Childcare
The majority of parents in the Faroe Islands work outside of the home, and their children usually attend nursery (vøggustova) from the end of their parents’ parental leave around the ages 10 months to 3 years, and kindergarten (barnagarð) from the ages 3 to 6 years.
Register for nursery or kindergarden
Register for pre-school/after-school centre (in Faroese only)
Some children attend day care (dagrøkt) from the ages 0 to 6.
Many children attend preschool (forskúli) for one year before starting school around the age of 6.
Once the children start school, they may attend after-school centres (frítíðarskúli) in the afternoons up to 3rd grade.
Children may attend after-school youth clubs from the ages 13 to 18.
All children in the Faroe Islands are entitled to attend a childcare facility. Almost all Faroese families use childcare.
Options for childcare consist of nurseries for children aged 0 to 3 years old, kindergartens for children aged 3 to 6 years old, preschool for children in the year before starting school, and after-school centres for schoolchildren up to 3rd grade.
Most childcare facilities are open Monday to Friday from 7.30-17.
The parents pay the cost for childcare, but it is subsidised by the municipality. The prices will depend on how much of the cost the municipality subsidises, what type of childcare your child is attending, and how many children from the same household are attending childcare.
The cost for children aged 0 to 3 years old is approximately 3,000.00 DKK per month for the first child from the same household, and prices per child decrease according to type of childcare and the number of children from the same household in childcare.
Children from low-income households may be entitled to a full subsidy. For more information see the section on Childcare subsidies:
You can register and deregister your child for municipal childcare services through the municipality’s digital online self-service Plássskipanin.
You can register your child on a waiting list for a nursery from a week after the child is born and registered to the parents in the National Civil Register (Fólkayvirlitið).
If your child is born outside of the Faroe Islands and does not have a Faroese Civil Registration Number (p-tal), you can apply for a TK-tal (provisional p-tal) from Tórshavn Municipality. You can use the TK-tal to book a place at childcare or after-school facilities until your child is registered in the Faroese National Civil Register and has a Faroese p-tal.
You can apply for the TK-tal at the online self-service Vangin.
APPLY FOR a TK-TAL for your child (VANGIN ONLINE SELF-SERVICE)
To use Vangin, you need to log in with your digital key Samleikin. To get your digital key, you have to register at the Samleikin website samleikin.fo. Your digital key comes as an app and is free of charge. Samleikin is available for everyone who is older than 15 and has a Faroese p-tal.
How to get Samleikin (samleikin.fo)
At least one of the child’s legal guardians needs a Faroese p-tal in order to apply for a TK-tal. If none of the child’s legal guardians has a Faroese p-tal, at least one of the legal guardians needs to move to the Faroe Islands first and obtain a p-tal in order to book a place at a childcare, preschool or after-school facility for the child.
For more information about whom to contact see the sections on reporting your entry and Residence Permits and Work Permits:
After-school centres (frítíðarskúli) are available for children attending 1st through 3rd grade. You need to book your child’s place in an after-school centre.
The choice of after-school centre depends on the primary school the child attends, and children from the same school attend the same after-school centre.
If you are moving to Tórshavn Municipality you need to follow the same procedure as residents. You can register your child for preschool or after-school facilities through the links below.
You need to log in to the online self-service with your digital key Samleikin. To get your digital key, you have to register at the Samleikin website samleikin.fo. Your digital key comes as an app and is free of charge. Samleikin is available for everyone who is older than 15 and has a Faroese p-tal.
How to get Samleikin (samleikin.fo)
If you have booked a place for your child at a childcare, preschool or after-school facility that it will no longer need, you will have to terminate your application at least two months beforehand. If you book a place that your child does not attend, you will still be charged for attendance until two months after you terminate the application.
Your child will normally start compulsory primary school the year it turns 7. For more information see the section Schools.
If your child is born outside of the Faroe Islands and does not have a Faroese Civil Registration Number (p-tal), you can apply for a provisional TK-tal from Tórshavn Municipality. You can use the provisional TK-tal to register your child for childcare or after-school facilities until your child is registered in the Faroese National Civil Register (Fólkayvirlitið) and has a Faroese p-tal.
At least one of the child’s legal guardians needs a Faroese p-tal in order to apply for a TK-tal. If none of the child’s legal guardians has a Faroese p-tal, at least one of the legal guardians needs to move to the Faroe Islands first and obtain a p-tal in order to register the child for childcare, preschool or after-school facility.
You will need the personal digital identification Samleikin to log in to the booking system BARN, where you can register your child for childcare. Samleikin is a secure and private digital login and signature, and it is free to use. If you have not ordered Samleikin yet, you can do so through the link below.
If you don’t understand Faroese, you may need assistance from a Faroese speaker. You can also get help from the Samleikin User Service by calling 1881 or visiting the »Help« section at their website (see link below). The Service Desk is open workdays between 8–16.30.
The booking system BARN will communicate with you through your digital mailbox MínBoks. You will receive all updates and information about your child’s place on the waiting list for your chosen childcare facilities in your MínBoks. It is therefore important that you open your MínBoks regularly. You can access MínBoks by signing in to Vangin, which is the national online self service.
You will need Samleikin in order to login to Vangin and access your MínBoks:
You will be able to search for an available place in a childcare facility for your child in the booking system BARN. The system can also recommend available places to you.
The booking system will display a map of the childcare facilities in relation to your address and their next available place.
The map below shows an overview over the childcare facilities. If you type in your address in the search box, the map will display the childcare facilities close to your address. You can read more about the facilities on their websites by clicking on them in the map.
Step by step:
- Make sure you have ordered and activated your digital key Samleikin and MínBoks
- Click the link »Register for nursery or kindergarten« on the top of this section
- Log in using Samleikin
- Click on your child’s name at the top of the page
- Click the button »Finn pláss til« (»Find available place for«)
- Click the calendar and choose the day your child will start attending the facility
- You may now search for the availability at a specific facility, or availabilities at all facilities in the municipality
- You will now see a map of the facilities with available places
- Under the map is a list of the facilities. You can activate which facilities you want to appear on the map
- Remember to click »bóka pláss« (»book place«) when you have chosen the facility that best suits your needs
- Wait for the confirmation that your booking has been registered and click »agree«
We will send you a booking confirmation to your MínBoks.
If your preferred place is not available at your preferred time, our best advice is to:
- Book the preferred place for your child, even if it only becomes available at a later time
- Book a place at a different facility to cover the period until your preferred place becomes available
- It will not negatively affect your position on the waiting list for your preferred place if your child is attending a different facility
Your child is now on the waiting list for your preferred facility while still being covered for the period you need its childcare to begin. Please note that this procedure does not guarantee your preferred place.