Intern in the Faroe Islands
You have been offered a job as an intern in the Faroe Islands.
Questions and answers
Who can be granted a residence permit as an intern?
You can be granted a residence permit as an intern in the Faroe Islands if you meet two conditions:
- You are enrolled in an educational programme in your home country or in a country in where you have been a legal resident, and
- there are specific educational reasons for your internship in the Faroe Islands.
What are the conditions?
You must meet these conditions
You must be at least 18 years old but cannot have turned 35 at the time of application.
The internship has to supplement the educational programme you have started or completed in your home country or in the country where you have been a legal resident. The purpose of the internship cannot be to supplement a Faroese educational programme.
You have to provide documentation of your enrollment into your educational programme with a list of the courses you have completed. An authorised translation of the list must be submitted along with your application. The internship must have substantiel coherence with your educational programme.
If you have completed your education, then this must have happened recently. If you have completed your education more than 18 months ago we will estimate whether there still is coherence between your completed education, your career direction and the proposed internship. Our estimation will include information about your post-educational employment.
If your internship is without pay, you have to provide documentation of your ability to support yourself during the full period of your internship.
You must have an amount at your disposal corresponding to DKK 6.090 (2018 level) a month for each month you will be staying in the Faroe Islands.
Documentation can, for example, be a bank statement or a copy of a scholarship certificate. It is very important that the documentation is in your name. You will not meet the requirement if someone else supports you.
Read more about the self-support requirement here.
Your place of internship must meet these conditions
Your internship host company must be qualified to receive and train interns. If official internship host approvals are not issued within the field in question, your place of internship must submit a description of the course of the internship.
In addition, your host must state who will be supervising you during the internship and state whether the company has experience taking on interns or trainees. As a supplement, the Immigration Office can obtain information from relevant professional organizations.
Your place of internship must submit a description of your tasks and a training programme along with the application.
If your internship is paid, then salary and other terms of employment must correspond to relevant collective agreements for interns.
What are my rights if I am granted a permit?
What are you allowed to do with a residence permit as an intern in the Faroe Islands? – and what are you not allowed to do?
Residence
A residence and work permit allows you to stay in the Faroe Islands for the period of time your permit is valid.
If you are a citizen from a country outside the EU/EEA, the residence permit does not give you the right to reside in the Schengen area.
If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, you can apply for dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing. Please note that dispensation is only given under special circumstances e.g. if a close family member is seriously ill.
Work
You can only work in the position and in the place of internship that you have been granted a permit to work in.
If you are offered a new internship, you must apply for a new permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position in the same workplace.
Public benefits
You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. You are not allowed to receive public benefits for self-support.
If you receive such 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 an intern in the Faroe Islands, you can be granted a residence and work permit valid for up to 12 months with the possibility of an additional 6 months extension.
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.
What should I do if I lose my internship or change my job?
If you are granted a permit as an intern, your residence permit is linked to the specific internship on the Faroe Islands. Your internship is the basis for your permit.
If you lose your internship or change to a new, you must always inform the Immigration Office.
Your work permit is limited to the internship that your permit is based on. You may not work in other positions than the one stated in your permit. This also applies if you are offered a new position at the same workplace.
If you change your internship or job
If you find a new internship or are offered a job while doing your internship, you must submit a new application for a residence and work permit with information regarding the new internship or job. You are not allowed to begin working before you have received a new permit.
Can my family be granted a residence permit?
You are not allowed to bring your family with you to the Faroe Islands with a residence permit as an intern.
Application form
How to fill in the application form
You can find the relevant application form (AR1) below. The application form includes information on how to complete and submit the application form.
Download the application form here:
Download a printable form (AR1) (Word format)
Download a printable form (AR1) (PDF format)
Your employer has to complete the second part of the application.
You can complete the printable application forms on screen to a certain extent before printing. Please note that signatures on the application forms must be written by hand.
If the Immigration Office needs more information during the case process, we will contact you or your employer.
Required documents
Required documents:
You must submit:
- Copy of all pages of your passport – including all empty pages and the passport’s front and back cover.
- Official approval of the internship host company or, if approval is not issued, the internship host companys description of course programme, supervision and their internship experience.
- Copy of signed employment contract (unless if you are an unpaid intern).
- Documentation of educational background including a list of subjects.
- Documentation of relevant work experience.
- Place of internships despription of internship tasks and plan of education.
- Documentation of that you can support yourself (only if your internship is unpaid).
Language
If you submit documents written other languages than Faroese, English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish, you must also submit certified translations into Danish or English.
Submit the application
Submit the application
It is important that you have carefully read the conditions for being granted a residence permit before you apply and it is vital to the processing of your application that you include the correct documents.
How to submit the application
Normally, you must have obtained a residence permit before entering the Faroe Islands. If you submit your application after entering the Faroe Islands, the Immigration Office may reject your application. This means that you will have to return to your country of origin or residence and submit a new application.
You can submit your application at a Danish embassy or consulate general in your country of origin. When you have completed and submitted your application, it will be forwarded to the Faroese Immigration Office for processing.
If you have resided permanently in another country for longer than three months, you can also submit your application at a Danish embassy or consulate general in that country. If there is no Danish embassy or consulate general in your country of origin or residence, you may submit your application in another country. You can find additional information about Danish embassies and consulates on the website of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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.
Submitting directly to the Faroese Immigration Office:
You can submit your application directly to the Immigration Office by e-mail. Send a completed and signed application along with all relevant documents to the following address: info@utlendingastovan.fo.
You can also submit your application to the Faroese Immigration Office by letter. Send the completed application to the following address:
Útlendingastovan
Skálatrøð 20
Postrúm 264
FO-110 Tórshavn
Please ensure that all required documents are included.
The Immigration Office will contact you or your employer if further information is required in regards to the processing of the application
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. If you have legal residence in the Faroe Islands, you will be contacted either by letter sent to the address stated in your application or asked to appear at the Immigration Office with your passport to collect your decision.