Abolition of the 25-Hour Parking Limit at State-Owned Motorway Parking Areas in Denmark

Since 2018, Denmark has enforced a time limit on truck parking at state-owned motorway rest areas — a maximum of 25 hours. As of January 1, 2026, this restriction will be lifted, as it has been deemed to result in unfair competition for Danish hauliers and to pose administrative enforcement challenges.

We can conclude that the parking rules created competitive inequality for Danish hauliers, as too many foreign drivers avoided paying parking fees. At the same time, enforcing this regulation proved administratively burdensome. Therefore, we have decided to abolish the time limit for parking at these rest areassaid Minister for Transport Thomas Danielsen

He emphasized, however, that this does not mean drivers will be allowed to park or overnight in their vehicles indefinitely, as EU regulations on driving and rest times prohibit taking the regular weekly rest period of at least 45 hours in the vehicle cabin.

Until the end of 2025, enforcement of the parking regulations will remain the responsibility of the Danish Road Traffic Authority (Færdselsstyrelsen), which took over this task from the police in 2019. Starting January 1, 2026, responsibility for enforcing general parking regulations at state-owned motorway rest areas will return to the police.