Basic and Youth study in Greenland

You are going to study in Greenland in a basic or youth study programme. 

Normal processing time
3 months

Processing fee
No fee

Who can apply for a residence permit?

If you are admitted to a basic or youth study programme in Greenland, you can be granted a permit to stay and study in Greenland.

Also, if you are a citizen from a EU/EEA country and have been admitted to a basic and youth study programme in Greenland, you must apply for a residence permit.

The Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Intergration (SIRI) manages applications for residence in these cases.

What are the conditions?

It is a requirement that you have been admitted to an approved educational institution in Greenland.

You must have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in Greenland.

You have sufficient funds, if your disposable amount corresponds to DKK 50,000. If you are applying for a residence permit for less than a year, you must have a disposable amount equivalent to DKK 4,200 a month for the number of months you are studying in Greenland. 

As a student on a basic and youth study programme you must always document self-support. If you are going to be a pupil at Folk High School, you do not need to document self-support. 

You must be able to speak and understand the language of instruction. You must be able to understand either Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, English or German with a reasonable level of proficiency.

The educational programme must be approved by the Government of Greenland. 

If the educational programme has not itself been approved, but the educational institution has been approved, then a valid statement from the Government of Greenland of the education's content must be attached. 

You can only be granted a residence permit to follow 1 year of a high school programme if you meet one of the following three conditions:

  • The stay must be arranged by a student exchange organisation,
  • you have started your high school programme in your home country and want to do 1 year of your education in Greenland, or
  • you wish to start your high school programme in Greenland, and you are able to provide documentation showing that you will continue the programme in your home country.

You cannot be granted a residence permit in order to follow a basic programme at a trade school.

However, you can be granted a permit in the special case where the educational stay is part of an international collaboration or exchange agreement.

If you have not yet turned 18, both of your parents must sign a declaration of consent to allow you to study in Greenland.

You must provide documentation of who your custody holders are, e.g. by submitting a copy of your birth certificate.

The school must declare that it will ensure that you will have appropriate residence and study conditions in Greenland.

What are my rights, if I am granted a permit?

What are you allowed to do with a residence and work permit as a student in Greenland? – and what are you not allowed to do?

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

A residence permit does not give you the right to reside in the Schengen area. 

If you have been living legally in Greenland for less than two years, you can reside outside of Greenland up to 6 months. 

If you need to stay abroad for a longer period of time, you can apply for a dispensation to prevent your permit from lapsing.

 

As a rule, you must not work in Greenland as a student at a basic or youth study programme. 

If you work without a permit, it is regarded as illegal work. If you work illegally you can receive a fine or be imprisoned and your residence permit as a student can be revoked. 

In special cases, if you apply, you can be granted a work permit - for example for getting vocational experience as a part of a basic study programme.

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

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

How long can I stay in Greenland?

As a student at a basic or youth study programme, you can be granted a residence permit valid for no more than 1 year.

You cannot be granted a permit to complete a full high school programme.

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.

Can my family be granted a residence permit?

A residence permit as a student at a basic or youth study programme does not allow your family to come to Greenland with you.

What more do I need to know before I apply?

Application for a residence permit is processed by the Danish Agency for International Recruitment and Integration (SIRI). 

Generally, the residence permit has to be attainted before an entry to Greenland.

You can apply by going to the tab ’How to apply’ on the right. There you will also have access to the relevant application form, ST1. There is no fee for application.

Your educational institution must fill in the second part of the application. 

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

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 begin 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.

You must submit

If you are going to study in a high school programme, you must also submit

If you are below the age of 18, you must also submit

Expect to use

30-40 minutes

per person to complete the application

2 persons

You and your educational institution are each required to complete a part of the form.

In this step you and your educational institution have access to the relevant application form, ST1.  

Make sure you have read the instructions on the tab ‘Need to know’ and gathered documentation according to step 1 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. 

 

In the application form ST1 your educational institution must complete part 2 of the form. When your educational institution has completed their part, you must complete your part. Once parts 1 and 2 have been completed, they must be submitted together – read more in the next step.

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 ST1 (Word format)

Download the printable form ST1 (PDF format)

You 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.

If you submit the application at a Norwegian mission, you must at the same time submit two facial images.

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 Greenland

If you are staying legally in Greenland, you are able to submit the application in Greenland. This is the case, if you:

  • have a valid visa
  • are exempt from the visa requirement or
  • already hold a valid residence permit in Greenland.

You can send the application directly to SIRI via our contact form, by attaching the application form and the relevant documents to the contact form.

You can find SIRI's contact form here

You can also submit the application in person:

  • either at SIRI's branch office in Nuuk, or
  • at the local Greenlandic police, if you are not staying in Nuuk.

You can see the address and the opening hours for SIRI's branch office in Nuuk here

Please contact the police in order to find out where in Greenland you can submit your application outside of Nuuk.

You are submitting the application in Denmark

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 application 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 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 possibly a third party if we need further information to process your case.

Your residence card will automatically be sent to the address that has been registered under your name in the Civil Registration System (CPR). It is important that your name is written on your mailbox. If your name is not written on your mailbox, there is a chance that the residence card will not be delivered to you, and that it will be sent back to SIRI instead.

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Last updated 12-11-2025 - Published by: SIRI