VisaFaroe Islands family applications follow different routes for workers and settled residents
The Immigration Office distinguishes accompanying families from family reunification. The sponsor’s status determines which route to check and which processing estimate is relevant.
Official source date: 2026-11-02
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Check whether the sponsor is temporary or settled
The Faroese Immigration Office’s current guidance distinguishes accompanying family members from applicants for family reunification. A worker living temporarily in the Faroe Islands is not the same kind of sponsor as a person living there permanently. This distinction matters before relatives choose a form, compare processing times or plan a move. This article explains the current routes; it does not announce a new family visa on 2 November 2026.
The official Frequently Asked Questions page identifies accompanying family as the spouse, cohabiting partner or child of a temporary work-permit holder. For family reunification, it describes a sponsor living permanently in the islands. A sponsor who is neither Faroese, a Nordic citizen nor a refugee must have held permanent residence for more than three years. Nordic citizens themselves do not require a permit to move. Use that resource to identify the sponsor’s category first.
Prepare the family application with the current form
The application-forms directory links SF1 for accompanying family members, for both first applications and extensions. The linked September 2026 form covers spouses, cohabitants and children under eighteen accompanying a person who holds, or has applied for, residence and work permission based on work or studies. An adult child should not assume that this particular form establishes eligibility.
SF1 asks for copies of all passport pages, including blank pages and covers. A spouse or partner making a first application needs a marriage certificate or evidence of cohabitation. For children, the checklist includes a photograph and birth or baptism certificate naming the parents. Where only one parent is moving, custody documentation and the other parent’s consent are required. Documents not in Danish or English need authorised translation. For an employed sponsor, prepare the employment contract or job offer and, if already working, payslips. Read the checklist before ordering translations so the correct family relationship and documents are covered.
Confirm the financial support test for the household
The Immigration Office introduced a support requirement for first-time accompanying-family applications submitted from 2 September 2023. Its published notice says the worker must demonstrate sufficient income to support the family. It expressly excludes permits granted under the Sports Agreement from that rule. This is an existing requirement, not a newly announced November measure.
The notice does not state a current numerical income threshold. Ask the Immigration Office to confirm the applicable amount for the proposed household before treating a salary offer as sufficient. The contract and payslips requested by SF1 document employment; their availability alone does not establish that the required income level has been met. Request current fee and payment information at the same time, rather than borrowing a Danish permit charge.
Allow for the estimate for the correct case type
The office’s processing-times table lists three months for accompanying family members and seven months for family reunification. These are different categories, so a family should not select the shorter estimate simply because both involve relatives. The processing period runs from submission.
The office describes its maximum times as expectations intended to be met in ninety percent of completed cases under normal circumstances. Additional evidence, specialist assessment or unusually high application volumes can extend the wait. The table helps plan a realistic sequence for the move; it is not a guaranteed approval date or permission to enter while waiting. Keep the application reference and respond promptly if the office requests further information.
Use the correct place for an in-person submission
A notice dated 10 January 2025 explains that, from 1 January 2025, applications for residence and work permits could generally no longer be lodged in person at police stations. The exception is the police station in Suðuroy. Otherwise, in-person submissions within the islands go to the Immigration Office in Tórshavn.
This notice applies to submissions made in the Faroe Islands; it does not replace the overseas filing instructions in the relevant form. It also says re-entry applications remain with the police in Tórshavn. Use the procedure notice before travelling to a counter, and confirm the appropriate appointment and filing route with the office if a form’s generic police instructions appear broader.
