Passenger rights

Complaints about carriers (ferry companies)

If you wish to submit a complaint regarding a voyage with departure from a terminal in Denmark, you must first submit a written complaint to the shipping company responsible for the transport, i.e. regarding matters related to the ship and sea transport.

If you do not receive a response within two months, or if you are not satisfied with the response, you may submit your complaint to the Mediation Team for Consumer Complaints (Danish Appeals Boards Authority).

However, complaints relating to terminal operators or package travel cannot be handled by Danish Appeals Boards Authority. You can read more about such complaints further below.

You can read more about complaint handling by the Mediation Team for Consumer Complaints on the website of the Danish Appeals Boards Authority (in Danish)

If you wish to submit a complaints regarding a voyage with departure from another EU country to Denmark, you must submit your complaint to the authority or complaints body in the country of departure.

Please note that the regulation also applies to the EEA-countries Norway and Iceland. Therefore, for journeys departing from these countries, complaints must likewise be submitted to the authorities or complaints bodies in those countries.

See list of complaints bodies in other EU-countries

If the port of departure is situated in a third country, meaning a country that is neither an EU- nor an EEA-country, the complaint must be submitted to the authority or complaints body in the country of arrival.

A complaint can only be submitted in the country of arrival if the country of departure is not covered by the regulation.

If the complaint concerns conditions or incidents at the terminal, you must first submit the complaint to the terminal operator.

If you do not receive a response from the terminal operator within two months, or if you are not satisfied with the response, you may choose to pursue the matter further.

If the complaint concerns a terminal operator in Denmark, it may be submitted to the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority

See the website of the Danish Civil Aviation and Railway Authority (in Danish)

If the complaint concerns a terminal in another EU-country, or in Norway or Iceland, it may be submitted to the authority or complaints body in that country.

See list of complaints bodies in other EU-countries

If the voyage forms part of a package holiday, a complaint may, under certain conditions, be submitted to the Package Travel Appeals Board. Before a complaint can be submitted to the Package Travel Appeals Board, a written complaint must first be submitted to the travel provider and a response must be received.

A complaint may be submitted to the Package Travel Appeals Board if the travel provider is a member of the Travel Guarantee Fund or has a Danish CVR number.

A journey is considered a package holiday if it consists of at least two travel services, including transport, accommodation, car rental, or other tourist services of significant value, and if the travel services together have a duration of more than 24 hours or include overnight accommodation.

You can read more about the conditions for submitting a complaint and the complaint-handling process at the Package Travel Appeals Board on their website

If the travel provider is established in another EU-country and you are unable to reach a solution with the travel provider, you may, as an EU citizen, request guidance and assistance on how to submit a complaint from the ECC Network:

Website of the ECC Network

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