VisaFaroe Islands Fast Track requires employer approval before the worker applies
Current guidance separates Faroese employer certification from the worker’s permit and explains the newer in-person filing rule, which differs from older references to police submission.
Official source date: 2025-01-10
Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Employer approval comes before the individual work application
The Faroe Islands’ Fast Track route has two distinct decisions: approval of the employer and the foreign worker’s residence and work permit. The Immigration Office, Útlendingastovan, says the employer must already be approved before a worker applies through this scheme. This is current procedural guidance on an existing route, not an announcement of new November eligibility. A company’s intention to seek approval is therefore different from a valid approval already issued.
The official How Fast Track Works page says initial employer approval lasts one year. Where the employer seeks renewal before expiry, approval remains valid while the office considers that renewal. A worker and recruiter should establish which situation applies before selecting the expedited route. The same guidance identifies full-time employment, normally 40 hours weekly, with salary and terms corresponding to Faroese standards. It does not authorise the worker to start merely because an employer has approval: the individual must first receive residence and work permission.
Check the employer’s registration and employment practices
The Immigration Office’s employer-approval conditions page gives the company its practical checklist. The employer must be registered in the Faroe Islands, covered by a valid collective agreement on pay and employment terms, and registered with TAKS for the relevant tax reporting obligations. The company uses FO/FT to request approval or its extension. An employee’s AR5 application serves a different purpose and cannot replace this company-level process.
The conditions also address written employment documentation, payslips and payment of wages through the Faroese tax system into a Faroese salary account. Employers must inform staff of their rights under the applicable collective agreements. The page identifies barriers to approval, including immigration-law penalties and specified unresolved workplace or maritime-safety matters. These requirements make Fast Track an employer-compliance route, rather than simply a processing option that any firm can purchase. The reviewed pages do not establish an all-inclusive application charge; applicants should confirm any case-specific payment requirement with the office.
Use the correct form and the newer in-person filing instruction
The official application directory distinguishes AR5 for Fast Track from AR1 for ordinary third-country employment and AR8 or AR9 for the separate EU schemes. Family members accompanying a work-permit holder use SF1. Applicants should download the form for their actual route and follow its document instructions; a form used by a colleague with a different nationality or employer status may be inappropriate.
There is a material filing discrepancy to resolve before travelling to submit papers. The Fast Track overview still mentions submission to police or the Immigration Office during lawful stay. However, the office’s dated notice of 10 January 2025 says that, after 1 January 2025, in-person residence and work applications generally go to the Immigration Office in Tórshavn. The police station in Suðuroy remains an exception. Re-entry permits remain with police in Tórshavn. Use that specific filing notice rather than assuming every police station accepts a work application.
Allow for two decisions and complete registration after approval
The office’s processing-time table lists one month for Fast Track and one month for first-time employer approval. These are different case types, not proof that an uncertified employer and its recruit can complete both stages within a single month. The table explains that its normal maximum periods are goals expected in 90 percent of completed cases; requests for information, assessment of employment conditions and high application volumes can extend processing.
After permission is granted, the official frequently asked questions direct the resident to register with the municipality for a civil registration number, the p-tal. This number is needed for a bank account and wages through the Faroese tax system. The same resource warns existing work-permit holders to notify the office if they lose or change employment, and to obtain a new permit before starting a new job. Permission attached to one job should therefore be checked again before accepting a transfer.
