Your residence permit on the grounds of family reunification can be extended, if you are:

• Spouse or cohabiting partner
• Child under the age of 18
• Parent over the age of 60
• Other family member or close acquaintances of a Faroese resident

Other rules apply if you have previously held Danish citizenship or are of Danish/Faroese descent.

Read more about extension on the grounds of strong attachment

A residence permit on the grounds of family reunification is granted with a view to permanent residence but it is temporary for the first few years. Normally, it is granted for one year at a time. As soon as your residence permit nears its expiry date, you may apply for a one-year extension.

If the residence permit was granted to a child who has been reunified with a parent holding a Faroese residence permit, the permit’s validity period will match the validity period of the parent’s residence permit. A child's residence permit can be extended until the child's 18th birthday. However, it cannot be extended beyond the expiry date of the parent's residence permit.

After having held a residence permit for three years with a view to permanent residence under section 9(1) and (2)(i) you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

Read more about permanent residence

A residence permit granted to a foreign national who has previously held Danish citizenship is granted with a view to permanent residence but is temporary for the first year.

After the first year, you can apply for a permanent residence permit.

A residence permit granted to a foreign national of Faroese/Danish descent (descended from Faroese/Danish parents/grandparents) is intended as a temporary residence permit. The initial permit is valid for one year and can be extended for a second year.

You can apply for a permanent residence permit after two years, if you meet certain requirements.

Read more about permanent residence

In order to be granted an extension, you must normally continue to meet the requirements of your original residence permit.

A residence permit on the grounds of family reunification is normally granted subject to specific conditions. For example, if you have been granted a residence permit on the grounds of marriage with a person residing in the Faroe Islands, you must live with that person.

The conditions for your residence permit are listed in the letter you received together with your original residence permit.

Important information about your passport

When you apply for an extension of your residence permit, make sure that your passport is valid. The Immigration Service can revoke or refuse to extend your temporary residence permit if you do not hold a valid passport or other travel documents. You will be asked to present your passport if you submit your application at a police station. If you send your application to the Immigration Service, you must send a copy of your passport.

Please note that your residence permit can only be extended up to three months before your passport expires. In other words, if your passport expires in 12 months, your residence permit can only be extended by nine months.

If you hold a national passport (i.e. a passport from your country of origin) it must be renewed by your country’s diplomatic mission (embassy or consulate general).

You must submit your application for an extension no sooner than two months before, and no later than one month before your residence permit expires.

Please note that it is your own responsibility to apply in time. If you apply too late you can be prosecuted by the police and/or fined. The Immigration Service may also choose to change your residence permit’s date of issue or view and process your application for a extension as an application for an entirely new residence permit.

The length of time you must wait before you can apply for permanent residence varies depending on the type of temporary residence permit you hold. You will also need to meet a number of additional requirements.

Read more about qualifying for a permanent residence

Fill in the application

You can apply for an extension by filling in and submitting an application form.

You can choose between 4 different application forms depending on the ground of your application. You can fill in the application form in Word format on your computer before printing it out. The application form is also available as a PDF file that can be printed out and filled in by hand.

Form you need to use, if you want to apply for extension on the grounds of family reunification for spouses

Download form FA3 (word)  Download form FA3 (pdf)

Form you need to use, if you want to apply for extension on the grounds of family reunification for children

Download form FA4 (word)  Download form FA4 (pdf)

Form you need to use, if you want to apply for extension on the grounds of family reunification for children who are now older than 18 years

Download form FA5 (word)  Download form FA5 (pdf)

Form you need to use if you want to apply for an extension for individuals who are the parents, aged 60 or older, of a current resident, have close family ties or another type of close relationship to a permanent resident of the Faroe Islands or have been granted a residence permit due to special circumstances

Download form SG4 (word)  Download form SG4 (pdf)

The forms can be obtained at a Faroese police station.

Submit the application

Applications for an extension of a residence permit should be submitted at a Greenlandic police station or to the Immigration Service.