YEP - Welcome letter

 

WELCOME LETTER, TEAM WINTER 2026 (W26)  

- Updated September 16th, 2025

 
Welcome to Multi-District Denmark 
 
Welcome letter to Inbounds W26 (also available on the webpage:  Download)
 
Multi-District Denmark looks forward to welcoming you to your new home for a year, TEAM W26 (Winter 2026), with a planned arrival at a Danish airport between the 12th and 18th of January 2026; it must be the airport listed on the Host Guarantee Form (GF) from your Host Club & Host district. 
Below is some important general information we ask you to study carefully.  
 
First, we would like to inform you that we have high expectations of you. 
Our Rotary colleagues in your country, who are sponsoring you, have determined that you are well-suited to become a Rotary exchange student. Being a Rotary exchange student means you will have an excellent experience with your host family, club, school, and friends. This way, you will help promote Rotary Youth Exchange, as your host family, club, and school will want to continue participating in the program. As an ambassador for your country, you may contribute to mutual cultural understanding and peace. 
Please remember this throughout your stay in Denmark, the Faroe Islands, or Greenland.  
 
When you receive an email with a link to this webpage, you should also receive instructions on how to log in to the Danish YoLEM system and view your profile with the associated data. Please help update this information, including your home contacts (primary and emergency). 
If you are unable to access YoLEM, please get in touch with your Host District as soon as possible. 
 
It is also in YoLEM that you need to fetch your host guarantee form (GF) - you can download it from your profile under “documents”, once it is ready.
 
ARRIVAL: 
All exchange students to Denmark must arrive in Denmark between January 12th and 18th, 2026.
Final Destination in Denmark: [Will be stated on your Host Guarantee Form] 
Information about your arrival at the airport can also be found in YoLEM (Destination Airport in the host country). Your departure at the end of the exchange must be from the same airport. 
 
Make your flight reservations in a timely manner. A travel agent may assist you with the most convenient route to your final destination. 
 
When you arrive at your final destination in Denmark, please wear your Rotary blazer upon leaving the airplane. That will enable us to recognize you as a Rotary Exchange Student. After passing through the baggage claim area and customs authorities, the Host Club representatives and/or host family will meet you. 
 
If your final destination is NOT Copenhagen, but Copenhagen is your first entry airport in Denmark, you will need a connecting flight to your destination airport (a domestic airport). All domestic flights depart from Copenhagen Airport. See more at  www.cph.dk 
Whenever possible, make sure your luggage has been checked through to the final destination airport. In most cases, customs clearance will occur at your final destination. 
 
You must log in to the YoLEM system and provide information about your travel itinerary under 'Travel Plan' by December 30th, 2025. Ensure your host club (counsellor) is also informed about your arrival – they can support you if you encounter any issues updating the system.
 
ENTRY INTO DENMARK (if you are going to the Faroe Islands or Greenland, please see below): 
You will need a one-year residence permit from January 2026 to January 2027. You must submit your application for a residence permit before leaving for Denmark. Only students from non-Visa-Free countries must finalize their application from home – most will have already had their biometrics registered in Denmark.
 
A preparation guide will be shared with you shortly (if not already).
A guideline on how to apply will be shared approximately 3-4 weeks before you depart for Denmark. Do not start the process until Rotary Denmark has initiated it correctly (you may risk paying extra fees if you do!). 
 
For most students, a residence permit will be granted after arrival in Denmark. You will typically arrive on a 3-month tourist visa and undergo biometric registration in Denmark. 
We recommend that you have a temporary return flight within the next three months. At some Schengen entry points (e.g., Germany), you may be rejected if your return date is not booked or if it falls after the expiration of your tourist visa. However, documentation of the submitted application for a residence permit and the Rotary Guarantee Form will resolve the issue, but it may still result in a brief delay.
 
Important — if you come from a country that is not "visa-free" to Denmark, you must have a residence permit before arrival. More information will be sent separately. 
 
Residence permit for students in the Faroe Islands or Greenland
The Faroe Islands and Greenland are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but they are self-governing nations in their own right; therefore, a residence permit must be applied for separately in each case.
You will need a residence permit to enter these countries; therefore, you must start your application as soon as you receive further information from your host club’s Youth Exchange Officer (or other Rotarian).
 
INSURANCE: 
We will inform you about insurance on the website. 
 
Students from the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand will normally carry their own insurance (unless they choose to purchase the Danish RYE insurance, which is typically more cost-effective and better suited to the Danish welfare system that you will become part of during your stay); see the website above for details on the Danish insurance option. 
 
All other students must obtain the Danish Rotary insurance from Europæiske ERV (Rotary International certified), tailored to Danish welfare system conditions. The price is DKR 5.400 or approximately 720 EUR (as of November 2024 and may be adjusted slightly).
 
Be sure to agree with your host counsellor how to pay for this after arrival in Denmark, the Faroe Islands or Greenland (preferably without bringing cash, as cash is used only in limited ways now). 
 
