts, the section manages speaking programs by other Embassy officers, and invites groups to the Embassy for presentations by American officers.
PAS also manages a variety of educational and cultural exchanges — both short-term and long-term — that allow Danish students, academics, and professionals to visit the United States, and for Americans to visit Denmark. As part of this work, the Section maintains an active International Visitor and Voluntary Visitor program, which arranges study trips and professional appointments for Danish visitors to the United States. The Section also works closely with the Danish Fulbright Commission, which enables Danish and American students and faculty to study in America and Denmark.
Small Grants Program
The Public Affairs Section welcomes proposals for funding for cultural programs or other public events that aim to promote the understanding and appreciation of American culture. Any such proposals received by the Public Affairs Section will be reviewed and selected or rejected according to program needs and funding availability.
If you or your organization would like to apply for funding for a specific project, please visit our grants page to learn more and access relevant documents.
From time to time, the Embassy will also post grant solicitations, where we ask for project ideas within specific topics or issues that we want to support with funding. Make sure you visit our grant solicitations page regularly to stay updated on what opportunities we have to offer.
Information, Research & Communications in the digital realm
You can follow the Embassy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn. You can follow our ambassador on Twitter and Instagram. You can follow the consulate in Nuuk on Facebook and Instagram.
For students Aged 7-18
We have a website with content for Danish students/kids aged 6-18. It’s called USA i skolen. The site contains information about everything and anything U.S. and is available in English and Danish. The site is divided into sections matching different age groups.
Regional Security Office
The Regional Security Office is staffed by special agents of the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), the law enforcement and security branch of the U.S. Department of State. DSS special agents serving in regional security offices anchor our overseas security efforts and provide the first line of defense for our personnel, their families, U.S. diplomatic missions, and national security information. More than 480 DSS special agents in over 150 countries advise chiefs of mission on all security matters and develop and implement the programs that shield U.S. missions and residences overseas from physical and technical attack.
Special agents, in concert with other mission or post elements, formulate plans to deal with various emergency contingencies ranging from hostage taking to evacuations. Often, in times of crisis and political instability, DSS special agents rely on the U.S. military for assistance. Since the early 1990s, special agents have worked closely with the military, especially the U.S. Marine Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams, which have provided emergency force protection support for Department of State operations in a number of countries when the host government was unable to do so.
Special agents are the primary liaison with foreign police and security services overseas, for instance the PET in Denmark, in support of U.S. law enforcement initiatives and investigations. Much of the investigative and law enforcement liaison work done by special agents abroad is on behalf of other federal, state, and local agencies. DSS receives about 3,000 requests for overseas investigative assistance from U.S. law enforcement each year, and has achieved noteworthy success in locating and apprehending wanted fugitives who have fled the United States.
DSS special agents also provide unclassified briefings and other professional security advice to U.S. businesses overseas through the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).
While special agents face a tremendous challenge in implementing a mission’s security program, it is clearly one that cannot be handled alone. In the challenge to safeguard our personnel and sensitive information overseas, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) security engineering officers (SEOs) augment the efforts of the security office. SEOs are the primary developers and promulgators of technical policy and regulations. They design or develop, implement, and manage security equipment programs at our missions abroad. In a constantly evolving technical environment, SEOs are responsible for detecting and preventing loss of sensitive information from technical espionage.
In addition to SEOs, special agents depend upon Marine Security Guards, U.S. Navy Seabees, surveillance detection teams, local guards, cleared American guards, local investigators, host government officials, and other DS elements domestically and abroad to provide assistance in combating criminal, intelligence, and terrorist threats against U.S. interests worldwide. These entities play a crucial role in the overall DS security efforts overseas.
To learn more about Diplomatic Security’s activities, please view Partnerships for a Safer World(PDF 2.9 MB), the bureau’s latest annual report.
You can contact the RSO on CopenhagenRSO@State.gov.