Child support in the Faroe Islands
Both parents have a duty to support their child. If the parents of a child are not living together, for example due to divorce, the parent who is not living with the child may be obliged to pay child support to the parent who provides for the child.
What is child support?
Child support is a contribution paid by one parent to the other, if they do not live together. The starting point is that you, as parents, agree on the contribution.
Child support must be paid until the child is 18 years of age. If the child is over 18 and in full-time education, education contributions must in some cases be paid until the child is 24.
The parent who provides for the child is also entitled to request supplementary contributions from the other parent in connection with naming/baptism, confirmation or the like, and other special occasions. You can read more on the website of Familjufyrisitingin (the Family Law Administration).
If the parents do not agree on the amount of the contribution
The Family Law Administration can determine the size of the contribution if the parents cannot agree on this themselves. The Family Law Administration will only determine contributions if an application is made for them to do so.
The contribution is determined on the basis of fixed rates. The contribution consists of a basic amount, the ‘ordinary child allowance’ or ‘standard contribution’. The standard contribution is adjusted each year on 1 January.
If the parent who pays the contribution to the other parent has a high income, the size of the contribution may be increased. The Family Law Administration (Familjufyrisitingin) will calculate the increased contribution on the basis of the contributor's gross income and the number of children the contributor has to support.
If the contributor does not pay on time
If the contribution is not paid on time, you can in certain situations ask Almannaverkið (Faroe Islands Social Services) for an advance payment of child support.
The contribution must have been set by the Family Law Administration in order for Almannaverkið to pay the contribution in advance. Almannaverkið cannot pay the contribution in advance if there is a private agreement between the parents on the contributions.
If you wish Almannaverkið to assist in getting a contribution paid in advance or recovered, you can contact Almannaverkið via the application form at www.av.fo. You must include the contribution decision of the Family Law Administration, or a copy of any private agreement you have made concerning the contributions.
If the parents live in different countries
If the provider and the recipient of the support live in different Nordic countries, the application for child support must be sent to the authority in the country where the provider lives. If the recipient of the support lives in the Faroe Islands and the provider lives in Denmark, the application for child support must be sent to the Agency of Family Law in Denmark.
If one of the parents moves to another Nordic country
It has no bearing on the child support if the recipient of the support or the provider of the support moves to another country.
If a child support contribution has already been determined, it can be recovered in the Faroe Islands if the support provider lives there.
If no contribution has yet been determined, the Family Law Administration in the Faroe Islands may determine the amount on the basis of the provider’s income. This applies irrespective of whether it is the provider or the recipient of the contribution who is resident in the Faroe Islands.
The taxation rules in the country where the support provider lives may influence the amount of the contribution. Contributions made to a child resident in the Faroe Islands cannot be set lower than the standard contribution.
If you have any questions about this, you can contact the Family Law Administration (Familjufyrisitingin).
Financial assistance for child support
If you are obliged to pay child support, you can apply for financial assistance for child maintenance. Financial support can only be granted in cases where the child support paid is higher than the standard contribution. No assistance is therefore granted where a standard contribution is paid for one child.
The financial assistance amounts to 40% of the total amount you are obliged to pay in child support that exceeds the standard contribution for one child.
Applications for financial assistance for child maintenance must be sent to Almannaverkið by 1 July for child support paid in the previous year.
Please fill in our contact form if you have any questions or if you have encountered an obstacle in another Nordic country.
NB! If you have questions regarding the processing of a specific case or application, or other personal matters, please contact the relevant authority directly.
