Sickness benefit in The Faroe Islands

You are entitled to sickness benefit in the Faroe Islands if you are aged between 16 and 70 and are unable to work due to illness or occupational injury. You may also be entitled to sickness benefit in the case of the serious illness of your child or spouse.

What conditions do you have to meet in order to be entitled to sickness benefit in the Faroe Islands?

It is a condition that you have permanent residence in the Faroe Islands and are taxable there. There are no rules for how long you must have lived in the Faroe Islands, but as a general rule, you must have been in work for at least 120 hours in the 13 weeks prior to your absence from work due to illness.

To be entitled to sickness benefit, you must not be entitled to receive wages or other benefits in connection with your illness. 

If you are unemployed, your unemployment benefit will be used as the basis for calculation of sickness benefit.

Special rules apply to persons who are self-employed. If you are self-employed and employ other people, you are not entitled to sickness benefit under the ordinary rules, but you can take out health insurance for self-employed persons.

You can learn more about the special insurance scheme for self-employed persons by contacting the Faroe Islands Social Services, Almannaverkið.

Basis for calculation

Your average income over the five weeks prior to your absence due to illness provides the basis for calculating sickness benefit. 

You can see the weekly rates at  the Almannaverkið website (in Faroese). 

How many days of sickness benefit are you entitled to?

You can receive sickness benefit for up to 40 weeks in a twelve-month period. In the case of occupational injury you can receive sickness benefit for up to two years.

How do I apply for sickness benefit?

Sickness benefit on the Faroe Islands is administered by Almannaverkið (Faroe Islands Social Services). You must send an application for sickness benefit together with a medical certificate to Almannaverkið. The application form is available on the Almannaverkið website at av.fo (in Faroese).

Maintenance allowance in connection with illness

If you are not entitled to sickness benefit in connection with illness, you may be entitled to maintenance allowance. In order to receive this, you must not have other options to support yourself and your family. 

You can obtain more information on sickness benefit and maintenance allowance by contacting Almannaverkið.