EMERGENCY FUND: 
We expect you to bring 2,000 DKK (approximately 270 EUR) to hand over to your host counsellor/to place it in an emergency fund. This fund can be used in case of unexpected expenses. When you use money from the emergency fund, the fund must be topped up to 2000 DKK again.  When you end your exchange year, you will get the emergency fund back after settling the balance. Please coordinate this with your host counsellor.  
 
SCHOOL: 
You have been accepted at a Danish school [School will be stated in your host Guarantee Form] 
Your host club has chosen a school suitable for your age. The school will be either a "Folkeskole," a "Gymnasium," or a "Business School." The 10th grade of the "Folkeskole" will normally have students under 16, and students of the "Gymnasium" and Business School will be between 16 and 19. 
In the "Gymnasium" and the "Folkeskole", the language used in classes in Danish – and you may have courses in English, German, French, Math, Science, World History, Biology, etc. 
School uniforms are not generally used in Danish Schools. 
 
You are not allowed to attend online/remote classes or exams in your home country, while in Denmark on exchange; if you have a special situation, possible dispensation must be discussed with the Danish Exchange organization before you get to Denmark.
 
You must attend school and participate in activities – your residence permit is a "study permit" – and Rotary requires this. Absence without a valid reason is not accepted. 
 
Piercing and tattoos:  
Piercing and tattoos are prohibited when you are a Rotary Exchange Student in Denmark. If you already have piercings, you are kindly requested to remove them before arriving in Denmark. 
Please discuss this with your Host Counsellor. 
 
HEALTH:
As the winter season in Denmark is darker than most inbound students are used to, we strongly recommend that you start taking a vitamin D supplement before leaving for Denmark and continue taking it while you are there.
 
Your health form was filled in by your doctor, perhaps up to 1-2 years ago, depending on the time of your Rotary exchange application. As many things can happen in that time, please be sure to inform us in Denmark if anything has changed and you, for example, need to take medicine regularly, have medical treatments or therapy – this is for us to be able to support you as best we can; medicine regulations and treatments are very differently regulated in Denmark compared to other countries.
 
VISITS BY PARENTS OR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS: 
Multi-District Denmark strongly discourages visits by your parents or other family members. It is your exchange experience, and having visits from your parents may trigger homesickness or have other adverse effects. Besides, it interrupts your life here, and it is not an accepted reason for absence from school. 
 
It is the policy of Multi-District Denmark not to accept visits during holidays, when host families often have other plans, or in the last month of the stay (as you need this time to end your time here and say goodbye to everyone). 
 
In any case, visits require prior written approval from both the host club counsellor and the host district's Exchange chair.  
On the other hand, we encourage you and your family to visit a year or two after you end your exchange. 
 
INTRO CAMP: 
After your arrival, we look forward to welcoming you to an Intro Camp, which will take place in the city of Odense during the weekend of January 31st – February 1st, 2026.
 
The Intro Camp is our Inbound Orientation, and it is mandatory for all students coming to Denmark to participate. You will meet a team of committed teachers who will prepare you for many of the challenges you will face during your year in Denmark. You will also be introduced to the Danish lifestyle, culture, and language, which will be most helpful when you set out on your life in Danish families and schools. Multi-District Denmark covers the costs for the Intro Camp, so it is free of charge for you.  Please coordinate transport through your host club and host district.
 Detailed information will be shared closer to the time of the camp.
 
In exceptional cases, due to long distances, students travelling to the Faroe Islands or Greenland may not be able to attend the Intro Camp. They will instead receive an introduction locally at their destination.
 
EURO BUS TOUR: 
Multi-District Denmark offers our inbound exchange students an optional EURO BUS TOUR 2026. For three weeks in May / June 2025, this tour takes you to Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Nice, and many other exciting European places.  The EURO BUS TOUR does not require further permission. 
Be aware that Rotary in Denmark will not pay the cost of the tour, which is approximately DKK 20,000 + pocket money. You will receive more information about the trip. Registration will be available from December 2025 to January 2026, and payment must be made prior to the tour to secure your place. General details from earlier trips can be seen at https://www.rotary.dk/page/yep-euro-bus-tour (where details about the 2026 trip will also become available once settled). 
 
COMMUNICATION 
The easiest way to contact anyone in your host district is to send an email.  Email addresses are available in the information you have received and in the YoLEM system under “contacts”.  Please remember to include your name when writing to us, and also add your YEP-number, which can be found in the YoLEM system. 
 
The MD Denmark YEO officers' emails can be found at https://www.rotary.dk/page/yep-md-contacts.  
 
There is also a Correspondence tab in the YoLEM system, but this does not work yet.  Other means, such as Phone, WhatsApp, FaceTime, and text messages, can be used to communicate with host family, friends, and others. 
 
ADDITIONAL RULES AND GUIDELINES 
Your host district will send you a document: Additional Rules and Guidelines, which stipulates rules to guide you while you are an exchange student within this district. The application's declaration only partially covers these rules. You must read and sign with your parents and promptly return to the host district. 
 
We welcome you to your "once-in-a-lifetime" stay in Denmark! 
 
Yours in Rotary 
 
Henrik Gildberg,
Chairman; Long Term
Multi-District Denmark 
 
RDU Inbound information