Accompanying family member in Greenland

You want to apply for a residence permit as an accompanying family member to a person who has been granted a residence permit in Greenland.

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
No fee

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Accompanying family member in Greenland

If you are a spouse, registered or cohabiting partner, or a child under the age of 18 of a person who has been granted a residence and work permit in Greenland, you can apply for residence permit as an accompanying family member.

Greenland and Denmark are two distinct travel areas. This means that a residence permit in Denmark does not give you the right to stay in Greenland.  Likewise, a residence permit in Greenland does not allow you to stay in Denmark.

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What are my rights if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a permit as an accompanying family member in Greenland? – and what are you not allowed to do?

As a holder of a permit as an accompanying family member, you are allowed to work during your stay in Greenland.

You must be able to support yourself and your family during your stay. You are not allowed to receive public benefits.

If you or your family members receive such benefits during your stay, your permit can be revoked – and you will lose the right to stay in Greenland. 

A residence permit allows you to stay in Greenland for the period of time your permit is valid. 

You must not give up your address in Greenland or stay abroad for a longer period of time. A violation will result in the lapse of your permit. This means that you will lose your right to stay in Greenland.

If you have been staying in Greenland legally for less than 2 years, you are allowed to stay outside of Greenland for 6 successive months. 

If you have been staying in Greenland legally for more than 2 years and you hold a residence permit that can be made permanent, or if you already hold a permanent residence permit, you are allowed to stay outside of Greenland for up to 12 months.

If you need to stay abroad for an extended period of time, e.g. if you are stationed abroad for a period of time by your employer, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

Stays in Denmark or the Faroe Islands are considered as time abroad.

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How long can I stay in Greenland?

You will normally be granted a permit valid for the same period as the family member who is in Greenland on the basis of work (the sponsor). However, the period cannot exceed 1 year. If your sponsor’s employment is extended and you want to continue to stay in Greenland, you can apply for an extension of your residence permit. Your permit can be extended with a maximum of 1 year at a time.

It is very important that you apply for extension before your permit expires.

If you apply for an extension in time, you are allowed to stay in Greenland even though your permit expires.

If you are an accompanying child, and you are granted your initial residence permit before you turn 18, you are able to extend your permit even though you turn 18 in the meantime. However, you must still be living together with the sponsor.

A residence permit can only be valid until 2 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 – however, this can only be done 2 months before your permit expires at the earliest. 

Read more about the passport requirements

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What more do I need to know before I apply?

An application for a residence permit as an accompanying family member in Greenland must generally be submitted to a Danish diplomatic mission or an application center receiving applications on behalf of the Danish diplomatic mission. In some countries, you can submit your application at a Norwegian diplomatic mission.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can hand in your application

It is important that you document your relation to the sponsor by providing a marriage certificate or documentation of cohabitation - or your birth certificate if you are an accompanying child.

You can find the relevant application form, GL2, on the “How to apply” tab to the right. 

SIRI will contact you or your sponsor if we need further information to process your case.

What do you want to print?

Below you will find a step-by-step guide to submitting an application to the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI).

It is important that you have carefully read the conditions for being granted a residence permit before you begin step 1. You can do this on the tab “Need to know” on the left.

It is a good idea to gather the necessary documents before you start 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.

If you are applying as a spouse, cohabitant or registered partner you must enclose:

If the applicant is a child under 18 years of age you must enclose:

Expect to use

30 minutes

completing the application

1 person

You complete the application form yourself.

In this step you have access to the relevant application form GL2.

Make sure that you have completed all the preceeding steps 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.

You can read more about how we process your personal data here.

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 GL2 (Word format)

Download the printable form GL2 (Pdf format)

You are 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.

See the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ list of diplomatic missions or application centres where you can hand in your application (opens in a new window)

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.

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 Danmark

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 applicaton in one of SIRI's branch offices

If you plan to submit you application in one of SIRI’s branch offices, you must remember to book an appointment

You are submitting the application in Greenland

A first time application can only be submitted to the police in Greenland on special grounds and if the applicant is staying legally in Greenland

However, as an accompanying family member to an applicant holding or applying for a residence permit after the Fast Track Greenland Agreement, you have the option of submiting your application in Greenland.

You can also send the application to SIRI.

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.

SIRI will contact you or your employer if we need further information to process your case.

Read more about what you can expect while you are waiting for an answer.

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Last updated 13-03-2024 - Published by: SIRI