Au pair in Greenland

You want to stay as an au pair with a host family in Greenland.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
No fee

What is the au pair scheme?

If you are a young foreign national wishing to learn about the Greenlandic language and culture, you can apply for a residence permit in Greenlad as an au pair. 

You must have made an agreement to live with a host family in Greenland, and by taking part in the daily life of the family on the same terms as the other family members, you can gain the desired insight into Greenlandic culture.

The host family will give you food, accommodation and a monthly allowance. In return you must take part in ordinary domestic chores.

Greenland and Denmark are separate regions. A residence permit as an au pair in Denmark does therefore not give you the right to stay in Greenland. Similary,  a residence permit in Greenland not give you a right to stay in Denmark.

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI) manages applications for residence as au pair in Greenland.

If you are a citizen of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finaland or Iceland you do not need a visa or a permit to stay and work in Greenland. You can freely enter Greenland and you do not need your passport.

As Greenland is not a member of the EU, the EU rules on free movement do not apply in Greenland. Consequently, applicants from EU/EEA countries and Switzerland need to follow the same rules as other foreigners. However, EU citizens are visa-free.

If you already have a residence permit

  • as family reunified,
  • as refugee,
  • on humanitarian grounds, or
  • as a permanent resident,

you do not need a new permit to be an au pair in Greenland

Which conditions do I have to meet as an au pair in Greenland?

You must contact and make an agreement with a family in Greenland about being an au pair with them.

Moreover, there are a number of conditions to meet before you can obtain a permit as an au pair:

The agreement between you and the host family must be set by a binding au pair contract which establishes the framework for your stay as an au pair with the family.

When you apply, you must meet the following requirements in order to be granted a residence permit as an au pair:

You must be at least 18 years old, but you must not have turned 30.

You must not have started a family:

  • You must not be or have been married, be or have been in a stable cohabitating relationship or be or have been in a civil partnership. 
  • You must not have children.
  • You must not be expecting a child, unless if you are already staying in Greenland as an au pair and wish to change your host family.

Which conditions do my host family need to meet?

Your host family must consist of at least one adult and a child under the age of 18, and they must be registered at the same address.

If the parents do not live together, they can agree to have you living with them in turns.  Both parents must sign a contract with you, and both parents must meet the conditions of a host family. 

A family cannot host au pairs if there are no children under the age of 18 registered at their address. 

In addition, the host family must meet the following requirements:

At least one of the parents in the host family must have a thorough knowledge about Greenlandic culture and be able to communicate that knowledge to you.

This is considered to be the case if at least one of the parents have Danish citizenship.  

If none of the parents in the host family are Danish citizens, the family must have been living in the Faroe Islands for a longer period. 

Furthermore, the host family must have established a significant attachment to the Greenlandic labor market, and thus be integrated into Greenlandic society. Whether the familiy meets this demand or not will depend on specific evaluation.

None of the members in the host family can be supported by public benefits.

In the application form, the family must declare not to be receiving public benefits at the time  of application. However, it is allowed to receive minor occasional benefits that do not replace an actual income.

The host family is only allowed to have one au pair at a time. An overlap of maximum 14 days between a former and a new au pair is permitted, provided that the former au pair will pass on knowledge to the new au pair. 

The host family must take out 3 types of insurance covering you:

  • Insurance against work-related injuries
  • Insurance covering leisure time and accidents
  • Insurance covering transportation to your home country in the case of your death, serious illness or injury

What are the terms of the au pair contract?

You and your host family must enter into a contract which you and both of the parents have to sign. 

The contract is a part of the application form and imposes the following terms:

You must have your own separate room and eat for free with the host family.

The host family must pay you at least DKK 4,250 (2018 level) pr. month as pocket money. The money must be paid to your Greenlandic bank account no later than the last banking day of each month. You will also receive pocket money when you are ill. 

You have to pay taxes of your pocket money. Therefore, you must apply for a tax card at your local tax centre.

