This guide will explain how to not pay for the media license issued by Danmarks Radio (or DR), it is basically a translation of this guide, intended to help my fellow international students at the IBA save some money on a stupid fee they, of all people in Danmark, have absolutely no use of.
Some facts:
DR has no legal rights or the ability to force you to pay the fee.
DR can NOT see whether you have a TV, internet, smartphone or cable-TV package (except by visual observation - looking through your windows).
DR does not record conversations (phone or in person), as this is illegal. Unless they state this at the very beginning of the conversation in which case you can simply say: "No comments".
Q&A:
Q: DR sent me a bill, should I pay it?
A: No, not if you did not sign up for the media license yourself. Simply put the bill in the trashcan. Their system relies on people paying out of blind fear for the system. Then go and unsubscribe from the media license.
Q: How do I unsubscribe from the media license?
A: Go HERE. DR is bound to respect your unsubscription.
Q: Can I be forced to pay the fee for months already gone by?
A: In principle yes. DR has to prove that you were obliged to pay the fee, which they can not unless you yourself told them that you should have.
Q: What do I tell the inspector if he shows up at my apartment?
A: They have no legal right to access your home, consider them a private person. Tell them that you are not subject to paying the fee and never have been. (Note: If you open the door and they can see a smartphone, TV, radio or similar - see next question).
Q: What if DR signs me up after visiting or being in contact with me?
A: DR has stopped accepting emails on the usual address, I recommend using solution 2, but you can also use number 1.Solution 1: for cancelling DR Medielicins
Go to https://www.dr.dk/om-dr/licens/afmeld-medielicens and fill out the form like in the picture on the right.
Solution 2: for being a pain in the ass of DR
If they sign you up, you can easily avoid paying by emailing them at bornholm@dr.dk, kbh@dr.dk, nordvestsjaelland@dr.dk, sjaelland@dr.dk, fyn@dr.dk, sydweb@dr.dk, trekanten@dr.dk, syd@dr.dk, p4aarhus@dr.dk, vest@dr.dk, nord@dr.dk, drkommunikation@dr.dk, draarhus@dr.dk
The letter could sound like the following:
"Dear DR.
I am sorry to be using this address, but "direktion@dr.dk" is no longer available and I am unsure how to contact you. Please see to it that this message is forwarded to the right people.
I have been contacted by you on the Xth of Month, where I explained that I was not subject to the license fee. Yet you have, against my will and the law, signed me up for the media license. I request that you forfeit your claim against me, and I request access to ("aktindsigt i") my license case, so I can have an overview of the reasons for the faulty sign up. Remember to respect the time frame for "aktindsigt" as specified in "forvaltningsloven".
Best regards Name".
After this they will hopefully remove your subscription as they have no proof of your obligation to pay the fee.
Q: Why do I ask for access to my license case ("Aktinsigt").
A: "Aktindsigt" is a right you have according to "forvaltningsloven", to see what is recorded about you, whenever a public authority is treating a case in which you are involved. In relation to DR, this is the legal tool to use to make them say that they have no proof that you should pay the fee. This request should in principle be answered within 10 workdays (2 weeks). This is the key to have them unsubscribe you, because they know they have no proof.
Q: What consequences will it have for me to unsubscribe from the media license, even though I have TV/Smartphone/Internet/Cable-TV?
A: None other than they can sign you up again. There are no fees and DR does not require you to pay for months gone by.
Enjoy not having to pay the media license anymore!
Hi Anders,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the guide. Is there are any updates on that matter recently?
Hi, sorry for the late reply. There are no changes to this. The debate is still ongoing in the Danish media, but syrian refugees have taken the spotligt and it is unlikely there will be any changes for the foreseeable future. I will update the post here, should there be any changes.
DeleteHi Anders,
ReplyDeleteWhat happen if my flatmate have tv, but it's not mine? I have a phone company and Internet DSL connection provided by my work place. Should I also pay? Thank you
If you are married or in a civil partnership, only one person should pay. Otherwise you both have to pay.
