Denmark Updates Requirements for Residence Permits for Family Members

Effective September 2, 2023, applications for residence permits for accompanying family members must be supported by documentary evidence that the sponsor in the Faroe Islands is able to support them.

However, this rule does not apply if the person has residence under the Sports Agreement.

  • All first-time applications submitted on or after September 2, 2023, are subject to the changes. The permit will state whether it is a condition for the residence permit that the sponsor can support the accompanying family member. The requirement for support will in these instances also apply to applications for an extension of a residence permit.
  • For applications for a residence permit or for an extension of a residence permit submitted before September 2, 2023, the requirement for support does not apply.
  • For applications for an extension of a residence permit granted before September 2, 2023, the requirement for support does not apply.

The applicant must submit the sponsor’s current employment contract in the Faroe Islands and, if they have already started work in the Faroe Islands, their pay checks for the last three months.

The documents must show that the sponsor has:

  • 34,716.12 kr. in gross income each month, for a spouse or a cohabiting partner.
  • 39,797.37 kr. in gross income each month, for a spouse or a cohabiting partner and for a child under the age of 18 that is also traveling to the Faroe Islands, as an accompanying family member. 1,248.25 kr. is added for each additional child, for a maximum of 4 children.
  • 28,317.70 kr. In gross income each month, for a child under the age of 18. 3,186.58 kr. is added for each additional child, for a maximum of 4 children.

The fixed amount applies for all of 2023. The amounts are partially regulated by the development of wages in Føroya Arbeiðarafelago’s (the labour union of the Faroe Islands’) collective agreement for unskilled workers, and partially by the government’s regulation percentage annually, on January 1, which is fixed according to Løgtingslóg um javningarprosent til almannaveitingar (the Lagting law on the regulation rate for social benefits.

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