Residence and work permits
- Short stays
Citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are free to enter, reside and work in the Faroe Islands. Citizens of an EU/EEA country, or of one of the following visa-free countries – including the United Kingdom – are permitted to enter the Faroe Islands without a visa and can stay for up to 3 months.
Citizens of a country with a visa requirement must have a short stay visa to enter, see here. A visa to enter Denmark or another Schengen country is not valid for entry into the Faroe Islands.
The Faroe Islands are not a member of the EU or a part of the Schengen Agreement. If you need a visa to enter the Faroe Islands, you will most likely also need a Schengen visa, since most travel goes through a Schengen country, such as Denmark.
In the United Kingdom, it is possible to apply for a short-stay visa at the Visa Application Centre, VFS Global in Edinburgh, London and Manchester. Please visit the VFS website for more information.
Applications will be processed at the Embassy of Denmark in London. Inquiries should be referred to the VFS centre where the application was submitted.
Please note that in Denmark you are not allowed to take up residence or work on a Schengen visa. If you plan to work or stay longer than 90 days in Denmark, you need to apply for a residence and/or work permit.
- Longer term residence and work permits
Citizens of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are free to enter, reside and work in the Faroe Islands.
Citizens from all other countries need a Work and Residence Permit before they can take up residence or employment in the Faroe Islands. This also applies to citizens of the United Kingdom and EU countries. Since the Faroe Islands are not a member of the EU, the regulations on free movement for citizens of EU countries do not apply to the Faroe Islands.
The Faroese EU-scheme, which provides for more flexible processing of applications for work permits from citizen of EU countries, no longer applies to British nationals. British citizens wishing to apply for or extend a residence and work permit based in the Faroe Islands must therefore meet the general requirements in the Faroese Aliens Act, and the application form FO1 must be used in these cases.
Read more on the Faroese Immigration Office website.
The Danish Immigration Service also has guidance for British citizens on residence in Denmark based on the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom. See more here.
In the United Kingdom, it is possible to apply for a residence and work permit (long-stay visa) at the Visa Application Centre, VFS Global in Edinburgh, London and Manchester. Please visit the VFS website for more information.
Applications will be processed at the Embassy of Denmark in London. Inquiries should be referred to the VFS centre where the application was submitted.
For general guidance regarding living and working in the Faroe Islands, including the laws and regulations relating to immigration, as well as information about the permit application process and requirements, please see the website of the Faroese Immigration Office.
For guidance regarding taxation on earnings in the Faroe Islands for UK residents, see the 2007 Faroes-UK Double Taxation Convention in force, managed on the UK side by HM Revenue & Customs and on the Faroese side by TAKS, which has a helpful overview on tax here.
A range of practical information for new residents in the Faroe Islands is contained in the publication “New to the Faroe Islands” compiled by the Faroese Immigration Office.