Guide: Moving to the Faroe Islands

If you are a citizen of a Nordic country, you can freely travel to the Faroe Islands to live and work. You do not need a visa, a residence permit or a work permit.

Furniture and household effects brought into the Faroe Islands in connection with relocation, and which are less than six months old, are subject to duty. It is illegal to bring tobacco, spirits or foodstuffs into the country as items moved in connection with a relocation.

There are restrictions on the amounts of duty-free spirits, cigarettes, perfume, etc., you can bring with you on entry to the Faroe Islands. You can find more detailed information on the TAKS website.

If you move to the Faroe Islands from a Nordic country and plan to stay in the Faroe Islands for longer than six months, you must notify the municipality to which you move within five days of arrival.

Please note that in some countries, you also have to report the move to the National Register of the country from which you are moving.

Samleikin is the log-in service for citizens and residents to obtain access to digital self-service solutions in the Faroe Islands. You can order Samleikin on the www.samleikin.fo website, or by contacting the Samleikin Service Desk in Torshavn in person. 

You should contact the postal service in the country from which you are moving to hear more about your options for your post to be forwarded to your new address in the Faroe Islands.

There are various forms of housing in the Faroe Islands: private rental housing, public rental housing, student housing, temporary housing through the workplace, and the possibility of house purchase. There are certain restrictions on who has the right to own property in the Faroe Islands.

If you move to the Faroe Islands, your car must as a general rule be registered within 14 days after the move. Within the same 14-day period, the car must be inspected and approved by the Faroese road vehicle inspection authority, Akstovan.

If you have a driving licence issued in an EU country, Norway or Iceland, you can use it in the Faroe Islands.

A Faroese bank account is necessary for you to be able to receive a salary and pay tax.

You can contact TAKS for more information in your specific case.

The country in which you are covered by social insurance has a bearing on which country’s rules will apply to your pension, unemployment insurance, sickness benefit, family allowance, maternity leave and more. As a general rule, you are covered by social insurance in the country in which you work. If you are unemployed, you are as a general rule covered by social insurance in the country in which you live. However, there are many special situations, so if you are in doubt, you should contact the authorities in the country in which you live, work or study.

If you are a Danish citizen or are covered by the legislation of a Nordic country, you can generally take your pension with you if you relocate to another Nordic country. You cannot take your Faroese pension with you to Denmark or Greenland. Instead, you should apply for a Danish or Greenlandic pension.

If you move from another Nordic country to the Faroe Islands, the period during which you have paid in to an unemployment insurance fund may be transferred to the Faroese unemployment insurance. Contact your unemployment insurance fund for more information.

All persons resident in the Faroe Islands have the right to healthcare services, in accordance with the applicable Health Insurance Act. Persons over the age of 18 who are covered by the legislation pay a certain amount of their taxable income to the Faroese public health insurance scheme, Heilsutrygd.

It is not permitted to bring pets on holiday trips or temporary stays in the Faroe Islands, including dogs and cats. You can only bring pets to the Faroe Islands if you live in the Faroe Islands, or if you move to the Faroe Islands.

If you are 18 years of age or over, and you are a Danish citizen and registered with the national register of the Faroe Islands, you have the right to vote in elections to the Faroese Representative Council, Lagtinget.