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Welcome to the Faroe Islands

EURAXESS Faroe Islands is ready to assist you with information on practical issues when moving to and living in the Faroe Islands.

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arrival

Plan your stay

There are several practical issues and formalities that have to be considered and dealt with when planning to move to the Faroe Islands.

Getting here

The Faroe Islands have good connections to mainland Europe by air and by sea.

Registration

Nordic citizens who are staying in the Faroe Islands for less than 6 months do not have to register in the Faroe Islands.

Non Nordic citizens must register at the municipality they are moving to in the Faroe Islands within 5 days after arrival.

Non Nordic citizens must have a valid residence permit in order to register in the Faroe Islands.

Removal goods

Several Faroese freight companies offer a door to door transport of personal belongings to the Faroe Islands.

Vehicles

A person moving to the Faroe Islands is allowed to import one motor vehicle as removal goods exempt from tax and duty.

A vehicle imported as removal goods must be registered with the Faroese Vehicle Administration, Akstovan, within the first two weeks after arriving in the Faroe Islands.

The owner must take out an insurance covering damages to the property of others..

Driving licences issued in EU countries, Norway, Iceland and other countries which have an agreement with EU are valid in the Faroe Islands. Persons with a driving licence issued in other countries must pass a new driving test.

Pets

Dogs and cats can only be brought to the Faroe Islands if the owner is living in or moving to the Faroe Islands. Pets are not permitted for stays shorter than 3 months or to transit through the Faroe Islands to another country.

As a general rule, it is prohibited to import exotic and dangerous animals to the Faroe Islands. Fighting dogs and other dogs with aggressive behavior are not permitted.

Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against a number of diseases and treated against parasites before entering the Faroe Islands.

entry conditions

Apply for entry permit

If you are a Non Nordic national you will need a residence and work permit in order to work in the Faroe Islands.

Nordic Citizens

Citizens of Nordic countries are free to live, work and study in the Faroe Islands. Neither visa, residence permit nor work permit is required.

Non Nordic Citizens

Researchers and lecturers from Non Nordic countries invited to teach or conduct similar activities in the Faroe Islands can work without a work permit, provided the duration of their stay does not exceed three consecutive months.

For stays longer than three months researchers and PhD students must have a residence and work permit. This also applies to citizens from EU countries as the Faroe Islands are not part of the EU.

accommodation

Find a place to stay

Start searching for housing as soon as possible.

Rented flats

The Faroese rental market is quite limited. Apartments for rent are normally part of a family’s home set aside for a tenant.

Buying property

Buying and selling property is mostly handled by real estate agents and lawyers. The agents advertise houses and apartments on websites and in newspapers.

Short term accomodation

A variety of hotels, guesthouses and rented flats and houses are available for short-term accommodation.

personal finance

Open a bank account

The banks offer payment services and provide loans for various purposes.

Bank account

All employees in the Faroe Islands need a Faroese bank account in order to receive their salary. A Faroese ID-number is required to open a bank account.

Payment services

The banks offer debit and credit cards for withdrawal at cashpoints and making purchases as well as personal online banking services enabling the customer to transfer money and pay bills within the Danish Realm without paying service fees.

health care

Get access to health care

All residents in the Faroe Islands have equal access to health services.

Health insurance

Health care services are financed by the government and by mandatory contributions from all residents through the National Health Insurance.

All individuals residing in the Faroe Islands who have a Faroese ID number are automatically covered by the National Health Insurance.

The National Health Insurance covers general and specialized medical treatment and gives supplement to prescribed medicines, dental treatment and other specialized treatment, e.g. physiotherapy and psychotherapy.

Medical care

All residents in the Faroe Islands have equal access to health services – irrespective of their age, sex, origin, social status or income.

family

Bring your family

The Faroe Islands are a family-friendly society with a safe and peaceful environment.

Spouses

The accompanying spouse or cohabiting partner of a foreign researcher with a work permit in the Faroe Islands is free to take on any job position.

Job vacancies can be found in the local newspapers and portals and in the Employment Registry. In some cases the research institutes may assist with finding a job position for the accompanying spouse.

