Faroe IslandsLong-term residence
Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.
Accumulated residence on a temporary permit (e.g. family reunification or work/study) leads to a permanent residence permit in the Faroe Islands.
You will apply for a permanent residence permit on the Faroe Islands, and you have a residence permit on the Faroe Islands on the grounds of e.g. family reunification or work/study.
Spouses/partners reunified with family can normally apply after holding the temporary permit on the same grounds for 3 years. Holders of work/study permits, and accompanying family of such holders, can apply after holding the temporary permit on essentially the same grounds for seven years.
If you have been granted a residence permit on the grounds of family reunification in order to live in 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 3 years.
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.
The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm which types of residence count towards the qualifying period.
The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm the absence and continuity rules for the qualifying period.
For a Faroe Islands permanent-residence application, the applicant must continue to meet the conditions of the current permit and, if aged 18 or over, must not have overdue public debts above DKK 97,436.38 (2026 level). Where the original residence permit was granted as a child and the parent is a foreign national, the parent must also have permanent residence. For work, study and accompanying-family cases, the page says the applicant is invited to an integration interview assessing Faroese language and integration; it does not present this as a universal family-reunification step. The applicant uses the form for the ground of the current permit and submits it to the Immigration Office by e-mail, post or in person; a work-based applicant uses the extension form and must clearly state that permanent residence is sought. The page gives a normal processing time of ten months and says an applicant who does not qualify can apply to extend the current permit.
You must still meet the requirements for your residence permit
You may not have overdue public debts above DKK 97,436.38 (2026 level) if you are above 18 years old
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.
Permanent residence permit on the grounds of work/study/accompanying family
As part of the application process, you will be invited to an interview at the Immigration Office, where your language skills and level of integration into the Faroese community will be assessed.
You can choose between several applications forms depending on the ground of your current residence permit.
If you are applying for a permanent residence permit based on work in the Faroe Islands, you must use the same application form as for an extension.
Please remember to clearly state in the application that you are applying for a permanent residence permit
By e-mail
By post
In person
Normal processing time 10 months
If you do not qualify for permanent residence, you can apply for an extension of your current permit.
These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.
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Not legal advice. No eligibility verdict or ranking. Check the linked sources before applying.