Promote:
Invest in Greenland
A short guide for companies expanding into Greenland: the economy at a glance, the rules and steps to set up, and who can help, each with its source.
1. Greenland at a glance
PopulationEstimate
56,831
Population was 56,831 people in 2025, on the World Bank estimate.
Source: World Bank WDI, population, Greenland, 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2025
GDPEstimate
US$3.33 billion
GDP was US$3.33 billion in 2023, on the World Bank estimate drawn from Statistics Greenland national accounts.
Source: World Bank WDI, GDP in current US$, Greenland, 2023 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
GDP per personEstimate
US$58,499
GDP per person was US$58,499 in 2023, on the World Bank estimate.
Source: World Bank WDI, GDP per person, Greenland, 2023 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
Real GDP growthEstimate
0.9%
Real GDP growth was 0.9 percent in 2023, on the World Bank estimate.
Source: World Bank WDI, real GDP growth, Greenland, 2023 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2023
Inflation
2.6%
Consumer prices rose 2.6 percent from July 2025 to July 2026, on Statistics Greenland's half-yearly consumer price index.
Source: Statistics Greenland, consumer price change on a year earlier, 2026H2 (opens in a new tab) · as of 2026H2 (July 2026)
The currency is the Danish krone, which Greenland shares with Denmark and uses in the same banknotes.
Source: Danmarks Nationalbank, press release on banknotes, April 20, 2026 (opens in a new tab) · as of April 20, 2026
2. Before you set up
The investment agency, any one-stop route, the sectors reserved for nationals and the zones, as the guide found them.
No investment promotion agency was found; Nalik Ventures administers the Government's general business promotion schemes for business in Greenland, under a 2012 act.
Source: Greenland Government, answer on Nalik Ventures, July 2026 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of July 29, 2026
No one-stop shop for foreign investors was found in the pages checked.
Source: Nalik Ventures, company history and legal basis (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
A Greenlandic commercial fishing license needs owners resident in Greenland for five years; foreign actors fish only under international agreements or a separate license, outside 12 nautical miles.
Source: Government of Greenland, Fisheries Act 29 of 2024 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 23, 2024
No free zone or special economic zone was found; the Government's July 2026 account of its business promotion schemes names none.
Source: Greenland Government, answer on Nalik Ventures, July 2026 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of July 29, 2026
3. Steps to set up
The main steps, in order, each with the body responsible and its official page.
Setting up in Greenland
- Register the business in the CVR register; a foreign company without MitID submits the branch form.SkattestyrelsenOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Skattestyrelsen (AKA), foreign company branch registration (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Register as an employer and file an advance tax registration each autumn.SkattestyrelsenLate tax return penalty of 200 Danish kroner a day, up to 5,000Official page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Skattestyrelsen (AKA), new business tax guide (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- To hire outside Greenland, apply for the Government's pre-approval or the municipal permit for outside labor.Departementet for Sociale Anliggender, Arbejdsmarked, Familier og IndenrigsanliggenderPre-approval lasts up to 3 yearsOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Sullissivik.gl, fast track approval for hiring outside labor (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
- Apply to the municipality for a land allocation; a non-Danish citizen needs two years of residence or a dispensation.Departementet for Boliger og InfrastrukturOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Sullissivik.gl, land allocation and foreign applicants (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Show 2 more set-up steps
- For commercial fishing, apply for a license; individuals need five years of residence, and companies must be owned by such residents.Grønlands Fiskeri- og JagtkontrolOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Government of Greenland, Fisheries Act 29 of 2024 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of May 23, 2024
- For mineral exploration or prospecting, apply for a license through the online application portal.Mineral Resources AuthorityApplication fee 5,000 Danish kroner; granted within 3 months of a complete applicationOfficial page (opens in a new tab)
Source: Mineral Resources Authority, license application guide, March 2025 (opens in a new tab) · as of March 14, 2025
4. Organizations that help investors
Start with Naalakkersuisut 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)
Investment and business setup
Government of Greenland
Naalakkersuisut
Issues the annual export permit through its business department and sets investment, fisheries and land rules.
Visit Naalakkersuisut (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
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
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
5. Worth knowing
Reserved sectors
Greenlandic fishing licenses need individuals with five years' residence or companies wholly owned by such residents; foreign actors fish only under international agreements or separate licenses.
What to do: Check section 9 of the Fisheries Act before you consider a fishing investment.
Source: Government of Greenland, Fisheries Act 29 of 2024 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Property and land rights
A non-Danish citizen needs two years of residence and full tax liability to acquire property or land; a five-year rule would need a change in the act.
What to do: Check the residence rules with the municipality before you buy or lease land.
Sources: Government of Greenland, property residence answer, August 2026 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab); Sullissivik.gl, land allocation and foreign applicants (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Pending investment screening bill
Pending: a bill with first reading on November 10, 2026 would require prior approval of foreign investments in eight sensitive areas from July 1, 2027.
What to do: Watch the parliament's agenda before you invest in the minerals sector or critical infrastructure.
Sources: Inatsisartut, foreign investment screening bill, September 2026 (in Danish) (opens in a new tab); Inatsisartut, autumn 2026 session agenda list (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
Hiring from abroad
Employers may hire outside labor when no local worker is found, and the pre-approval scheme needs a head office or branch in Greenland and customary Greenlandic pay.
What to do: Apply for pre-approval before you recruit from abroad.
Source: Sullissivik.gl, fast track approval for hiring outside labor (in Danish) (opens in a new tab) · as of November 1, 2026
6. How Promote:Global helps
- Compare Greenland with other countriesSet Greenland beside other countries on investment momentum, fundamentals and trade access, before site, tax and legal work.
- 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.