Parental leave

Parents are entitled to stay at home with the child for up to 52 weeks after the birth of the child. They have the right to paid leave for 48 of those weeks.

Female academic employees have the right to paid leave with normal salary from 4 weeks before childbirth until 14 weeks after the birth. Fathers are eligible to paid leave for four weeks after childbirth.

After the first 14 weeks the parents are entitled to paid leave for 30 more weeks which they can divide between them as they wish.

Child health care

Health services during pregnancy and childbirth and health services for children up to the end of school age (16-17 years) are free of charge.

Children’s nurses examine the children in their home regularly up to the age of 18 months. If the child or the family has special needs, the nurse´s home visits can continue up to school age.

General Practitioners provide medical checks up to the age of 5 and vaccinations according to a vaccination programme.

School nurses provide regular medical checks and personal interviews as well as parental guidance and information.

Day care

The municipalities provide day care for children up to school age. Day care can be provided in private homes or in day care centres.

After school care is provided in most municipalities for children in first and second grade.

Parents have to pay a fee for day care for their children. In some mucipalities the fee will be reduced if the family has several children in day care.

School and education

The education system in the Faroe Islands is made up of three main levels: elementary school, secondary school, and higher education.

Education is compulsory for at least 9 years, normally beginning at the age of 7.

Faroese is the language of education in all Faroese schools. Children who do not have Faroese as their first language may be entitled to additional lessons in Faroese.

All education in the Faroe Islands is free of charge.

language

Learn the language

The official language in the Faroe Islands is Faroese. Learning Faroese will make it easier to integrate professionally and privately.

Language courses

Language courses are held by evening schools around the country offering classes in Faroese for foreigners.

All foreigners with a residence and work permit have the right to participate in a 20 hours course in Faroese at an evening school free of charge.

An International Summer Institute in Faroese language and culture is held at the University of the Faroe Islands every second year. 

Private courses can also be arranged by linguistic experts.

Self studies

Several self study courses in Faroese are available online and in textbooks.

culture and society

Enjoy a traditional and modern life

The Faroe Islands are a modern society which has also maintained a large part of the traditional culture.

General overview

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing nation under the external sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. The country is not a member of the European Union but has agreements on fisheries, trade in goods, and research cooperation with the EU.

The language of the Faroe Islands is Faroese which is a Nordic language deriving from the Norsemen who settled the islands 1200 years ago.

Out of a total population of around 52,000, more than 20,000 live in the capital, Tórshavn.

Fishing and fish farming are the most important industries in the Faroe Islands. In recent years tourism has also become increasingly important.

Political system

The Faroe Islands are a self-governing nation within the Kingdom of Denmark with extensive autonomous powers and responsibilites.

The Faroe Islands have exclusive competence to legislate and govern independently in a wide range of areas, including taxation and customs, management of fisheries and other utilisation of natural resources, social security, education and research.

The political system is a parliamentary democracy, with a democratically elected legislative assembly, Løgtingið, and an executive government, Landsstýrið, headed by the Prime Minister, løgmaður.

The Faroe Islands are not part of the European Union, despite Denmark’s membership of the EU. Trade with the European Union is governed by a special trade agreement between the Faroe Islands and the EU.

Infrastructure

The Faroe Islands have a modern infrastructure with roads, tunnels, bridges and subsea tunnels connecting most of the islands.

Regular flights and car and cargo ferries are available all year round for transport of people and goods to and from the Faroe Islands.

Communication

The Faroe Islands have a highly developed communication network – from telecommunication and mobile phones to the internet and media.

Religion

Religion plays an important role in Faroese culture. According to the constitution, everyone is entitled to associate in communities to worship according to his or her convictions.

Leisure

The Faroe Islands have a rich and thriving contemporary culture. Traditional culture lives along with modern cultural events, and all kinds of sports and music activities are very popular.

A helping hand

EURAXESS Faroe Islands is ready to assist you with practical support when relocating to the Faroe Islands for work.

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jobs

Find a job

Scientific job vacancies in the Faroe Islands can be found on the EURAXESS portal or in local and foreign newspapers and scientific magazines.

Job vacancies

Scientific vacancies in the Faroe Islands can be found on the EURAXESS Jobs portal. Researchers looking for a job can register at MY EURAXESS and upload their CV.

