Car in Greenland

If you wish to use a car in Greenland, please note that you cannot drive between the towns. Due to the long distances, interrupted by mountains and fjords, it has never been possible to create a road network linking all or part of the country.

If you still wish to use a vehicle, there are several options. In the larger towns there are car mechanics who also sell vehicles, and private trade of used cars mostly takes place on Facebook’s buy-and-sell pages.

If you are not satisfied with the local selection, it is also possible to buy a vehicle abroad and import it.

If you buy a vehicle outside Greenland and need to bring it into the country, you must pay import tax. The fee can be paid as soon as the vehicle is delivered to the port of Aalborg, but must be paid within two weeks after it has arrived in Greenland.

If you wish to import a vehicle as a private person, you must adhere to the payment conditions of the shipping companies and freight forwarders. Businesspersons have different conditions for payment.

If you have bought spare parts to be sent with the vehicle, please note that these are also subject to import duty.

The type of import tax depends on the vehicle. In the case of cars or vans weighing less than 4 tons, the tax is calculated on the basis of the price of the vehicle.

Some vehicles are also exempt from import tax.

If you have a vehicle in Greenland, it must also be registered with the Greenland Police.

When you go to have the vehicle registered, you must bring the following:

• Insurance certificate
• The vehicle
• Receipt for paid motor tax
• Registration form, completed and signed

The registration number must also be clearly visible when the vehicle is presented to the police.

Motor tax corresponds to road tax, and is a tax that all vehicle owners, both private and commercial, are obliged to pay.

Payment is made twice yearly, and the amount is determined by the weight of your vehicle.

The Tax Agency is responsible for collecting the motor tax.

In the towns, in addition to cars, it is possible to drive ATVs (quad bikes) or snowmobiles during certain periods of the year. ATVs are particularly used in the villages and smaller settlements such as sheep farms, while snowmobiles offer almost unlimited opportunities to travel in the mountains during the winter months.

As with cars, you are obliged to register an ATV or snowmobile with the police.

However, there is no import tax on these two vehicle types. The import tax on ATVs was repealed in 2019, while the tax on snowmobiles was repealed as of 1/1 2021.

The rules and legislation for driving ATVs are currently similar to those for cars and tractors, i.e. you must be at least 18 years of age and have a valid driving licence.

No driving licence is required for a snowmobile, but you must be at least 18 years of age and all passengers, including the driver, must wear a helmet.

You should also be aware that each municipality has bylaws for snowmobiles, including regarding areas where driving them is not allowed, and that hunting on snowmobiles is not permitted.

If you will be driving on Greenland's roads, you must of course be aware of the applicable traffic regulations, which in some cases differ from those of other Nordic countries.

Not only do you have to watch out for other drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, but in some parts of the country you may also have to watch out for snowmobiles and dog sleds.

In addition, Greenland does not have pavements on all roads, and where there are pavements, they are often combined with cycle paths, so that cyclists do not have to use the roads.