You must have your own room.

Aside from your room, the host family’s home must contain at least one common room and one bedroom for each two inhabitants. 

You must also have your own room if you are ill.

You must have access to use more than one room.

The host family must pay your fare to Greenland if you are travelling from a country outside of the EU/EEA or Switzerland.

The host family must pay your return fare if you are returning to a country outside of the EU/EEA or Switzerland.

If you change your host family, then the new host family must pay your return ticket.

You must participate in the domestic duties that are normal in a family, i.e. simple house work and childcare. It must be stated in a weekly schedule when you are supposed to do the different tasks.

You are allowed to work 3-5 hours per day for a maximum of 6 days per week, i.e. between 18 and 30 hours per week.

You are entitled to at least 1 day off per week. On a half day off, you can only do duties for the host family either before or after 14:00. 

If you wish to make changes to the contract, you must be aware of 2 things:

  1. Changes can only be made in mutual agreement. This means that you, the au pair, and the host family must agree to the changes -  and a new contract must be made.
  2. The rules on au pair stays imply that the contract cannot be changed arbitrarily as there are specific minimum requirements which must always be met.

The pocket money amount must therefore not be lower than the amount set by the immigration authorities.

The host family must always pay for your return fare when obligated to do so by the rules.

You must do between 18 and 30 hours of domestic chores weekly. Thus, you must not work less than 3 hours per day or more than 5 hours per day.

You must always have at least 1 day off each week.

You must always have at least one room approved for habitation put at your disposal. 

You must always be provided with free food and accommodation.

An au pair contract must be terminated in writing.

You can terminate an au pair contract with 2 weeks’ notice. 

Unless otherwise agreed upon, you must continue as an au pair at the host family during the notice period, and the host family must still provide you with food, accommodation and pocket money.

In cases of grave contract violations or other serious circumstances, both parties can terminate the contract with immediate effect.

Examples of grave violations:

  • If the host family has not been giving you pocket money. In this case the obligation of the au pair to do domestic chores lapses from the day of contract termination.
  • If the au pair moves away from the host family home without notice. In this case the right to pocket money lapses from the day of contract termination.

Red Ribbon – requirements for Philippine au pairs

Philippine citizens travelling as au pairs must have an exit permit from the Philippine authorities – a so-called “Red Ribbon”.

Your host family must have certain documents authenticated by the Philippine Consulate General in Denmark. Afterwards, the documents must be sent to the au pair person. For further information, see the website of the Consulate General.

The Philippine authorities decide whether you can be granted an exit permit. 

Neither the Danish embassy in Manila nor SIRI can help you if you are not granted a Red Ribbon permitting you to leave the Philippines.

You and your host family should be attentive towards the fact that the Philippine authorities do not approve of applications filled out in Danish when you are applying for the Red Ribbon. Therefore, SIRI recommends that you and your host family fill out the English version of the AU1 application form.

What are my rights if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a permit as an au pair in Greenland – and what are you not allowed to do?

The purpose of your stay in Greenland must be to engage in cultural exchange. You must help your host family with their daily chores which in return gives you an insight to the everyday life of a Danish/Greenlandic family. 

You must not begin taking part in doing daily chores before you have been granted a permit.

When you have been granted a permit, you must not perform daily chores for more hours than permitted – not even if you are paid for your extra work.

The residence permit does not allow you to take paid employment. Thus, you are not allowed to work outside the host family’s home.

You are entitled to leisure time in order for you to follow language courses or engage in cultural, religious or professional interests.

A residence permit allows you to stay in Greenland as an au pair for the period of time your permit is valid. 

You must stay with your host family for the full period of your stay.

A permit does not allow you to travel through the Schengen area. So if you want to travel in the Schengen states you must apply for a Schengen transit visa at the Danish Immigration Service.  

If you have been living legally in the Greenland for less than two years you can stay outside Greenland up to 6 months. 

