Cabotage

Cabotage transport refers to national transport for hire or reward carried out for a limited period in a host Member State – that is, a Member State other than the one in which the transport company is established.

Cabotage may only be carried out within the EEA (European Economic Area). It is a requirement that the cabotage operation is performed in connection with a preceding international transport to the country. The international transport must be completed, and the cabotage operation must then be carried out within 7 days, with a maximum of 3 cabotage operations.

The international transport preceding the cabotage must not primarily be intended to enable the vehicle to perform cabotage.

A cabotage operation may consist of multiple loading points or multiple unloading points.

Cabotage may not be carried out on the basis of a preceding transport performed under a CEMT or bilateral permit.

Minimum Hourly Wage for Cabotage Transport

Drivers must be guaranteed a minimum hourly wage when they are posted and perform cabotage and/or the road part of combined transport in Denmark. According to the regulations, foreign drivers operating in Denmark must be guaranteed a minimum wage equivalent to the minimum wage that Danish employers are required to pay for similar work.

The requirement for Danish-level remuneration applies from the start of the cabotage transport or the road part of combined transport and ends upon unloading the final cabotage trip or road part of combined transport.

The wage requirement does not apply during loading and unloading periods or rest periods. Furthermore, the wage requirement does not apply to bilateral international transport.

Type of TransportRate from the 1st of July 2025Rate from the 1st of July 2024Rate from the 1st of January 2024
Bus cabotageDKK 200.76DKK 195.15DKK 185.33
Initial or final road part of combined transport where the total permissible weight of the motor vehicle or vehicle combination exceeds 3,500 kgDKK 196.08DKK 190.30DKK 180.47
Cabotage transport where the total permissible weight of the motor vehicle or vehicle combination exceeds 3,500 kgDKK 196.08DKK 190.30DKK 180.47

Registration with Posting Declaration

When your company carries out the following types of transport operations in EU Member States, Norway, or the United Kingdom:

  • Cabotage operations involving goods or passengers
  • The initial or final road part of combined transport, provided that this part does not constitute a bilateral transport
  • Non-bilateral international transport (third-country operations)

you are required to register the posting via the official public interface connected to the Internal Market Information (IMI) system.

The registration must be completed no later than the start time of the posting and before the transport operation begins.

A posting declaration may be submitted and registered in the IMI system for a period of up to 6 months.

The driver must be able to present a copy of the posting declaration and documentation proving that the transport operations are taking place in Denmark. Upon request, the driver must also make tachograph data available to the authorities.

Go to the IMI registration (new window)

Questions and Answers Regarding Posting

Yes, drivers of vans over 3.5 tonnes are covered by Directive (EU) 2020/1057, provided they are performing one of the transport operations subject to posting rules.

No, the posting rules apply only where there is an employment relationship between the operator and the driver. Self-employed drivers are not considered posted under the directive.

No, drivers performing occasional passenger transport are not subject to the posting rules and therefore do not need to submit a posting declaration, as long as they are exclusively engaged in occasional or regular services.

This applies regardless of whether the transport is carried out with closed doors (e.g., local excursions) or not.

Rules and Regulations