Scientific vacancies are also advertised in local and foreign newspapers and scientific magazines, and most research institutes post job vacancies on their websites.

qualifications

Assesment of your qualifications

A foreign job applicant may need an assesment of his or her qualifications.

Recognition of qualifications

Recognition of foreign diplomas, degrees and other qualifications in the Faroe Islands will in most cases be similar to recognition of qualifications in Denmark.

For some positions a Faroese or Danish authorisation is needed.

Recognition of academic qualifications may also be required if you are applying for admission to higher education, including PhD programmes.

salaries

Salary based on competence

Salaries are set according to negotiated settlements with trade unions.

Salaries

Salaries are set according to negotiated settlements between the employer and the relevant trade union.

Salaries are based on seniority and competence. A special Doctoral or Professorial addition is given, if the position requires such competence.

A fixed percent of the monthly salary is paid by the employer to a private retirement pension plan set up by the relevant trade union with the Faroese Life Assurance Company.

employment rights

Know your rights

Employment rights are regulated by law or specified in the contract with the employer.

Holidays

Academics with an employment contract have the right to six weeks´ paid holiday a year. The stipulation of holiday must be agreed upon in advance.

Illness

An employee with a fixed monthly salary has the right to paid leave from work if he or she is unable to work due to illness.

Academics with a fixed monthly salary have the right to 2 days of paid absence from work if his or her child is taken ill.

Parental leave

Female academic employees have the right to paid leave with normal salary from 4 weeks before childbirth until 14 weeks after birth. Fathers are eligible to paid leave for four weeks after childbirth.

After the first 14 weeks the parents are entitled to paid leave for 30 more weeks that they can divide between themas they wish.

Insurances

Faroese employers are obliged to insure all employees against work related injuries. The employee or his or her next of kin is entitled to compensation in case of injury, disease or death in connection with carrying out work.

intellectual property rights

Your work is protected

The scientist has the exclusive right to the creative and technical expression of his work.

Intellectual property rights

According to Faroese law the copyright of a scientific work belongs to its creator. The scientist has the exclusive right to the creative and technical expression of his work and it is prohibited to reproduce text from the work without mentioning the source.

Inventions, company labels and industrial designs can be protected by intellectual property right. The Danish Patent and Trademark Office can provide a patent or a utility model which gives the creator a right for a limited time to exclude others from producing, using or selling the inventions without permission.

taxation

Taxes on all personal income

The Faroese tax system is based around a set of direct and indirect taxes.

The tax system includes personal income taxes, value added taxes and special taxes and excise duties on various goods and services.

Personal income tax

All individuals living in the Faroe Islands must pay tax on all personal income.

Personal income is collected on wages, interest, gifts and inheritance. Personal income tax is paid to the state, the municipality and in most cases also to the church.

The total national and local tax paid on regular taxable income cannot exceed 50 percent.

The Faroe Islands have agreements on avoidance of double taxation with the Nordic countries, Greenland, India, Switzerland, Great Britain, Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey, Bermuda, Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands.

Subsidies

Residents in the Faroe Islands can apply for subsidies for certain types of private expenses.

Mandatory contributions

In addition to taxes all employees with full tax liability have to pay a number of mandatory contributions. These are withheld from the income in the same way as ordinary taxes.

Pension tax

Contributions to pension plans are taxed at source at 40 percent before the net payment is transferred to the insurance company or bank.

No tax is charged when pensions are paid out.

unemployment

Unemployment benefits

Only Nordic citizens working in the Faroe Islands are entitled to benefits from the Faroese Unemployment Scheme.

Unemployment

Nordic citizens working in the Faroe Islands are entitled to benefits from the Faroese Unemployment Scheme - ALS - if they become unemployed.

Non Nordic citizens with a temporary work permit in the Faroe Islands are not entitled to unemployment benefits from the Faroese Unemployment Scheme.

A fee for the Unemployment Insurance Scheme is automatically withheld by the tax system from all wages paid to registered residents in the Faroe Islands. Foreign citizens with a temporary work permit can apply for assemption from paying this fee.

pension rights

Pension may be available

When retiring from employment or being unable to work due to disability, you may be entitled to a pension.