DeleteThe whole point here is to avoid paying all together. Which is done by basically telling them that you do not need to pay at all.
If you ask them, you have to pay always, no matter what.
This guide tells you how to avoid that :D
About 15 years ago I went to DR website and unsubscribed. And I wrote to them I told them that have never entered into any contract with them,I do not use DR media. And I do not want their license. Ever so often they still send me a bill and I just throw it away.
DeleteIf they ever want to take me to court I will simple say that I have never entered into a contract with them and I don't owe them anything. I won't ever admit to any type of obligation with them. Because I have never agreed or entered into a contract with them. And if the judge decided to take my money. they will have to take it without my consent or affirmation of any guilt or wrong doing. But I don't think they will take me to court. I agree with Anders. I don't think they have a legal right to charge people that don't want or comply with their service.
I would like to see the law that says they can force you into a contract against your will.
Hey! If I accidentally said that I have a smartphone with Internet when they called me and then sent me a bill, can I still not pay and unsubscribe ? Telling them that there was a mistake or misunderstanding ?
ReplyDeleteHi Karolis
DeleteSame procedure as always. Assuming they did not record the conversation (in which case they should have told you at the beginning of the conversation) you can simply send the standard email. It will be your word against theirs and as a consumer you're well protected.
If they did record the conversation, tell you had it for a week or so and that you will pay for that, but that you no longer own any devices which are subject to media license fees.
Tak
ReplyDeleteHello, very informative post. However I have a question.
ReplyDeleteDR called me up unsolicited, and asked my phone service provider to which I answered "3", then they sent me a bill for the next 6 months - is this legal? I never signed up for the license, but they just assumed I have internet access via smartphone - can I cancel the license and avoid paying the fee?
Thank you
I would also like to add, that "3" is a network which is shared to many other phone service providers, therefore they completely falsely assume I have internet via phone.
DeleteHi stranger!
DeleteYes of course. Same procedure as if they signed you up for any other reason. You don't actually need to have access to the internet or TV, as long as you have a device which is capable of it, they will make an attempt to claim money.
Excellent, thank you for the reply
DeleteI have sent them an E-mail, shall I also manually cancel on DR's website, or is the E-mail alone sufficient?
Both will be a good idea, the email is more to have a "paper trail", just in case.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Anders,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for this useful guide!
DR visited me several months ago. I said I didn't use TV. But DR still send bills to us for several months. I don't know what I should do with these bills. And they charge 100 kr more for my delay of payment.
I try to go to the link you showed "HERE" to unsubscribe from the media license, but it no longer exist. Could you update the website of unsubscribing the license?
In addition, Did anyone send the email to DR? Did they remove your subscription?
In the letter, should I also write this sentence in?
Remember to respect the time frame for "aktindsigt" as specified in "forvaltningsloven"
Thank you very much!
Here's a new link, it's in Danish sorry, but use Google Translate if needed: https://www.dr.dk/om-dr/licens/afmeld-medielicens
DeleteI received the message that you can see later on.
ReplyDeleteSeemingly they spied through my window and they saw a TV.
I am really pissed, I do not think that signing off would be just enough. Is there anything that I can do because of they violation of my privacy?
BTW: That TV is really not connected to the antenna and is used for gaming and as a PC screen.
Thanks
DU HAR HAFT BESØG AF EN LICENSINSPEKTØR, SOM HAR TILMELDT
DIG MEDIELICENS, FORDI HAN OBSERVEREDE ET LICENSPLIGTIGT
APPARAT PÅ DIN ADRESSE.
LICENSINSPEKTØRENS OBSERVATION:
DEN XX-XX-XXX KL. 13:29. INTET SVAR, MEN JEG KUNNE SE ET
TV GENNEM VINDUET.
Unsubscribe and pay for the period from when they signed you up and till you unsubscribed. Inform them that you no longer have any appliances that you need to pay for. This money is lost. Make sure your curtains are always closed in the future. It doesn't matter how the TV is connected. A TV must be paid for (so long as they can prove you have one).
