Greenland Visa Policy

Greenland is a part of the Kingdom of Denmark as an autonomous country.

Greenland is not part of the EU or Schengen Area, but some facilitated regulations are applied to these countries’ citizens. Generally, passports and visas of citizens arrived from all over the world will be checked except:

• Danish citizens who travel to Greenland from Denmark
• Nordic Passport Union countries’ (Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland) citizens who travel to Greenland from Nordic countries
• Schengen countries’ citizens who travel to Greenland from a Schengen country

The above-mentioned citizens can also enter Greenland with their National ID card or in some cases any photo identification (without their passport), but in any case, they have to prove their citizenship. Visa-exempted nationals can stay in Greenland for up to 90 days without a visa.

As Greenland is not a member of the Schengen Agreement (Schengen Area), visas and permits valid for Schengen countries don’t allow you to enter Greenland directly. If you are required to obtain a visa to travel to Denmark, it means you are also required to obtain a visa to travel to Greenland. You cannot enter Greenland with an ordinary Denmark (Schengen) visa. You are required to obtain a separate visa to Greenland from Danish diplomatic missions (embassies/consulates). A special wording – “Valid for Greenland” must be indicated on the visa. On the other hand, you cannot travel to Denmark nor other Schengen countries with a visa valid for Greenland only either.

So basically, if you are not a visa-exempted national for Denmark, you have to obtain two different types of visa in order to visit Greenland – one for Denmark (Schengen visa), and another one for Greenland (a visa that is “valid for Greenland”). You can check Denmark Visa Policy and visa requirements for exact information.

People who have a residence permit to Denmark or other Schengen countries don’t have an automatic right to travel to Greenland either, they also have to obtain a special permit to travel to Greenland.

Freedom of movement policy between Schengen countries is not valid in Greenland, as it is not an official part of the Schengen Agreement. If anyone (visa-exempted nationals included) wants to stay in Greenland for more than 90 days for some reasons (such as research, work, study, etc.), he/she must obtain a special permit within Greenland.

Travelers who want to visit and explore some specific places like glaciers, mountains, and also national parks need to obtain a special permit from the Ministry of Nature, Environment, and Justice. Tour operators will arrange that permit on behalf of you if you traveling with a group.