Danmark · Offentlighedsloven

Seven working days, and an Ombudsman who publishes

For Danish ministries, regions, and kommuner — AccessPoint runs aktindsigt on the seven-working-day expectation, applies the §§ 19–35 exceptions, and tracks klager through the authority to the supervisory authority and the Folketingets Ombudsmand.

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Denmark — Offentlighedsloven at a glance

Handling time
Seven working days as the expectation, with notice where more time is required
Exceptions
The §§ 19–35 catalogue, applied to specific documents and information
Complaint
To the authority, then the supervisory authority, then the Ombudsman
Fees
Access generally free; copying charges as the rules permit
Oversight
Folketingets Ombudsmand — published statements
Languages
English, Dansk

Built for Denmark — Offentlighedsloven

One platform for the whole access-and-privacy mandate, pre-configured for this regime and running in your own Microsoft 365 tenant.

The seven-working-day expectation

Denmark expects aktindsigt to be dealt with quickly, with the applicant told if it cannot be. AccessPoint computes the date over the Danish holiday calendar and prompts the notice where the expectation will not be met.

The §§ 19–35 exceptions

Each exception ships as a citable ground applied to the specific document or passage it covers, carried onto the redaction and into the decision — not claimed over a whole case file.

Klage tracked up the chain

Follow a complaint from the authority to the supervisory authority and on to the Ombudsman, each stage with its own filing date, correspondence, and outcome, linked to the request it began with.

Meroffentlighed considered

Danish practice expects an authority to consider giving access beyond what the Act strictly requires. Record that the question was asked and how it was answered, rather than leaving it implicit.

Danish throughout

AccessPoint's interface ships natively in Danish, and the pack carries Danish statutory wording, correspondence templates, and vocabulary.

In your own tenant

Documents and requests stay inside your own Microsoft 365 and Azure tenant, in the region you choose — no third-party cloud and no vendor access.

An Ombudsman with an audience

In Denmark, a poorly reasoned refusal doesn't just get overturned. It gets published.

The Folketingets Ombudsmand does not issue binding orders in the way an order-making commissioner does, and authorities occasionally take comfort in that. They should not. The Ombudsman's statements are published, they are read across the administration and by the press, and an authority criticised in one carries that criticism publicly. What draws criticism is rarely the substantive judgement about whether an exception applied; far more often it is process — a request handled slowly with no explanation to the applicant, an exception applied to a whole file rather than to specific information, or a decision whose reasons cannot be reconstructed afterwards. Those are exactly the failures a proper case record prevents, which is the practical argument for running aktindsigt on a system rather than in a mailbox.

Handled promptly Seven working days tracked, with notice where it slips.
Specific exceptions Applied to documents and passages, not whole cases.
Reconstructable reasons A dated record of why each decision was made.

Configured out of the box

Installing the dk-offentlighed jurisdiction pack seeds your tenant with everything this regime needs — a starting point you can adjust, not a lock-in.

Related guide: FOI Workflow Quick Check
  • Offentlighedsloven as the legal-authority spine
  • The seven-working-day handling expectation with Denmark's public-holiday calendar
  • Notice to the applicant where the handling time will be exceeded
  • The §§ 19–35 exceptions, colour-coded for redaction and citable line by line
  • Meroffentlighed consideration recorded on each partially refused request
  • Klage tracking through the authority, the supervisory authority, and the Ombudsman
  • Danish correspondence templates carrying the statutory wording
  • A timestamped audit trail for every decision on the request

Denmark — Offentlighedsloven Questions

How quickly must a Danish authority deal with a request?
The expectation is seven working days, and where a request cannot be dealt with in that time the applicant should be told why and when an answer can be expected. AccessPoint computes the date over the Danish holiday calendar and prompts that notice rather than letting a request go quiet.

What is meroffentlighed and does the pack handle it?
It is the principle that an authority should consider granting access beyond what the Act strictly requires, where nothing prevents it. AccessPoint records that the consideration was made and its outcome on each partially refused request, so the question is visibly asked rather than silently skipped.

Are Ombudsman statements binding?
They are not binding orders, but they are published and carry considerable weight, and authorities generally follow them. AccessPoint tracks a complaint through each stage — the authority, the supervisory authority, and the Ombudsman — with the correspondence and outcome kept against the originating request.

Is the platform available in Danish?
Yes. AccessPoint's interface ships natively in Danish, alongside ten other languages, and this pack carries Danish statutory wording, correspondence templates, and vocabulary.

Run Offentlighedsloven in Your Own Tenant

Try AccessPoint free for 30 days, configured for Denmark. No credit card required.

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