DeleteHi! Thank you so much for this post! I had a visitor from DR a few weeks ago and I told them upfront that I have nothing in my household to pay for. I only have a phone that I make calls on. They left and a few weeks later I got an invoice saying that they signed me up. I immediately unsubscribed myself and wrote to them to let them know that I have nothing at home and that I said this to the rep. They now demand me to pay the 2-week period invoice they sent me, despite me not having anything at home. Stating that according to the rep I said that I have a smartphone with internet, which is false. It's basically my word against the rep that was here. What should I do to get rid of this? I am not paying for something I am not supposed to pay for.
ReplyDeleteHi Peter,
DeleteThis is answered in Question 5. If you told them you have a phone and showed it, and it is a smartphone, you are likely to actually have to pay. In this case you cannot fight the claim and will have to pay for the two weeks.
If your phone is not a smartphone, tell them that their rep is wrong and tell them what model it is. Make sure it is not capable of internet or radio.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI tried sending them an email to that adress but I got this back "Tak for din henvendelse. Denne e-mailadresse er ophørt. Kontakt i stedet DR på dr.dk/kontakt." They dont write a specific email there, is it the same to "send klage"? Or is there an other email out there?
They signed my up this month and send me a bill for the rest of the year (1214 kr!!) I need to email them and tell them I have no reason to pay it. I also unsubscribed on the website but there I could only choose "Jeg har ikke længere licenspligtige apparater" So by klicking "dont have anymore" maybe they will make me pay anyways?
Thanks for your help!!
Hi, thank you for notifying me. I have added the webform solution to the post and a bunch of emailaddresses which are not really for medielicens, but hopefully if they receive enough emails, they will re-open the old path.
DeleteHi
ReplyDeleteThanks for this informative post. I have a question though, they sent me a bill as soon as I moved into an apartment which has basic tv pack as part of their rent but i dont own a tv. Does DR have a way of knowing if i have an internet connection/internet package on my phone? or is this something they push to get me to admit? Because i received a phonecall of them chasing a bill and claiming they know of my internet connection!! Which seems like a massive violation of my privacy! What should I do? They spoke to my husband and said they will send a bill!
Thanks for your help
Hi Parisa
DeleteSorry for the late reply, I hope you have already found a solution to stop paying your medielicens to DR. Either way:
DR does not have any legal ways to find out whether or not you have to pay the media license fee.
They can only find out by looking with their own eyes (they have inspectors who come around and knock doors/look through windows) OR by calling you and asking.
Simply go fill out the form, saying that you no longer own any devices for which you should pay medielicens.
You will unfortunately have to pay for the period which they have registered you as the owner of a device capable of accessing their services.
Remember that the license fee is paid based on devices - having a basic TV package as part of your rental agreement does not in itself mean that you should pay medielicens to DR. You only pay for TVs and devices which can access the internet. Make sure that you make it very clear to them that you have no devices at all.
I hope this helps.
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear,
ReplyDeletei received a phone call from DR and after accidentally telling them that i have internet access through my mobile phone they promised to send the payment documents to me within a week.
i was thinking about sending them the email as in this guide but i also tried to cancel from their website but i have a doubt : after clicking on " i have no longer tv / devices ecc ecc" the sistem redirects me to a page in which i should log-in through my NEM-iD. Have you experienced it before? is it safe?
Thanks a lot for the help and the useful guide
Hi niko9,
DeleteThis should be safe yes.
I am aware that DR is doing everything they can to make it harder and harder to stop paying the license fee, and this is apparently their next step in these efforts.
As you have now confessed to PREVIOUSLY having access to the internet through your phone, you will need to pay for the license for the period in which they have evidence that you had a smartphone. This claim you cannot get around, but you can avoid any future payments when you tell them that you NO LONGER have a device capable of accessing the internet.
I hope this helps.
so for example if they signed me up yesterday and i tell in the email that soon my mobile device will be disactivated (let's say next week) . i will only pay for this week period?
DeleteThanks a lot
and one other thing, should i mention in my email the date in which my device will be desactivated?
