Marketing posted to a person in Denmark by name and address may not be sent to anyone on the Robinson list, so the mailing list must be checked before printing. Unaddressed mail, for example to "the household", isn't covered by the Robinson list but must respect "Reklamer – Nej tak" stickers.
Marketing posted to a person in Denmark by name and address may not be sent to anyone on the Robinson list, so the mailing list must be checked before printing. Unaddressed mail, for example to "the household", isn't covered by the Robinson list but must respect the "Reklamer – Nej tak" stickers on letterboxes.
This guide is for brands, catalogue retailers and mailing houses sending direct mail into Denmark, often for the first time.
Addressed vs unaddressed
Denmark has two separate opt-out schemes for postal marketing:
| With the person's name | Without a name ("to the household") | |
|---|---|---|
| Robinson list | Applies | Doesn't apply |
| "Reklamer – Nej tak" sticker | Doesn't apply | Applies |
Sources: Consumer Ombudsman on the Robinson list and on Nej tak.
The Robinson list protects against marketing sent to a person's postal address with their name and address on it. Businesses must check the list before sending.
"Reklamer – Nej tak" ("Advertising – no thanks") is a sticker on the letterbox. It stops unaddressed advertising like supermarket flyers. Distributors must respect it. People on the Robinson list can still receive unaddressed advertising unless they also have the sticker.
What counts as addressed marketing?
Anything that's marketing and carries the recipient's name. For example:
- personalised offer letters,
- catalogues with a name on the address label,
- membership or subscription offers to non-members,
- "we miss you" letters to lapsed customers without consent.
Existing customers
If a customer has consented to receiving your mailings, you may send them, even if they're on the Robinson list. Signing up to the list doesn't revoke consent already given to you. A purchase on its own isn't consent, though. Without consent, check customers like everyone else.
Sole traders
Sole traders running their business from home can join the Robinson list, and then addressed advertising to them is unlawful (Consumer Ombudsman). B2B mailings to small Danish businesses should be checked too.
The list changes every quarter
The CPR register compiles a new edition of the Robinson list once a quarter, with each person's current name and address and any previous address from the last three years (CPR Act s. 40(4)). A mailing list checked for the spring catalogue isn't necessarily clean for the autumn one. Check before every mailing.
Danish addresses
If your data comes from outside Denmark, expect Danish address formats to trip up your matching:
- Floor and door:
Vestergade 12, 2. tvmeans number 12, second floor, door on the left (tv = left, th = right, mf = middle). Ground floor isst. - Letters: æ, ø and å are sometimes written ae, oe and aa.
- Postcodes: four digits, followed by the town, e.g.
8000 Aarhus C.
A matching process that can't find a person must not conclude "not on the list". The honest answer is "the address could not be read", so someone looks at the row before it's used.
Who is responsible?
The duty to check lies with the business doing the marketing. In practice, the list passes through an agency, a data supplier and a print house. If each assumes another has checked, nobody has. Put the check in one fixed place, ideally right before printing, and keep the check receipt. See Check receipt.
How Robinsontjek helps
Upload a mailing list and get it back in seconds: every row shows what we found, from "Nobody on the list at the address" to "Same name and address". You also get a print-ready file with only the rows below the level you go by (level 1, the most cautious, unless you choose another), and a check receipt. Or let us connect to your print house's drop folder so every Danish list is checked on its way into production.
Per list: DKK 995 for up to 500 rows, DKK 5,000 above 500 rows. Annual: DKK 15,000 for unlimited lists, setup included. See direct mail and print.
Questions and answers
Does the Robinson list apply to B2B mail?
To sole traders run from home, yes. Other companies can register advertising protection in the CVR register. See Danish company ad protection (CVR).
Can we send to "the occupant" instead?
Mail without a name isn't covered by the Robinson list, but the "Reklamer – Nej tak" sticker applies, and response is usually lower.
Can we use our own suppression file from another country?
It won't contain the Danish Robinson list. Check Danish recipients against the current Danish list.
See how it works, or write to us and we'll set the check up.
This guide summarises Danish sources and is not legal advice.
