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Export from Greenland
A short guide for companies selling from Greenland: the export figures, the agreements and their limits, the main steps and who can help, each with its source.
1. What Greenland sells, and who buys it
Goods exportsEstimate
Merchandise exports were 6,299,349,419 Danish kroner in 2025, on Statistics Greenland's preliminary figures.
Source: Statistics Greenland, exports of products, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Services exportsEstimate
Services exports were 2,572.7 million Danish kroner in 2023, at current prices, on Statistics Greenland's preliminary national accounts.
Source: Statistics Greenland, national accounts goods and services, 2023 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
Top goods exports
2025
- 1. Cod, whole, frozen
- 2. Greenland halibut, whole, frozen
- 3. Peeled shrimp, frozen
- 4. Shell-on shrimp, frozen
- 5. Mackerel
- 6. Cod fillets, frozen
- 7. Greenland halibut fillets
- 8. Gold, unprepared
Show 12 more products
- 9. Crabs
- 10. Other fish, frozen
- 11. Lumpfish caviar
- 12. Dried or salted cod
- 13. Redfish
- 14. Other fish products
- 15. Atlantic herring
- 16. Other halibut products
- 17. Capelin
- 18. Other cod products
- 19. Haddock
- 20. Atlantic halibut
- Products not elsewhere specified (national code 999) are 5.6 percent of 2025 exports; they are in the total but not ranked. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Lines follow Statistics Greenland's own product list, which has no HS codes, and all values are preliminary Danish kroner. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Greenland's latest UN Comtrade annual report is for 2018, so this guide uses Statistics Greenland's own tables. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Statistics Greenland's product table does not split re-exports from Greenland's own exports. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: Statistics Greenland, exports of products, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
Where the goods go
2025, share of goods exports
- Denmark82.5%
- Iceland10.8%
- Faroe Islands2.8%
- Switzerland1.8%
- Netherlands1.8%
- Mexico0.2%
- Norway0.1%
- The StatBank table states its unit as thousand kroner; values are shown here in kroner, and shares use that table's own total, which matches the product table. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Denmark takes over four-fifths of exports, and Switzerland's value equals the 2025 gold line to the nearest thousand kroner. Source (opens in a new tab)
- Shipments to Denmark are not all final sales: Statistics Greenland's table of Danish exports of Greenland-origin unprocessed fish shows China and the European Union as the main 2025 buyers. Source (opens in a new tab)
Source: Statistics Greenland, exports by destination country, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
2. What to look into next
Our reading
The research marks cod, whole, frozen, greenland halibut, whole, frozen and peeled shrimp, frozen as lines a small or mid-sized company could be in. If yours is one, check which markets buy that line, not only Greenland’s top destinations overall.
Source: Statistics Greenland, exports of products, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of September 4, 2026
Based on: Top goods exports
Denmark takes 82.5% of Greenland’s goods exports. If you sell there, its import rules and buyer channels come first; either way, compare at least one other market before you commit.
Source: Statistics Greenland, exports by destination country, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of September 4, 2026
Based on: Where the goods go
Promote:Global’s reading of the figures above, not a source’s statement, and not advice.
3. Trade agreements
What each arrangement can mean for a seller, and its limits. A preference is conditional: check the rules of origin before you quote.
Council Decision (EU) 2021/1764 on the association of the Overseas Countries and Territories with the European Union (Overseas Association Decision)
A seller can ship goods that originate in Greenland into the European Union free of import duty, with a statement on origin.
Rules-based preference: goods must meet the origin rules in Annex II. The decision applies from January 1, 2021 and its funding period ends December 31, 2027.
Source: Council of the European Union, Overseas Association Decision 2021/1764 (opens in a new tab) · as of October 7, 2021
4. Steps to export
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Exporting from Greenland
- Apply for the annual export permit if you will export goods commercially.Departementet for Erhverv og RåstofferNo fee; valid to December 31 each yearOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Sullissivik.gl, applying for an export permit (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- For fish, meat and other animal products, have the business registered or authorized by the Danish food authority before production starts.FødevarestyrelsenOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Fødevarestyrelsen, exporting food from Greenland (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- For plant products such as seaweed, have the business approved as a food business by the Greenland veterinary and food authority.Veterinær- og Fødevaremyndigheden i GrønlandNo fee for the applicationOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Sullissivik.gl, applying for food business approval (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- File an export declaration with the Tax Agency for each shipment.SkattestyrelsenOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Greenland Government, 2024 import and export order (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 21, 2024
Show 2 more export steps
- Register as an exporter for the European Union origin statement, or get a stamped origin certificate for other agreements.SkattestyrelsenRegistered exporter number needed above 10,000 euros a consignmentOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Skattestyrelsen (AKA), export from Greenland to the European Union (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- For fish, request the IUU catch certificate before shipping.Grønlands Fiskeri- og JagtkontrolOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Fødevarestyrelsen, exporting food from Greenland (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
5. Organizations that help exporters
Start with Nalik Ventures and Skattestyrelsen. Each card links to the organization’s own site.