Retirement

All individuals up to the Faroese state pension age of 67 with full tax liability in the Faroe Islands are required by law to save a portion of their salary in a pension scheme.

For most employees pensions are a built-in feature of employment contracts. The pension contribution is set according to agreements between trade unions and employers.

Academic employees receive 16% of their salary in pension contribution. Their pension plan also has a built-in insurance scheme which covers serious illness, disability and death.

Individuals moving to the Faroe Islands to work for a limited period can achieve a pension exemption. This means that an amount equivalent to the pension contribution will be paid out together with the monthly salary. Exemptions may be granted for up to 60 months.

All individuals working in the Faroe Islands are also obliged to pay a contribution to the Faroese Labour Market Supplemental Pension Fund. Individuals who have lived in the Faroe Islands for at least 3 years between the age of 15 and Faroese state pension age will receive a proportion of the labour market supplemental pension equivalent to the number of years they have lived in the country upon retirement.

Danish citizens are also entitled to a state retirement pension at the age of 67 if they have lived in the Danish Kingdom for at least 3 years between the ages of 15 and 67. This also applies for foreign citizens who are married to a Danish citizen.

By agreement with the Nordic countries, the required Danish citizenship expands to include Nordic citizenships.

Disability

Danish citizens who have lived in the Danish Kingdom for at least 3 years from the age of 15 are entitled to a national disability pension if their work capacity is permanently reduced by at least a half.This also applies for foreign citizens who or are married to a Danish citizen.

Nordic citizens have the right to disability pension in the Faroe Islands under the same conditions as Danish citizens.

In order to obtain a full disability pension in the Faroe Islands, the individual must have resided in the Danish Kingdom for at least 4/5 of the time after the age of 15. If the period of residence is shorter, the pension is calculated in proportion to the time of residence.

Thank you and goodbye

We hope you had a fruitful and joyable stay in the Faroe Islands.

Before leaving the Faroe Islands there are some practical matters you need to address.

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departure formalities

Before you leave

Before leaving the Faroe Islands there are several formalities and arrangements that you need to deal with.

Registration

When moving from the Faroe Islands to another Nordic country, the relocation must be reported to the municipality where you will be living.

The relocation will not be registered in the Faroe Islands until the municipality to which you are moving has informed the municipality in the Faroe Islands.

When moving from a Faroese municipality to a country outside the Nordic region, the Faroese municipality must be notified before you leave.

Banking

It is important to keep your Faroese bank account open for approximately one year in case you receive reimbursements for e.g. tax or deregistration fees.

Taxation

You will receive a pre-printed tax return for the previous year in March after having left the Faroe Islands. If the pre-printed information is incorrect, you will have to file a tax return.

Excess tax, if any, will be paid out to your Faroese bank account.

Holiday

Employees with an employment contract will get unused holidays paid out as salary when they leave their job.

Holiday pay for overtime work will be paid out on May 2nd.

Car registration

You will have to deregister your Faroese registered car if you want to take it with you when you leave.

When derigestering the car, you are entitled to a refund on part of the paid registration duty.

Unemployment

Nordic citizens who are moving from the Faroe Islands to another Nordic country can have their membership of the Faroese Unemployment Scheme transfered to an unemployment scheme in the country they are moving to.

In order to get unemployment benefit in the country you are moving to, you must be able to document that you have been employed for a certain period of time. The length of the period varies from country to country.

Parental leave

If a parent moves from the Faroe Islands to another Nordic country while being on paid leave from the Parental Leave Fund, she or he can receive payments from the fund until the end of the parental leave period. The parents can choose to receive payments from the parental fund in the country they are moving to instead.

Information & Assistance

We are here for you

Welcome to the Faroe Islands

Plan your stay

Apply for entry permit

Find a place to stay

Open a bank account

Get access to health care

Bring your family

Learn the language

Enjoy a traditional and modern life

A helping hand

Find a job

Assesment of your qualifications

Salary based on competence

Know your rights

Your work is protected

Taxes on all personal income

Unemployment benefits

Pension may be available

Thank you and goodbye

Before you leave