Basic and youth study in the Faroe Islands
You are going to study in the Faroe Islands in a basic or youth study programme.
Questions and Answers
Who can apply for a residence permit?
If you are admitted to a basic or youth study programme in the Faroe Islands, you can be granted a permit to stay and study in the Faroe Islands.
Also if you are a citizen from a EU/EEA country and have been admitted to a basic and youth study programme in the Faroe Islands, you must apply for a residence permit.
Citizens of Nordic countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland) do not need visa or permit to reside and work in the Faroe Islands.
What are the conditions?
You must be admitted to the study programme
It is a requirement that you have been admitted to an approved basic or youth programme or to an approved educational institution in the Faroe Islands.
You must be able to support yourself
You must have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in the Faroe Islands.
You have sufficient funds, if your disposable amount corresponds to DKK 50,000. If you are applying for a residence permit for less than a year, you must have a disposable amount equivalent to DKK 4,200 a month for the number of months you are studying in the Faroe Islands.
As a student on a basic and youth study programme you must always document self-support. If you are going to be a pupil at Folk High School, you do not need to document self-support.
You must have certain language proficiencies
You must be able to speak and understand the language of instruction. You must be able to understand either Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German with a reasonable level of proficiency.
Your educational institution and educational programme must be approved
The educational programme must be approved by a Faroese authority.
If the educational programme has not itself been approved, but the educational institution has been approved, then a valid statement from the Faroese authorities of the education's content must be attached.
Specific for high school programmes
You can only be granted a residence permit to follow 1 year of a high school programme if you meet one of the following three conditions:
- The stay is arranged by a student exchange organisation,
- you have started your high school programme in your home country and want to do 1 year of your education in the Faroe Islands, or
- you wish to start your high school programme in the Faroe Islands, and you are able to provide documentation showing that you will continue the programme in your home country.
Specific to trade school programmes
You cannot be granted a residence permit in order to follow a basic programme at a trade school.
However, you can be granted a permit in the special case where the educational stay is part of an international collaboration or exchange agreement.
If you are younger than 18 years old
If you have not yet turned 18, both of your parents must sign a declaration of consent to allow you to study in the Faroe Islands.
You must provide documentation of who your custody holders are, e.g. by submitting a copy of your birth certificate.
The school must declare that it ensures that you will have appropriate residence and study conditions in the Faroe Islands.
What are my rights, if I am granted a permit?
What are you allowed to do with a residence and work permit as a student in the Faroe Islands? – and what are you not allowed to do?
Residence and study
A residence permit allows you to reside and study in the Faroe Islands for the period of time your permit is valid.
A residence permit does not give you the right to reside in the Schengen area.
If you have been living legally in the Faroe Islands for less than two years, you can reside outside of the Faroe Islands up to 6 months.
If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.
Work
As a rule, you must not work in the Faroe Islands as a student at a basic or youth study programme.
If you work without a permit, it is regarded as illegal work. If you work illegally you can receive a fine or be imprisoned and your residence permit as a student can be revoked.
In special cases, if you apply, you can be granted a work permit - for example for getting vocational experience as a part of a basic study programme.
Public benefits
You must be able to support yourself during your stay. You are not allowed to receive public benefits.
If you receive public benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in the Faroe Islands.
How long can I stay in the Faroe Islands?
As a student at a basic or youth study programme, you can be granted a residence permit valid for no more than 1 year.
You cannot be granted a permit to complete a full high school programme.
Shorter validity because your passport expires
A residence permit can only be valid until 3 months before the expiry date of your passport.
If your passport has a shorter validity than the otherwise possible period of stay, your residence permit will be shortened. This means that the validity of your residence permit will be shorter than it could be. When you have renewed your passport, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit.
Can my family be granted a residence permit?
A residence permit as a student at a basic or youth study programme does not allow your family to come to the Faroe Islands with you.
What more do I need to know before I apply?
Application for a residence permit is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).
Generally, the residence permit has to be attainted before an entry to the Faroe Islands.
You can apply by going to the tab ’How to apply’ on the right. There you will also have access to the relevant application form, ST1.
There is no fee for application.
Your educational institution must fill in the second part of the application.
SIRI will contact you if we need further information to process your case.
How to apply
1. Gather documentation
It is a good idea to gather the necessary documents before you begin to complete the application form. You can use the check list below.
If you submit documents not written in English, German, Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, you must also submit certified translations into Danish or English.
You must submit
- Copy of all pages of your passport – including all empty pages and the passport’s front and back cover.
- Documentation that you can support yourself during your stay in Denmark.
If you are going to study in a high school programme, you must also submit
- Documentation from your school that you have started a high school programme in your home country and will finish the programme in the Faroe Islands, or
- documentation that you will continue your high school programme in your home country (not applicable if your stay has been arranged by an exchange organisation).
If you are below the age of 18, you must also submit
- Declaration from your parents stating your are allowed to study in the Faroe Islands. The declaration must be signed by both your parents.
- Copy of your birth certificate.
2. Begin application
2 persons You and your educational institution are each required to complete a part of the form
In this step you and your educational institution have access to the relevant application form, ST1.
Make sure you have read the instructions on the tab ‘Need to know’ and gathered documentation according to step 1 before you begin.
All our application forms contain careful instructions on how to complete the form and what kind of documents you must submit along with the form.
In the application form ST1 your educational institution must complete part 2 of the form. When your educational institution has completed their part, you must complete your part. Once parts 1 and 2 have been completed, they must be submitted together – read more in the next step.
You must submit the necessary documents with the application.
The printable application form in Word format can be completed on screen before you print. The application form in PDF format must be printed first and then completed by hand.
Download the printable form AR1 (Word format)
Download the printable form AR1 (PDF format)
3. Submit the application
You are submitting the application abroad
The application can be submitted to a Danish diplomatic mission or an application centre in the country where you are residing.
In certain countries Denmark does not have a diplomatic mission or application centre. In these instances the list will refer you to one of the Norwegian missions with which Denmark has made an agreement or to the nearest Danish diplomatic mission or application centre in the region.
If you submit the application at a Norwegian mission, you must at the same time submit two facial images.
We recommend that you visit the local diplomatic mission’s webpage to get more information before you submit the application. The individual diplomatic mission can have additional requirements regarding payment of additional fees, submission of additional passport photos or additional copies of the application.
You are submitting the application in Denmark
If you are residing legally in Denmark, you are normally able to submit the application in Denmark. This is the case, if you:
- hold a valid visa
- are exempt from the visa requirement or
- already hold a valid residence permit.
Read more about the legal residence requirement and submission of your application in Denmark
You can submit the application in one of SIRI's branch offices
You can also send the application to SIRI.
You are submitting the application in the Faroe Islands
Generally, you cannot submit the application in the Faroe Islands, except if you have a preceding residence permit.
Only if very special reasons support it, and you have entered the Faroe Islands legally, a first time application can be submitted to the police in the Faroe Islands.
4. Receive an answer
You can see the normal case processing time to the right on this page.
When we make a decision in your case, you will receive an answer via the Danish diplomatic representation closest to you or, if you have legal Danish residence via e-boks.
If you have legal residence on the Faroe Islands you will be responded by letter to the address you informed us in your application. If you have applied directly to SIRI you will be contacted by faroese police in order to be identified and handed over the decision.
SIRI will contact you or a relevant third party if we need further information to process your case.