Expat insurance and health insurance in Greenland

Greenland's health system is public and falls under the self-governing government (Naalakkersuisut). It is organised into five health regions: Avannaa (Ilulissat, Uummannaq, Upernavik, Qaanaaq), Disko (Aasiaat, Qeqertarsuaq, Qasigiannguit, Kangaatsiaq), Qeqqa (Sisimiut, Maniitsoq), Kujataa (Qaqortoq, Narsaq, Nanortalik) and Sermersooq (Nuuk, Paamiut, Tasiilaq, Ittoqqortoormiit). According to the Peqqik portal, the offer depends on the size of the locality: village consultation up to 200 inhabitants, health station from 200 to 500 inhabitants, health centre beyond that, regional hospital in the most populous town of each region, and at least one dental clinic in localities of more than 500 inhabitants. Telemedicine ("Pipaluk" equipment) links the villages. The reference facility is Queen Ingrid's Hospital (Dronning Ingrids Hospital) in Nuuk.

Sullissivik, the official public services portal, indicates that all citizens have an equal right to health system benefits and that medical consultation, hospitalisation and treatment are free for people registered in the population register and living in Greenland. Certain services remain wholly or partly at the patient's expense: non-prescription medicines (except chronic illness, under 18 and retirees), vaccines outside the programme, medical certificates, copy of the file. Dental care is free for residents, with priority for children and young people up to 21; the page warns that people who settle with very damaged teeth cannot count on free care.

France Diplomatie recommends, for any stay in Denmark and its territories, a contract covering all medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation, as these costs can under no circumstances be covered by the French embassy.

• Entry: valid passport required by France Diplomatie for Greenland. EU citizens do not need a visa (SIRI). The national ID card, sufficient for a short stay in Denmark, is not sufficient here.
• Residence and work permit: to work in Greenland, including on a voluntary basis, a permit must be obtained from SIRI before starting. European free movement rules do not apply; EU nationals follow the same rules as other foreigners. Usual processing time of 3 months (up to 6 months if additional documents are needed), maximum duration of 2 years, no application fee.
• Registration in the population register: free access to care is tied to registration with the municipality and residence in Greenland (Sullissivik). A certificate of residence can be issued online.
• Visitor staying less than 6 months: a Department of Health document published on Peqqik lists France among the states whose visitors are entitled to necessary care on presentation of proof of entitlement in their country, for example the EHIC. This document still cites European regulation 1408/71, since replaced by regulation 883/2004, and CLEISS does not list Greenland: confirm with the CPAM before departure.
• Travel insurance: the Greenlandic health system recommends it to cover care, repatriation, transport from places with no year-round habitation, and private dental care.
• Student: a specific permit is needed for a study stay; a student insurance or travel insurance remains to be arranged until registration in the register is effective.
• Seconded employee : Greenland does not appear in the CLEISS country pages; the framework to check is that of secondment outside an agreement (three years, renewable once, according to CLEISS), with reimbursement within the limits of French tariffs on paid invoices (form S 3125c).
• Retiree: no S1 form identified for Greenland; cover is prepared with the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) (retirees' plan) or international insurance, and by registration in the population register once the stay is authorised.

No individual penalty linked to insurance is mentioned in the sources consulted; on the other hand, a visitor without proof of entitlement in their country pays the full cost of care on site, according to the Department of Health document.

Greenland is not part of the European Union and appears neither among the states where the European coordination regulations apply, nor among the bilateral social security agreements listed by CLEISS. No France-Greenland agreement is therefore listed. The Danish scheme described by CLEISS (national insurance) does not mention Greenland, which has its own health system and its own taxation.

• Taxation: the France-Denmark tax treaty signed in Paris on 4 February 2022, in force since 29 December 2023, defines Denmark in its article 3 specifying that the term does not include the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Its article 28 allows a territorial extension by exchange of notes; no extension to Greenland was found in the sources consulted. In the absence of a treaty, the domestic law of each state applies.
• Temporary stay: the Greenlandic Department of Health document provides free necessary care for French nationals holding proof of entitlement, for a stay of less than 6 months, and the exclusion of repatriation.
• Secondment: framework of secondment outside an agreement (three years renewable once), to be confirmed with CLEISS and Urssaf before departure.
• Retiree: coverage of care by France for a retiree living abroad requires, according to CLEISS, an EU country or a country linked to France by an agreement; Greenland appears on neither of these lists.

1. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
2. Travel: check the validity of your passport, essential to enter Greenland.
3. For work or a stay of more than 3 months: apply for the residence and work permit from SIRI (Danish diplomatic mission, online procedure, SIRI office in Nuuk or Greenlandic police outside Nuuk), with the employment contract signed less than 30 days earlier.
4. Seconded employee: have the employer issue the secondment certificate and enquire with CLEISS and Urssaf about the applicable framework.
5. Retiree: notify your address to the pension fund, plan the annual life certificate and choose your health cover (CFE or international insurance) before departure.
6. Visitor staying less than 6 months: request the EHIC and take out an assistance contract covering care, repatriation and transport outside year-round inhabited places.
7. On arrival: declare your move to the municipality for registration in the population register; for a stay of more than six months, contact the Greenlandic tax administration (tax card).
8. Registration on the roll of French nationals living abroad: the French Consulate General in Nuuk (email contact.nuuk-cslt@diplomatie.gouv.fr) supports the French community.