The map says Denmark. The passport control, the tax office and the rental law say otherwise. Greenland and the Faroe Islands are part of the Kingdom of Denmark, but they have wide autonomy, their own authorities and, above all, they are outside the European Union. If you are an EU citizen who assumes you can simply pack and go, this is where the free movement you take for granted stops.
This guide to moving to Greenland or the Faroe Islands explains what the official pages say and why every other guide in this series covers mainland Denmark only. It does not replace the pages of the Greenlandic and Faroese authorities, which you should read before any decision.
What is the status of Greenland and the Faroe Islands?
Both belong to the Danish Realm, a term for the Kingdom as a whole. Neither is an EU member. SIRI, the Danish agency for international recruitment and integration, says plainly that Greenland is not an EU member and that "the EU rules on free movement" do not apply there. The European External Action Service says that the Faroe Islands decided not to become part of the European Community when Denmark joined in 1973, that the EU treaties do not apply to them and that relations rest on separate agreements on fisheries, trade in goods and research.
Practical consequence: your EU citizenship does not give you a right to live or work there. You are treated much like any other foreign national, with the exception of citizens of the Nordic countries.
What is moving to Greenland like for an EU citizen?
According to SIRI's page on work in Greenland:
- Nordic citizens (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden) need neither a visa nor a permit to stay and work in Greenland.
- EU citizens need no visa, but they do need a permit to work. EU, EEA and Swiss applicants follow the same rules as other foreign nationals.
- Other foreign nationals need a residence and work permit when the rules require one, and must not start working until it is granted. This includes unpaid and voluntary work.
- Some short stays are exempt: under three months for certain roles such as researchers, lecturers, professional athletes and fitters. Even exempt visitors may need a visa, depending on nationality.
- If you already hold a Greenland residence permit based on family reunification or refugee status, or a humanitarian or permanent permit, you do not need a separate work permit.
And a rule that matters for people who might move between the two: a Danish residence permit does not let you stay in Greenland, and a Greenland permit does not let you stay in Denmark.
Thinking about a job in Greenland or on the Faroe Islands and not sure which authority to contact? Moovy can point you to the official pages, list the questions to put to your employer and draft a request to the competent authority in English or Danish with a translation. You check it and send it yourself, and the island authorities decide.
How does moving to the Faroe Islands work?
The Faroe Islands have their own rules on immigration, so the EU residence document described in EU residence document in Denmark does not apply. Nordic citizens can move to the Faroe Islands freely, according to Faroese government pages. EU citizens generally need a permit, with a faster route under the so-called EU scheme, whose conditions include a low unemployment rate in the islands (below 3.5 per cent, according to the SIRI page we found) and, for a pre-approved Faroese employer, the possibility to start work once the employment has been notified. Otherwise the employer must apply for a work and residence permit, and you cannot start before it is issued. Permits are usually granted for up to one year. Citizens of Nordic and EU/EEA countries can enter without a visa and stay up to three months.
Official pages do not agree on which authority handles the applications: the Faroese government's page names the Danish Immigration Service, while other pages point to the Faroese Immigration Office (Útlendingastovan). Check the current procedure on the Faroese Immigration Office's website before you apply. Rules on the islands change, so read this section as an orientation rather than a procedure.
What else is different?
Our fact sheets for mainland Denmark each end with the same warning, and here it is in one place:
- Tax: Greenland and the Faroe Islands have their own taxes, different from the Danish scale.
- Housing: the Danish Tenancy Act does not apply there, and land purchase follows local legislation. See renting in Denmark and buying property in Denmark for the mainland rules.
- Work: the Danish rules on salaried employees and written employment terms do not apply. See working in Denmark.
- Health, schools and pensions: separate systems. The Danish yellow health card is for mainland Denmark (healthcare in Denmark).
- Language and calendar: Faroese and Greenlandic have their own place, and the calendar differs.
- Business: registers, VAT and taxes are separate.
Are there links between the islands and mainland Denmark?
Yes, a few. A bank account in a Faroese or Greenlandic bank under financial supervision can serve as your NemKonto, though the right to a basic payment account described in bank account in Denmark applies to mainland Denmark. For a driving licence or a car from the islands, ask your Borgerservice, the Danish Road Traffic Authority and the tax authority how it is treated in Denmark. And for citizens of non-EU countries, unemployment-insurance periods completed in the Nordic countries, the Faroe Islands included, can be added up in Denmark (working in Denmark).
Why do the rules differ so much?
Greenland and the Faroe Islands have extensive autonomy within the Kingdom, and our fact sheets note that taxes, housing law, labour law, health, schools and pensions there are their own. That is why a single Danish rule cannot be copied over. Each time a Danish fact sheet in this series ends with a warning about the islands, it is not a formality: the legislation, the authority and the forms are different.
For a newcomer, three consequences follow. You cannot rely on the Danish CPR sequence to organise your arrival. You cannot assume that your EU rights, such as your health insurance card or your right to take a job, apply. And you cannot reuse a Danish permit, tax card or health card. The prudent way to plan is to start from the island authority's website and from your employer, and to treat anything you read about mainland Denmark as background only.
Who is this move suited to?
Mostly people with a specific reason: a job with a defined employer, a family link or a research posting. Short stays are easier than settlement, since the visa-free entry for Nordic and EU/EEA visitors is up to three months for the Faroe Islands, and some short roles are exempt from the Greenland permit. If you are a researcher or a specialist, SIRI's page lists exemptions for stays under three months. If you wish to stay longer, build in time for the permit and, in Greenland, remember that you cannot begin work before it is granted.
What should you do before moving to Greenland or the Faroe Islands?
- Check your citizenship: Nordic citizens have a simpler route than EU citizens.
- Check whether a permit is required, with the island authority, not the Danish mainland office.
- Secure the job offer, since in Greenland you cannot start working before the permit is granted.
- Ask your employer about housing, health cover and taxes on the island.
- Keep your Danish paperwork in order if you plan to return to mainland Denmark: see moving to Denmark.
Moving to Greenland or the Faroe Islands is a different project from moving to Copenhagen, and it starts with a different set of offices.