Apply for permanent residence permit on the Faroe Islands

Who can be granted a permanent residence permit?

If you have been granted a residence permit on the grounds of family reunification in order to live on the Faroe Islands 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 on the Faroe Islands 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 on the Faroe Islands according to the terms of Section 9, Paragraph 1 (1), cf. Ordinance No 182 of 22 March 2001 (Application of the Aliens Act in the Faroe Islands).

What are the requirements?

If the timewise requirement is met, you can be granted a permanent residence permit on the Faroe Islands 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
• Unless there are special reasons to the contrary, 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 on the Faroe Islands 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
• Unless there are special reasons to the contrary, 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 you have been granted a residence permit on the Faroe Islands on the grounds of work/study or as an accompanying family member to a foreign national who has a residence permit on the Faroe Islands 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 on the Faroe Islands on the grounds of work/study or as an accompanying family member to a foreigner who has a residence permit on the Faroe Islands 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
• Unless there are special reasons to the contrary, 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 on the Faroe Islands 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