Entry conditions

Citizens of Nordic countries, i.e. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, can live and work in the Faroe Islands without having a residence and work permit.

Nordic citizens do not need a passport to enter the Faroe Islands. However, they must be able to identify themselves upon request. A driving licence is a valid form of identification.

As the Faroe Islands are not a member state of the EU, the EU rules do not apply to the Faroe Islands.

However, when the rate of unemployment in the Faroe Islands is low, you can apply for a residence permit as an EU citizen through a special EU Scheme. The unemployment rate in the Faroe Islands has been below this limit for several years. 

Some Faroese employers are pre-approved for employment of citizens from the EU countries. EU citizens who have an employment agreement with such a pre-approved employer, can start working as soon as the employment has been notified through application to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). 

If the employer is not pre-approved, the employer and the employee will have to submit a joint application for a residence and work permit to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration. The employee is not allowed to start working until a formal permit has been issued. 

A residence and work permit for the Faroe Islands is normally granted with a validity of up to 1 year.

Citizens from countries outside the EU and the Nordic countries need a residence and work permit.in order to live and work in the Faroe Islands. The application for a permit will be processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) based on an approval from the Government of the Faroe Islands.

The Faroe Islands and Denmark are two distinct travel areas. This means that a residence permit in Denmark does not give you the right to stay in the Faroe Islands.  Likewise, a residence permit in the Faroe Islands does not allow you to stay in Denmark.