In order to be an external examiner, you must be appointed in a body of external examiners. Appointments are made every four years, and the next round is in 2026.
If you are asked to be an external examiner outside the application period, you can apply for an ad hoc appointment. A substantiated recommendation is submitted to the relevant chair of the external examiners, who states why the need cannot be covered by the existing body of external examiners. Requirements regarding this statement can vary from body to body.
Executive Order no. 458 af 19/04/2022 on examinations and co-examination of university degree programmes specifies in section 7:
Section 7. External examiners may not be employed or have been employed during the last two years at the university where they will work as an external examiner. Members of the university board may not work as external examiners at the university. An honorary professor or honorary associate professor may not work as an external examiner at the university where he or she is an honorary professor or honorary associate professor.
Subsection 2. It should be avoided as far as possible that examiners carry out external examiner tasks for each other (mutual co-examination).
Subsection 3. The work of external examiners is covered by the Danish Public Administration Act, including the regulations regarding disqualification and duty of confidentiality.
Subsection 4. On the recommendation of the chair of the external examiners, the Danish Agency for Higher Education can give dispensation from section 1, sentence 1, when exceptional circumstances exist.