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How Copenhagen visitors can buy transport tickets on smart phones without an app

Transport operators in the Copenhagen region have launch a new way to buy travel passes for buses, trains and the Metro on smart phones, without the need for an app.

Published: 10 July 2024 10:57 CEST

How Copenhagen visitors can buy transport tickets on smart phones without an app

Visitors to Copenhagen can download transport passed using QR codes placed around the city. Photo: Rune Øe/Ritzau Scanpix

Visitors and tourists in Copenhagen (and residents if they prefer) no longer need to concern themselves with downloading the correct app if they want to buy a ticket for public transport on their phones.

Scan & Travel, a new system launched by Din Offentlige Transport (DOT), the collaboration of public transport operators in Copenhagen and the island of Zealand, lets passengers buy travel passes using QR codes strategically placed around the city.

DOT describes the QR code system as a “mini-version” of its DOT Tickets app, allowing you to buy a City Pass without having to register or download an app.

The QR codes are placed on ticket machines and posters at major stations and at Copenhagen Airport, allowing you to find and download the pass – which can then be saved on your phone – from the point at which you need it.

The Scan & Travel QR code. Image: DOT

To use the scheme, passengers must provide an email address and be able to pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay. More information can be found in English on DOT’s website.

A City Pass provides unlimited transport for between 24 and 120 hours, depending on the pass you select. It is valid on buses, trains and Metros and allows two accompanying children under 12 to travel with you for free.

You can also choose between a “small” and “large” pass, which cover central Copenhagen (including the airport) and the greater Copenhagen area, respectively. The cost of the pass starts from 90 kroner.

“With the launch of ‘Scan & Travel’, we are take a step in the direction of making public transport in Greater Copenhagen and large parts of Zealand as accessible and user-friendly as possible for the many tourists who visit each year,” Hanne Tærsbøl Schmidt, chairperson of DOT and director of the Copenhagen Metro, said in a press statement.

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ETA: What's the new £10 visa Europeans will soon need to enter UK

Travel within the EU/EEA is set for some big shake-ups over the next 12 months – starting with the EU’s EES scheme for passport checks (scheduled to start on November 10th) and then ETIAS which will require tourists and visitors to get a €7 visa.

EXPLAINED: How the EU’s new EES and ETIAS systems will work

But there’s another big change afoot for anyone travelling to the UK – the introduction of the UK’s ETA visa.

What is it?

If you have been following the latest EU developments, the ETA is very similar to the ETIAS visa – it stands for Electronic Travel Authorisation and it is essentially an electronic visa that you apply for online in advance of your trip.

It costs £10 and lasts two years, allowing multiple entries to the UK while it is valid.

Just like ETIAS, it is modelled on the USA’s ESTA visa waiver, and is required for all types of travel including tourism, short stays and family holidays.

When will it be introduced?

The UK’s ETA is being introduced in three stages; it is already a requirement for nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

From January 8th 2025 it will be required for nationals of all non-EU or non-EEA countries – including Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders. You can find the full list here, applications for the visa open online on November 27th 2024.

The final stage involves EU and EEA countries – Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City passengers will require the ETA from April 2nd, 2025.

Applications for the visa open online from March 5th. The only exception is people travelling on an Irish passport (because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland).

Who will it affect?

By the time phase three comes into effect in April 2025 it will cover all of the world’s nationalities with two exceptions; those travelling on a UK passport and those travelling on an Irish passport.

Also exempt are UK visa-holders or anyone who has residency status in the UK (for example EU nationals who moved before Brexit and have Settled or Pre-Settled Status). An ETA is not required if you live in Ireland and you’re travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.

Otherwise everyone needs one – including children or babies, EU nationals who have a British spouse and airline passengers who are simply transiting through the UK.

The ETA is intended for short visits such as holidays and family stays – it does not allow people to stay in the UK for more than 180 days or to work in the UK.

How can I get one?

You apply online or on the UK ETA app in advance of your trip – the UK government says that applications will normally be processed within three working days, but sometimes this may take longer. You cannot enter the UK until the ETA has been processed.

The ETA costs £10 and lasts for two years – during that time you can make multiple trips to the UK. If your passport is renewed during that time period, you will need to apply for a new ETA.

You cannot make group applications – each person in a group needs their own ETA, but you can make the application for another person.

Find the UK government website HERE.

What about dual nationals?

If you hold a UK passport plus the passport of another country it all depends on which passport you are using to travel into the UK.

The passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’, so for example if you present a French passport at the border, the system has no way of knowing that you are also a UK national and will treat you like any other French citizen – meaning you will need an ETA from April 2nd 2025.

You will only be exempted from the ETA requirement if you have your UK passport with you and can show it at the border.

As previously mentioned, anyone travelling on an Irish passport is also exempt.

EU nationals who have a British spouse will require the ETA, unless they are also dual nationals and are travelling on their UK passport.

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