Lapse of your permit – Greenland

You plan to stay outside of Greenland or you have already stayed outside of Greenland for an extended period of time, and you wish to know about the rules that can cause your permit to lapse. 

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What does it mean if my permit lapses?

If you give up your Greenlandic address or stay outside of Greenland for an extended period of time, your residence permit can lapse. This means that your residence permit will no longer be valid and that you will lose your right to stay in Greenland.

If your permit lapses, you must start over again by submitting a new application for a residence permit in Greenland. Your new application will be processed according to the rules in force at the time of application. Consequently, it is of no importance how and why you initially were granted your residence permit. 

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What can cause my residence permit to lapse?

Your residence permit lapses automatically if you give up your address in Greenland, e.g. if you sell or discontinue your residence in Greenland and leave the country.  This also applies if you hold a permanent residence permit in Greenland.

If you plan to leave Greenland for an extended period of time without giving up your address, you should take notice of the rules for when your residence permit lapses.

If you have been staying in Greenland legally for less than 2 years, you are allowed to stay outside of Greenland for 6 successive months. 

If you have been staying in Greenland legally for more than 2 years and you hold a residence permit that can be made permanent, or if you already hold a permanent residence permit, you are allowed to stay outside of Greenland for up to 12 months.

Not returning within the period relevant to you will automatically cause your residence permit to lapse. This applies even though you keep your address in Greenland.  

Staying abroad while serving in the military as a conscript or performing required community service will not be considered time living outside of Greenland.
Stays in Denmark or the Faroe Islands are considered as time abroad.

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How can I prevent that my residence permit lapses?

If you plan to leave Greenland for a longer period of time than what you are allowed to, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing. 

If you have already exceeded the limit on how long time you are allowed to stay abroad, you can apply for that your residence permit should not be considered as lapsed.

 

If you have already left Greenland and exceeded the limit on how long time you are allowed to stay abroad, you can apply for that your residence permit should not be considered as lapsed.

For example, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration can decide not to consider your permit as lapsed if

  • your intention was to return to Greenland within the time limit, but you were prevented from returning by unforeseen circumstances, such as illness, imprisonment, war-like situations, natural disasters or problems with leaving the country in which you were staying.

It is important that you apply as fast as possible, i.e. as soon as you can return to Greenland. 
You can read more about how to apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing on the “How to apply” tab on the top of this page.

To apply for a dispensation that enables you to stay outside of Greenland for a longer period of time than what you are allowed to, you must submit your application before you leave Greenland. Subsequently, the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) will decide on whether you can be allowed to stay outside of Greenland for the desired period without it causing your residence permit to lapse.

You can only be granted a dispensation, if you intend to resume your residence in Greenland after your stay abroad and if you continue to meet the conditions for your residence permit at the time you intend to return to Greenland.

If you meet the basic requirements, it is also a requirement that your stay outside of Greenland is temporary, and it must have a well-founded purpose, such as:

  • Work
  • Education
  • Stationing for a Danish/Greenlandic authority, institution, organisation or company based in Greenland,
  • Stationing for an international institution, organisation or company based in Greenland

The duration of your dispensation period depends on why you are applying for a dispensation, how long time you have been living in Greenland and your ties to Greenland. Normally, you cannot be granted a dispensation for more than a maximum of 3 years. However, you can apply for an extension of your dispensation period before your initial dispensation period ends.

If you do not return to Greenland before your dispensation period ends, your residence permit will lapse automatically. You will have to submit a new application for a residence permit if you want to continue to stay in Greenland.

If you are granted a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing, the dispensation can also apply to your spouse, cohabiting partner or children living at home under the age of 18.

Family members must submit their own application for a dispensation.

You can read more about how to apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing on the “How to apply” tab on the top of this page.

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Below you will find a step-by-step guide to submitting an application to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

It is important that you have carefully read the conditions for being granted a dispensation before you begin step 1. You can do this on the tab “Need to know” on the left.

It is a good idea to gather the necessary documents before you start to complete the application form. You can use the check list below.

If you submit documents not written in English, German, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, you must also submit certified translations into Danish or English

You must submit

If your permit has already lapsed you must, if possible, submit

Expect to use

30 minutes

completing the application

1 person

You complete the application form yourself.

In this step you have access to the relevant application forms.

Make sure that you have completed all the preceeding steps before you begin.

All our application forms contain careful instructions on how to complete the form and what kind of documents you must submit along with the form.

 

Printable application for lapse dispensation

When applying for a lapse dispensation, you can use the print application form BF1. The application form can also be used if your family members want to apply for a dispensation.

You must submit the necessary documents with the application.

The printable application form in Word format can be completed on screen before you print. The application form in pdf format must be printed first and then completed by hand.

Download the printable form BF1 (Word format)   Download the printable form BF1 (Pdf format)

 

Printable application for that your permit should not be considered as lapsed

When applying for that your permit should not be considered as lapsed , you can use the print application form BF2. The application form can also be used if your family members want to apply for that their permits should not be considered as lapsed.

You must submit the necessary documents with the application.

The printable application form in Word format can be completed on screen before you print. The application form in pdf format must be printed first and then completed by hand.

Download the printable form BF2 (Word format)   Download the printable form BF2 (Pdf format)

When a decision in your case has been made, you will receive an answer. 

SIRI will contact you if we need further information to process your case.

You are welcome to contact us if you have further questions about your application which have not been answered by this application page.

If you are in Greenland, you can submit your application to a local police station 

You can also send the application to SIRI.

 

If you are abroad, you can submit your application to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can hand in your application.

In certain countries Denmark does not have a diplomatic mission or application centre. In these instances the list will refer you to one of the Norwegian missions with which Denmark has made an agreement or to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in the region.

We recommend that you always visit the website of the diplomatic mission to obtain further information before you submit your application. The individual diplomatic mission can set additional requirements, e.g. payment of fees or extra copies of the application.

You can also send the application to SIRI.

 

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Last updated 13-12-2018 - Published by: SIRI