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Denmark: why confirm a former employee's job?

Every Danish employer already has these facts in writing: the Employment Statements Act requires it to tell each employee when the employment began and their title or a description of the work. Confirming the same facts takes a minute and helps the person into their next job. certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent.

Law as of 26 October 2026 · Databeskyttelsesloven (consolidated act LBK No. 289 of 8 March 2024) and the Employment Statements Act (Act No. 501 of 16 May 2023)

In short

  • The facts are already in writing. Every employer must inform the employee in writing of, at least, when the employment began and the employee's title or a description of the work (Employment Statements Act, § 3(2)). Those are the facts we ask about.
  • It helps the person who worked for you. A record confirmed by a former employer is what the next employer trusts. Answering takes about a minute and needs no account.
  • certo asks on their behalf, with their explicit consent. The Data Protection Act lets an employer process personal data in an employment relationship on the basis of the employee's consent, given as the GDPR requires (§ 12(3)). The person started this check themselves, for these facts and no others.
  • You do not have to answer. Answering certo is voluntary. Declining is fine.

Labour law

Denmark has no single labour code. Quoted from the official texts on Retsinformation.

Employment Statements Act, § 3(2): what you already wrote down

Arbejdsgiverens oplysningspligt omfatter mindst følgende oplysninger: … 3) Beskrivelse af arbejdet eller angivelse af lønmodtagerens titel, rang, stilling eller jobkategori. 4) Ansættelsesforholdets begyndelsestidspunkt.

In English: the employer's duty to inform covers at least: a description of the work or the employee's title, rank, position or job category, and the date the employment began. These are the facts we ask about, so your records already hold them.

The Salaried Employees Act: no rule on references

We found no provision of the Salaried Employees Act (funktionærloven, consolidated act LBK No. 1002 of 24 August 2017) that requires an employer to give a reference when employment ends, or that limits what an employer may say about a former employee. The legal basis for your answer is therefore the data protection rules below.

Personal data

The GDPR applies directly in Denmark; the Data Protection Act (databeskyttelsesloven) supplements it.

§ 12(3): consent in an employment relationship

Behandling af personoplysninger i ansættelsesforhold kan finde sted på baggrund af den registreredes samtykke i overensstemmelse med artikel 7 i databeskyttelsesforordningen.

In English: personal data in an employment relationship may be processed on the basis of the data subject's consent in accordance with Article 7 of the GDPR. The person is no longer your employee and started the request on their own, so nothing in the employment puts pressure on that consent.

  • Art. 6(1)(a), consent. The legal basis for your answer, and the consent § 12(3) refers to.
  • Art. 7(1), proof of consent. certo records which account asked, when, and for which facts. Write to support@certo.bio and we send you the record for your request.
  • Art. 5(1)(c), data minimisation. You confirm or leave unticked only the facts listed. Add nothing else: anything beyond them is not covered by the person's consent.

What this means for your answer

  • Tick only what your HR, payroll or personnel records show.
  • Not sure it is the same person? Press "We can't find a matching record". Never confirm a record you are not sure is theirs.
  • Your policy is not to answer? Press "We do not answer these requests". The record shows your organisation declined, and nobody else there is asked.

Sources

This page is not legal advice. It reflects the law as it stood on 26 October 2026.