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Your new life in the Faroe Islands
Moving to a new country requires a great deal of planning and preparation.
EURAXESS Faroe Islands is ready to assist you with information on practical issues when moving to and living in the Faroe Islands.
Arrival
There are several practical issues and formalities that have to be considered and dealt with before you move to the Faroe Islands and when you arrive.
Entry conditions
If you are a Non Nordic national you will need a residence and work permit in order to work in the Faroe Islands.
Accommodation
It is advisable to start searching for housing as soon as plans for a research stay have become definite.
Personal finance
The banks offer payment services and provide loans for various purposes.
Health care
Everyone with a Faroese ID number has access to services from the Faroese health care system.
Family
The Faroe Islands are a family-friendly society with a safe and peaceful environment and generous child and parental benefits and child care provision.
Language courses
Learning Faroese will make it easier to integrate professionally and socially.
Culture and Society
The Faroe Islands are a modern society which has also maintained a large part of the traditional culture.
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Your new job in the Faroe Islands
EURAXESS Faroe Islands provides practical support to researchers relocating for work.
Employment rights for academics are regulated by law or specified in the contract with the employer.
Academic employees have the right to paid holiday, paid leave from work due to illness, child birth etc.
Salaries are set according to negotiated settlements between the employer and the relevant trade union.
Recognition of qualifications
An assesment of the qualifications of a foreign job applicant in relation to those of the Faroese educational system may be required.
Doctoral Training Principles
PhD positions are usually offered as paid positions by universities, research institutes or external funding bodies.
Employment rights
Employment rights are regulated by law or specified in the contract with the employer.
Salaries
Salaries are set according to negotiated settlements between the employer and the relevant trade union.
Taxation
The tax system includes personal income taxes, value added taxes, customs and excise duties on various goods and services.
Intellectual Property Rights
According to Faroese law the copyright of a scientific work belongs to its creator.
Research Permits
Researchers may need one or more permits when conducting research in the Faroe Islands.
Unemployment
Only Nordic citizens working in the Faroe Islands are entitled to benefits from the Faroese Unemployment Scheme if they become unemployed..
Pension rights
When retiring from employment or being unable to work due to disability, pension is available from several sources under certain circumstances.
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Before you leave
There are several formalities and arrangements that need to be dealt with before you leave the Faroe Islands.
EURAXESS Faroe Islands will help you with guidance on registration, taxation, insurance, and other departure formalities.
EURAXESS Centres in your new country will help you with your arrival formalities.
You have to report your departure to the National Registration Office (Landsfólkayvirlitið) if you move from the Faroe Islands.
When moving abroad for less than six months, the registered address in the Faroe Islands can be retained unless you sublet or hire out out your residence while you are gone.
You can report your departure at the online self-service Vangin.
Read more:
Tórshavn MunicipalityIt is possible to keep your Faroese bank account and internet bank after leaving the Faroe Islands. It is important to keep the bank account open for approximately one year in case you receive reimbursements for e.g. taxes or deregistration fees.
Mortgage loans in the bank can be kept as long as the debts are paid. If you sell your house, the loan must be paid back.
Car loans in the bank must be paid back when the car is deregistered.
You will receive a pre-completed tax statement which contains an overview of your income and deductions in March after having left the Faroe Islands. If the pre-completed statement is incorrect, you will have to submit a tax return containing the correct information.
Excess tax, if any, will be paid out to your Faroese bank account.
It is important that you inform the Faroese Tax Office if you change your address after having left the Faroe Islands.
Employees with an employment contract will get unused holidays paid out as salary when they leave their job.
Hourly-paid employees get 12 percent of their wages earned from April 1st to March 31st paid out as holiday pay on May 2nd.
Overtime work is paid by the hour, and employees with a fixed salary will have holiday pay for overtime work paid out on May 2nd.
Foreigners who have holiday pay due must keep their Faroese bank account until they have received their pay.
If you want to take your Faroese registered car with you when you leave the Faroe Islands, you will have to deregister it.
When derigestering the car, you are entitled to a refund on part of the paid registration duty. The amount will be transferred to your Faroese bank.
Nordic citizens who are moving from the Faroe Islands to another Nordic country can have their membership of the Faroese Unemployment Scheme transfered to an unemployment scheme in the country they are moving to.
In order to get transferred to an unemployment scheme in another Nordic country, you will have to obtain a certificate from the Faroese Unemployment Scheme proving your membership three weeks before you leave. The certificate and pay slips from your employer must be handed over to the unemployment scheme in the country you are moving to within eight weeks after your membership of the Faroese Unemployment Scheme has expired.
In order to get unemployment benefit in the country you are moving to, you must be able to document that you have been employed for a certain period of time. The length of the period varies from country to country.
The Parental Leave Fund has to be informed if you move abroad while receiving parental benefits.
If you move from the Faroes Islands to another nordic country after your application for benefits from the Parental Leave Fund has been approved, you may continue to receive the allowance provided the original conditions are still met.
if you move outside the Nordic countries, you lose the right to allowance from the Parental Leave Fund.
Read more:
Parental Leave Fund
Faroe Islands