DeleteHi niko9
DeleteFirst: De-activating your device is not enough! You must get rid of it entirely (the very least you have to tell DR that you are - what you actually do is up to you). Again: Owning an internet-capable device means you have to pay (regardless of whether or not you have access).
Theoretically yes, you could go for such a short period.
Personally I would give them a more reasonable time range, which would total at least 30 days (1 month). This will of course cost a little more, but this decision is entirely up to you and there is nothing which stops you from just paying for the 1 week as suggested.
Ok i understand but i was thinking about mention the WEEK period in the EMAIL to be as clear as possible with them, also because when i cancelled my subscription on their website i declared the date of today.
ReplyDeleteProbably they'll charge me for the whole month but at least i think they won't have problem of misunderstanding regarding my informations.
do you think is a good idea to mention the infos (week period) in the email?
Thanks again
Yes, be as precise as you can without saying anything that would work against it (i.e. that you will still be the owner of any internet-enabled devices).
DeleteThank you very much, great help!!
Deletehey guys I got my tax returns from skat, but it says it will be calculated again after checking if i have any debts. I didn't pay to DR for the license last year, is it possible that this payment will be deducted from my tax return ? Even though i canceled the license after two months but they kept sending me the bill (and i really didnt have spare money to pay and get done with it)
ReplyDeleteHi Karolis
DeleteThis is really beyond the scope of this blog article.
Please be advised that I am in no way qualified to answer your question with anything but my own anecdotal experience with the Danish Tax Authority:
PAY YOUR DEBTS
If you have debt to any part of the Danish Government (local/national) and it is not paid, it will be sent to Inddrivelsen (Collections) at SKAT. It is a separate part of SKAT, where they collect monies owed to the government.
If you have debt with Inddrivelsen: Pay it first and then dispute it with the authority who wants you to pay afterwards.
I do not know if DR can send their claim to SKAT.
If they keep sending you bills, you should contact DR and ask them why. Remember to inform them that you do not own any internet-capable devices.
I hope this helps, but I am no expert on this matter and could be completely wrong.
Hi, Anders, I already send a email to todirektion@dr.dk which I don't know wether it's work or not and I also leave a message on DR's website, but the system said they need 4weeks to deal with the message.
ReplyDeleteMy question is do I still need to send the cancellation email to all the email address you mentioned above?
bornholm@dr.dk, kbh@dr.dk, nordvestsjaelland@dr.dk, sjaelland@dr.dk, fyn@dr.dk, sydweb@dr.dk, trekanten@dr.dk, syd@dr.dk, p4aarhus@dr.dk, vest@dr.dk, nord@dr.dk, drkommunikation@dr.dk, draarhus@dr.dk
They've stopped using the old email address, I guess they were receiving too many requests. Therefore I suggest emailing all the other ones which at the time of writing were active accounts.
Deletethank you~ I will send it to the others:)
Deletehello
ReplyDeleteI'm an exchange student study in denmark.
I have received the letter and invoice of media license fee.
It states that cancellation and changes in registration must be done in writing.
Does it mean I need to send a letter to them or I can send email like what you've mentioned?
Thank you for your help.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI was not in Denmark since October and just got the letters which said I should pay 1351kr because of the late payment.
If I call them and tell I dont have any electronic devices, they can cancell this payment or just unsubscribed me?
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI just received a letter from DR. they said that you have been registered with a media licence by one of DR inspectors. however no one knocked my door and no one called me. They asked me to pay 6 months in advance. Can I unsubscrib directly or i need to pay this months? thanks
Also the letter said that I need to pay from 15.9.2017 and I received 27.09.2017. So that´s mean i need to pay for this weeks, or I can write that i never have?
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteif I start a subscription with one of the mobile providers with my CPR, will they be able to get the information that I have subscription with data package? Or this has nothing to do with the whole media license thing?
Thanks for the answer.
Hi.
DeleteNo they won't be able to get that information legally, which is why asking for aktindsigt works, since they have no proof.
