A first letter from skifteretten usually asks you to arrange or prepare for a meeting about someone’s estate. Find the requested reply, the meeting time and the case number. Below is a Danish example with an English explanation and a complete reply you can adapt.
Keep the letter beside you. Note what is ready, what is missing and what you need the court to explain. Being the contact person does not by itself give you authority to decide for the other heirs.
Why the court has contacted you
The court is notified of the death automatically. It normally writes to the contact person named on the burial or cremation request through Digital Post within about a month; people exempt from Digital Post receive paper mail. The first meeting is usually by telephone. Other people may join.
A dødsbo is the deceased person’s estate: possessions, assets and debts. The meeting helps establish how it can be administered. A sagsnummer is the case reference; telefonmøde means a telephone meeting; senest means “no later than”.
Example: read the request, not just the date
This fictional letter concerns Anna’s father, Jens Madsen. The court, case number and dates are invented. The reply date and meeting date are different.
The Danish letter
Eksempelretten · Skifteretten
Sag EK-26-619 · 5. oktober 2026
Kære Anna Madsen
Vi skriver til dig som kontaktperson i boet efter Jens Madsen. Vi vil gerne holde et telefonmøde med dig den 15. oktober 2026 kl. 10.00 om boets behandling.
Bekræft venligst senest den 8. oktober, om tidspunktet passer, og oplys, hvilket telefonnummer vi kan kontakte dig på. Svar via Digital Post til Skifteretten ved Eksempelretten og skriv sagsnummeret i emnefeltet.
Hav så vidt muligt oplysninger om arvinger, testamente, værdier, gæld og begravelsesudgifter klar. Oplys også, hvis der er noget, du endnu mangler.
Venlig hilsen
Skifteretten
In English: The court wants a phone meeting with Anna on 15 October at 10:00. She must confirm by 8 October and provide her phone number through the named Digital Post recipient. She should prepare information about heirs, a will, assets, debts and funeral expenses, and identify anything missing.
For this letter, Anna creates two reminders: reply by 8 October and be ready for the call on 15 October at 10:00. The first date is not the date of the meeting. She copies the case number into her reply and uses the recipient specified in the letter.
A complete reply when a document is missing
Anna can attend, but she is waiting for the bank’s information. Her brother Peter would also like to join. She can answer the meeting request now and explain both points:
Anna’s reply
Emne: Sag EK-26-619 – telefonmøde den 15. oktober
Kære Skifteretten
Tak for jeres brev af 5. oktober. Tidspunktet den 15. oktober kl. 10.00 passer mig. Mit telefonnummer står i kontaktoplysningerne nederst i denne besked.
Jeg har en oversigt over familien og kvitteringer for begravelsen. Jeg afventer stadig bankens oplysninger. Kan I oplyse, hvordan og hvornår jeg skal sende dem, når jeg modtager dem?
Min bror Peter Madsen vil også gerne deltage. Hvordan tilslutter han sig telefonmødet?
Jeg foretrækker engelsk. Kan vi tage samtalen på engelsk, eller hvordan kan vi ellers tilrettelægge den?
Venlig hilsen
Anna Madsen
Telefon: 00 00 00 00 (eksempelnummer)
In English: Anna confirms the appointment, tells the court where to find her phone number, names the information she has and asks how to submit the missing bank information. She asks how Peter can join and how to arrange the conversation in English.
The zeroes are a dummy phone number: replace them with your own number and remove “(eksempelnummer)”. Remove any sentence that does not fit, and do not say that a document is attached unless you have attached it. Save the sent message and receipt with the original letter. Asking about language arrangements does not mean they have already been agreed.