Each card says what it can help with:Get adviceFind financeMeet requirementsResearch markets
- Greenland has 56,831 residents, so this guide lists every national body found with evidence dated 2025 or later; it has 10 organizations. Source (opens in a new tab)
Export development and market information
Business development company
Nalik Ventures
Nalik Ventures A/S
Administers the Government's business support schemes and offers advice, product development support, microloans and investment financing.
Visit Nalik Ventures (opens in a new tab)Source: Nalik Ventures, company history and legal basis (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Research markets
National statistics office
Statistics Greenland
Grønlands Statistik
Publishes foreign trade, price and national accounts statistics, including exports by product and by country.
Visit Statistics Greenland (opens in a new tab)Source: Statistics Greenland, Foreign Trade page (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more organization
- Find finance
Export and investment fund
EIFO
Danmarks Eksport- og Investeringsfond
Issues guarantees for small and mid-sized companies based in Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
Visit EIFO (opens in a new tab)Source: EIFO, guarantee FAQ, February 16, 2026 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of February 16, 2026
Customs and tax
- Meet requirements
Tax and customs authority
Skattestyrelsen
Takes export declarations, registers exporters for origin statements, and registers employers and businesses for tax.
Visit Skattestyrelsen (opens in a new tab)Source: Skattestyrelsen (AKA), export from Greenland to the European Union (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Standards and sector requirements
- Meet requirements
Veterinary and food authority
VFMG
Veterinær- og Fødevaremyndigheden i Grønland
Approves food businesses for the home market and for exports of plant products, and inspects them.
Visit VFMG (opens in a new tab)Source: Sullissivik.gl, applying for food business approval (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Meet requirements
Danish food authority
Fødevarestyrelsen
Authorizes and inspects Greenlandic food businesses that export animal products, factory vessels included.
Visit Fødevarestyrelsen (opens in a new tab)Source: Fødevarestyrelsen, its tasks in Greenland (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 2 more organizations
- Meet requirements
Mineral licensing authority
Mineral Resources Authority
Grants exploration and prospecting licenses and publishes the application terms and fees.
Fisheries and hunting control
GFJK
Grønlands Fiskeri- og Jagtkontrol
Issues IUU catch certificates for Greenlandic fish, handles fishing licenses and publishes quota overviews.
Visit GFJK (opens in a new tab)Source: Fødevarestyrelsen, exporting food from Greenland (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Chambers and industry associations
- Get advice
Business association
GBA
Grønlands Erhverv
Speaks for member companies and runs an industry committee for fisheries and export businesses.
Visit GBA (opens in a new tab)Source: Greenland Business Association, fisheries and export committee (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
6. Worth knowing
Food export approvals
Greenland's veterinary authority approves businesses for the home market and plant exports, while the Danish food authority approves exporters of animal products and factory vessels.
What to do: Confirm which authority approves your product before you apply.
Sources: Sullissivik.gl, applying for food business approval (in Danish) (opens in a new tab); Fødevarestyrelsen, its tasks in Greenland (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
European Union market treatment
Fish products trade into the European Union area without a certificate, but other foods such as lamb and reindeer meat need an import certificate and border checks.
What to do: Check the European Union import rules for your product in TRACES before you quote.
Source: Fødevarestyrelsen, exporting food from Greenland (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Yearly export permit
The export permit expires on December 31, and the department warns that processing can take longer near the year end.
What to do: Apply for renewal well before December 31 if you export continuously.
Source: Sullissivik.gl, applying for an export permit (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Seal product exports
Each shipment of seal products needs an Inuit exemption certificate from the Department of Fisheries and Hunting, as well as the yearly export permit.
What to do: Ask the Department of Fisheries and Hunting for the certificate before each shipment.
Source: Sullissivik.gl, applying for an export permit (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 1 more
United Kingdom market access
As of November 1, 2026, the latest United Kingdom release found (October 3, 2025) says Greenland seafood faces tariffs of up to 20 percent, and trade talks have resumed.
What to do: Check the United Kingdom's current tariff for your product before you quote.
Source: United Kingdom government, Greenland trade talks resume, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
7. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare potential export marketsSee which markets import what you sell, ranked on public trade data, and read each country before you commit.
- Check duties and document requirementsCheck the duty, the origin conditions for a preferential rate and the documents a shipment needs.
- Find advisors and service firmsAsk an advisory firm a scoped, paid question, or browse firms that list their own services, from legal work to logistics.
- Organize your next stepsKeep each product and market in a project, with a roadmap of steps you work through.
Turn this guide into your Greenland project.
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Promote:Greenland is an independent guide by Promote:Global, not an official government portal. The organizations named here are independent public and membership bodies, not Promote:Global partners, and every link goes to their own site.
Facts read from public sources, with an editorial cut-off of November 1, 2026. Nothing here is investment, legal, tax or sanctions advice. Check current status with the organization before you rely on it.