If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, you can apply for dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

During your stay you should be able to provide for yourself. You must not receive public benefits. 

If you do receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be confiscated – and you will lose the right to be in Greenland. 

How long can I stay in Greenland?

As an au pair, you can be granted a residence permit valid for a maximum of 1 year with with the possibility of extension for a maximum of one additional year. 

In addition, the residence permit is limited to the validity period of the au pair contract or to the day when the youngest child in the family turns 18.

If you change your host family, then the previous au pair period will be subtracted from the new permit duration. You can only have permits for a total of 2 years, which is the maximum for an au pair.

The permit can be given until 2 months before the expiry date of your passport.  Such 'passport shortening'  can be appealed to at the Ministry of Immigration and Integration.

Can I change my host family?

If you wish to change your host family, you must terminate the au pair contract in writing at 2 weeks’ notice. After terminating the contract, you have one month to find a new family and submit a new application for a residence permit. 

You are not allowed to begin working for the new host family before you have been granted a residence permit. Bu you are allowed to stay with the new host family as a guest.

Your return fare must be paid by the new host family, provided you have entered into a contract.

What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for a residence permit as an au pair is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). 

Generally, the residence permit has to be attainted before an entry to Greenland. 

You can apply by going to the tab ‘How to apply’ to the right on this page. There you will also have access to the relevant application form, AU1. You do not need to pay a fee. 

Your host family must fill in the first two of the forms three parts, and you yourself must fill in the third part.

If SIRI during case processing, needs additional information, you will be contacted.

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 residence permit 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:

Expect to use

40 minutes

per person to complete the application

3 persons

You and your host family are each required to complete the form. Both your host parents must sign

In this step you and your host family have access to the relevant application forms. You must use the printable application form.

Make sure you have read the instructions on the tab ‘Need to know’ and that you have completed all the preceding 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.

Philippine citizens whom are departing the Philippines to take residence as an au pair in the Greenland need to have an exit permit from the Philippine authorities – a so-called “Red Ribbon”. 

You and your host family should be attentive towards the fact that the Philippine authorities do not approve of applications filled out in Danish when you are applying for the Red Ribbon. Therefore, SIRI recommends that you and your host family fill out the English version of the AU1 application form. 

In the application form AU1 your host family must complete parts 2 and 3 of the form. When your host family has completed their part, you must complete your part. Once all parts have been completed, they must be submitted together – read more in the next step.

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 AU1 (Word format)

Download the printable form AU1 (PDF format)

You are submitting the application abroad

The application can be submitted to a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country where you are residing.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can hand in your application (opens in a new window)

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.

If you are submitting the application in a Norwegian mission, you will also need to submit two face photos.

We recommend that you visit the local diplomatic mission’s webpage to get more information before you submit the application. The individual diplomatic mission can have additional requirements regarding payment of additional fees, submission of additional passport photos or additional copies of the application.

You are submitting the application in Denmark

If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to submit the application in Denmark. This is the case, if you:

  • hold a valid visa,
  • are exempt from the visa requirement or
  • already hold a valid residence permit

You can read more about the legal residence requirement when submitting your application in Denmark here

You can submit the applicaton in one of SIRI's branch offices

If you plan to submit you application in one of SIRI's branch offices, you must remember to book an appointment here

You can also send the application to SIRI. 

 

Submitting the application in Greenland

Generally, you cannot submit the application in Greenland, except if you have a preceding residence permit. 

Only if very special reasons support it, and you have entered Greenland legally, a first time application can be submitted to the police in Greenland.

You can see the normal case processing time to the right on this page. When we make a decision in your case, you will receive an answer. Your host family will also receive an answer.

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

Your residence card will automatically be sent to the address that has been registered under your name in the Civil Registration System (CPR). It is important that your name is written on your mailbox. If your name is not written on your mailbox, there is a chance that the residence card will not be delivered to you, and that it will be sent back to SIRI instead.

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Last updated 08-01-2025 - Published by: SIRI