Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
No fee

Can I extend my permit?

You can apply for extension of your residence permit as an accompanying family member in Greenland if your family member (the sponsor):

  • holds a valid residence permit and has a permanent address in Greenland, or
  • has extended his or her permit as an employee.

You can submit your application for extension no earlier than 2 months before and no later than 1 month before your current residence permit expires.

You are allowed to stay in Greenland while we process your application for an extension. 

What are my rights if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a permit as an accompanying family member in Greenland? – and what are you not allowed to do?

As a holder of a permit as an accompanying family member, you are allowed to work during your stay in Greenland.

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

You must not give up your Greenlandic address or stay abroad for a longer period of time. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Greenland.

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.

If you need to stay abroad for an extended period of time, e.g. if you are stationed abroad for a period of time by your employer, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

Stays in Denmark or the Faroe Islands are considered as time abroad.

You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. You are not allowed to receive public benefits.

If you or your family member receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Greenland. 

How long can I stay in Greenland?

Normally, you can extend your residence permit in Greenland for 1 year at a time. 

A residence permit can only be valid until 2 months before the expiry date of your passport.

If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit – however, this can only be done 2 months before your permit expires at the earliest. 

Read more about the passport requirements

What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for an extension as an accompanying family member in Greenland can be submitted to the Police in Greenland or to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). SIRI will process your application.

You can find the relevant application form, GL2, on the “How to apply” tab to the right. 

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

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

30 minutes

completing the application

1 person

You complete the application form yourself.

In this step you have access to the relevant application form GL2.

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.

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 GL2 (Word format)

Download the printable form GL2 (Pdf format)

You are submitting the application in Greenland

You can submit the application to the police in Greenland.

You can also send the application to SIRI.

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.

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

Read more about what you can expect while you are waiting for an answer.

Responsible Agency

Contact SIRI