Apply for permanent residence permit in Greenland
You will apply for a permanent residence permit in Greenland, and you have a residence permit in Greenland on the grounds of e.g. family reunification or work/study.
Questions and answers
Who can be granted a permanent residence permit?
If the Danish Immigration Service have granted you a residence permit on the grounds of family reunification in order to live in Greenland with a spouse/partner, you can normally apply for a permanent residence permit once you have held the temporary residence permit on the same grounds for three years.
If the residence permit was initially granted to you as a child, and your parent is a foreign national, he/she must hold a permanent residence permit as well.
In certain cases, you can apply for a permanent residence permit, even though you have resided in Greenland for less than three years.
This is e.g. the case if you are a former Danish citizen and have been issued a residence permit in Greenland according to the terms of Section 9, Paragraph 1 (1), cf. Ordinance No 150 of 23 February 2001 (Application of the Aliens Act in Greenland).
What are the requirements?
If the timewise requirement is met, you can be granted a permanent residence permit in Greenland on the grounds of family reunification when you meet the following requirements:
- You must still meet the requirements for your residence permit
- You may not have overdue public debts above DKK 90,000.54 (2024 level) if you are above 18 years old
- You may not have been sentenced to conditional/unconditional incarceration or have been found guilty of another form of crime that can be punishable by incarceration while residing in Greenland if you are above 15 years old
In order to qualify for a permanent residence permit as a former Danish citizen, you must also meet the normal requirements:
- You may not have overdue public debts above DKK 90,000.54 (2024 level) if you are above 18 years old
- You may not have been sentenced to conditional/unconditional incarceration or have been found guilty of another crime that can lead to incarceration if you are above 15 years old
Please note that applications for a permanent residence permit typically take longer to process than applications for an extension of a residence permit. If you do not qualify for permanent residence, you should apply for an extension. Read more about extension of a residence permit
Who can be granted a permanent residence permit?
If the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) have granted you a residence permit in Greenland on the grounds of work/study or as an accompanying family member to a foreign national who has a residence permit in Greenland on the grounds of work/study, you can apply for a permanent residence permit once you have held the temporary residence permit on essentially the same grounds for seven years.
If the residence permit was initially granted to you as a child, and your parent is a foreign national, he/she must hold a permanent residence permit as well.
What are the requirements?
If the timewise requirement is met, you can be granted a permanent residence permit in Greenland on the grounds of work/study or as an accompanying family member to a foreign national who has a residence permit in Greenland on the grounds of work/study, when you meet the following requirements:
- You must still meet the requirements for your residence permit
- You may not have overdue public debts above DKK 90,000.54 (2024 level) if you are above 18 years old
- You may not have been sentenced to conditional/unconditional incarceration or have been found guilty of another form of crime that can be punishable by incarceration while residing in Greenland if you are above 15 years old
Please note that applications for a permanent residence permit typically take longer to process than applications for an extension of a residence permit. If you do not qualify for permanent residence, you should apply for an extension. Read more about extension of a residence permit
Fill in the application
You can apply for a permanent residence permit in Greenland by filling in and submitting an application form.
You can choose between several application forms depending on the basis of your current residence permit. You can fill in the application form in Word format on your computer before printing it out. The application form is also available as a PDF file that can be printed out and filled in by hand.
Form to use if you are family reunified as a spouse
Form to use if you are family reunified as a child over the age of 18
Form to use if you are family reunified as a child under the age of 18 (english version under way)
Form to use if:
- you are a former Danish citizen
- you are a parent at the age of 60 or older to a current resident in Greenland
- you have close family ties or another type of close relationship to a permanent resident in Greenland, or
- you have been granted a residence permit due to special circumstances
Submit the application
Applications for a permanent residence permit should be submitted at a Greenlandic police station or to the Immigration Service.