Doing Business in Greenland - Book - Page 6
and is on a business trip in
Greenland, or a fitter/consultant
hired to install, inspect or repair
machines (the so-called “fitter
rule”).
A special exemption rule applies to
foreign nationals carrying out
activities pursuant to the Mineral
Resources Act. They are also
exempted from the requirement for
a work- and residence permit, if
their stay in Greenland does not
exceed 3 months subject to certain
conditions.
4 Use of
foreign labour
Greenland and Denmark are two distinct travel areas. This means
that a residence- and work permit in Denmark does not give you the
right to stay in Greenland and vice versa. Also, the visa requirements
are separate as Greenland is not part of the Schengen area.
4.1 Permit to stay and work in
Greenland
4.1.1 Who needs a residence- and
work permit?
Foreign nationals must obtain a
work- and residence permit to
Greenland from the Danish Agency
for International Recruitment and
Integration (SIRI) in order to live
and work in Greenland.
A residence- and work permit is
valid one year from the date it is
granted to the applicant. Your
labour must be in demand (see
below) and your salary and terms
of employment must correspond to
Greenlandic standards.
Since Greenland is not a member of
the EU, the rules and regulation
covering free movement of persons
and services within the EU do not
apply in Greenland, i.e. EU citizens
must obtain a permit.
Nordic citizens, meaning citizens
from Denmark, Iceland, The Faroe
Islands, Sweden, Norway, and
Finland is exempted and are free to
enter, live and work in Greenland.
General exemption rules also mean
that you can stay and work in
Greenland, if your stay is shorter
than 3 months – e.g. you are a
representative
of
a
foreign
company (not having a branch
office in Greenland)
4.1.2 Getting a permit – fasttrack scheme
The processing time of an
application for a residence- and
work permit is normally approx. 3
months. However, a fast-track
scheme has been introduced in
Greenland
providing
for
a
processing time of an application
being reduced to approx. 30 days.
The fast-track scheme applies upon
application at company level and
may be used by companies
registered in Greenland only. The
approval for fast-track is specific
for a job position, which means that
for each different job position an
application must be sent.