Prepare a small folder for the conversation
The courts’ guide to the first probate meeting lists the family and financial information to gather. Use the following as a working checklist:
| Information | Your preparation |
|---|---|
| Heirs | List names, addresses and CPR numbers where available. Note each person’s relationship to the deceased. |
| Will or marriage contract | Find any testamente or ægtepagt you know about. Note where the document is if you do not have a copy. |
| Bank and investments | Gather statements, including those for a surviving spouse. Mark missing documents rather than guessing balances. |
| Other assets | List a home, car, cooperative flat or allotment. Separate a documented value from a rough estimate. |
| Debts | Collect loan statements and unpaid bills. Keep the creditor’s name and reference with each amount. |
| Funeral expenses | Keep invoices and receipts together. Mark whether an invoice has been paid and by whom. |
Make a one-page note with three headings: ready, missing and questions. For Anna: “Ready: family list and funeral receipts. Missing: bank information. Questions: how Peter joins; how to send the bank information; whether the call can be in English.”
Pensions normally go to the named beneficiary outside the estate. Keep pension correspondence separate so you can explain what it concerns.
If the appointment does not work for you
Contact the court using the details in the letter. Ask for another time and keep the existing appointment in your calendar until the court confirms a change. Here is an alternative to the confirmation above:
Requesting another time
Emne: Sag EK-26-619 – anmodning om nyt mødetidspunkt
Kære Skifteretten
Jeg kan desværre ikke deltage den 15. oktober kl. 10.00. Kan telefonmødet flyttes? Jeg kan den 16. oktober efter kl. 13.00 eller den 19. oktober mellem kl. 9.00 og 12.00.
Vil I bekræfte et nyt tidspunkt?
Venlig hilsen
Anna Madsen
In English: Anna cannot attend the original appointment. She offers two available periods and asks the court to confirm a new time. These are proposed alternatives, not an automatic postponement.
Contact person, authority and access to the estate
A contact person needs a skiftefuldmagt from an heir to decide on that heir’s behalf. An heir can limit that authority or take part personally. A skifteretsattest is the court’s certificate authorising dealings with the estate.
Accounts the deceased could access are blocked after the death. Do not move or sell possessions without the court’s approval. If a care home needs a room cleared promptly, ask about its clearance-declaration process. The court’s guidance on authority and clearing a care-home room explains these distinctions.
What happens after the first meeting?
The court determines which settlement forms are available. It can require a small-estate handover (boudlæg) or professional administration (bobestyrerbehandling); in other cases the heirs have a choice. The six forms also include private administration, simplified private administration, an undivided estate for a surviving spouse, and transfer to a surviving spouse. The official overview of settlement forms explains their different conditions.
A proklama is a notice inviting creditors to register claims. Usually they have eight weeks from publication in Statstidende to register through Skifteportalen. This is a creditor deadline, separate from the reply date in your letter. Some claims are excepted, including certain tax claims and lawfully secured claims. The contact person gets portal access when the estate is released to them.
If a privately administered estate turns out to have more debts than assets, contact the probate court promptly about transfer to a professional administrator. Avoiding personal liability under the udbakningsregel normally requires returning the money or possessions received from the estate. It is not simply a matter of declaring that you withdraw. See the court’s estate-settlement guidance on creditor claims and insolvency.
Get help understanding the wording
SkrivSikkert can explain a Danish passage in English, read it aloud and help turn your English notes into a clear Danish reply. Use the web platform or browser extension; many functions are free without login.
Prepare your reply
Ask Sofia: “Explain what this letter asks me to do. Separate the reply date from the meeting date. Then draft a short Danish reply from my notes.” Check the names, dates and attachments before sending it to the court.
Try freeFrequently asked questions
Is the reply deadline the same as the meeting date?
Not necessarily. A letter may ask you to confirm an appointment before the meeting itself. Record both dates and any time of day. In the example above, Anna replies by 8 October for a call on 15 October at 10:00.
What can I say if I am missing bank information?
Name the missing information and ask how and when to send it. You can still answer an appointment request. Anna’s example confirms the call while explaining that the bank information has not arrived.
Does confirming the call mean I represent every heir?
No. Confirming your attendance is different from accepting authority to act for someone else. Decisions on another heir’s behalf require that heir’s power of attorney, within the authority it grants.
Can I request a different meeting time?
Contact the court, explain that you cannot attend and offer possible alternatives. Ask for confirmation. Keep the original appointment until the court confirms the change.
If the letter instead concerns a creditor demanding payment from you, use the payment-order guide.