Hi Anders, when you say "unsubscribe" from their service on their website....where or how exactly do I do that? because I have tried clicking on the "I do not have any media products in my house" and it takes me to eboks. and I am required to sign in using my NemID. Please please please tell me how to go about this because I have received a letter/bill from them saying that no one from my address is paying and that I should pay. Please help. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi Anders,
ReplyDeleteI wonder what will happen if I de-register on the DR website stating that I do not have access to Internet, will they work like a spy to prove that I do have the access? Also, what will happen if I just throw the bill into trash bin, will they come everyday and knock my door for that?
In the worst situation, I could pay for the period from the date they visited & caught me with a smart phone to the date I leave Denmark, which is only 2 months, but DR sent me the bill for 6 months, how can I only pay two months?
Thanks a lot for your time and help in advance. Since the bill came without further information on cancellation & payment period elimination, the DR official website is really implicit and I am afraid if I contact them directly things will get worse(I may pay more than I should), it will be appreciated a lot if you could answer part of all of my questions asap. Thanks again.
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteIs there any alternative possibility to get unsubscribed via e-Box / NemID? Somehow I get and error once I fill everything.
Din forespørgsel kunne ikke gennemføres. Prøv venligst følgende:
Genstart din browser og log på igen
Gentag din forespørgsel
Hvis fejlen gentager sig, kan du prøve igen senere eller kontakte e-Boks brugersupport. Her skal du venligst oplyse følgende fejlkode, der kan bruges til en videre fejlsøgning.
Fejlkode:
Best
Wait, then in eBoxs I've received the following message from DR:
DeleteDu har sendt en afmelding af medielicens den, men der er ingen medielicens tilknyttet dig og dit cpr-nummer.
På licensregningerne står navnet på den, medielicensen er tilknyttet – så se evt. navnet på din regning eller betalingsserviceoversigt. Det kan fx være en samboende ægtefælle eller kæreste, der er registreret som licensbetaler.
Dear Anders,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog. I have subscribed for Media license last week and immediately regretted my move once I knew what it was for and that I could avoid it. I had to log-on with my NemId and make a statement that I aggreed with the media license terms (see below).Is it still ok to go back and just fill in the form provided by your link ?
Thank you/tak
Gældende fra*
DD-MM-YYYY
Kalender Udfyld bankoplysninger til Betalingsservice:
Reg.nr.:
Kontonr.:
OBS: Selvom du til tilmelder din licensbetaling til Betalingsservice, får du altid den første regning i din e-Boks.
Jeg accepterer betingelserne for medielicens.*Læs betingelser herDu får en kvittering i din e-Boks, når DR Licens har modtaget din tilmelding.
Hi BingoJ,
DeleteYes you can unsubscribe at any point, but you will have to pay for the days where you have been signed up since you subscribed yourself and agreed to their terms.
But otherwise not a problem.
Thanks. That is exactly what happened :)
DeleteHello!, someone knocked on my door and asked if i have a laptop then i said yes and signed a paper, but Im going back to my country should i still pay it?
ReplyDeletesame person*
Deleteand i don't have NemID
Hi Anders
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog, I hope you can help me.
Someone has signed me up for the license a month ago. I only just noticed.
After I requested access to "aktindsigt i" they told me that it says in their system that a licensmand has visited me a month ago and that he talked to me and found out that I have a computer.
This however is not true! I have never talked to anyone from DR. So they blatantly lie!
I have now deregistered myself through their website choosing the “I no longer have any devices…” because that was the only option available.
I have not signed up myself. But they said I have to pay for the period I had the license (about a month). And now after I did not pay the first bill they charged me extra 100 kr and said they will continue to do so until I pay. And also said that if after a longer time I don’t pay they will turn my bills to Gældsstyrelsen.
What should I do? They keep ignoring my requests to cancel the bill.
Regards
Duff
Hi
ReplyDeletei just got an email from Dr. that i am not a subscriber of media license
and if i have
tv
computer , tablet or smart phone with internet access i need to pay
should i signup subscription and paid it or just ignore the email with i got on my Eboks...
i have tv and smart phone