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P-tal

When you move to the Faroes and have been granted a residence permit, you will be issued a civil registration number, which we call p-tal. 

You must have a p-tal in order to receive wages or salaries through the Faroese tax system. There are two different kinds of p-tal: the standard p-tal for people who are permanent residents, and the temporary p-tal for people who are not permanent residents. 

What is a p-tal?

The p in p-tal stands for person and tal means number. In effect, it is a personal identification number, that the authorities use to identify the individual citizen in various connections, for example, in tax matters.

Every person who is born in the Faroe Islands, or has moved here, is issued a p-tal. The National Register, Landsfólkayvirlitið, administers the p-tal system under the provision of the Faroese Ministry of the Interior.

The p-tal consists of nine numbers. The first six numbers are your date of birth, and the remaining three numbers are private and only known to the individual.

The standard p-tal

When you are born in the Faroe Islands, you are issued a standard p-tal. You need the p-tal to receive wages or salaries.

If you work in the Faroes for more than 180 days in a year, will also be issued a standard p-tal, because, in this case, you are considered an immigrant and must move your permanent residence to the Faroes. You get the p-tal once you are registered at the National Registry, Landsfólkayvirlitið. 

The temporary p-tal

If you come to work in the Faroes for 180 days, or less, in a year, you need a temporary p-tal. You get the temporary p-tal by sending an application to TAKS. Your employer can also apply on your behalf. Find the application form under quick links. Instructions on how to fill out the form are found on page two.

When TAKS has received your application, you will be sent a temporary p-tal, after which you can receive wages. Make sure to apply in good time, i.e. preferably 14 days before your wages are due.

If you have received a temporary p-tal once, it will be kept in the system, and you only need to reactivate it when coming to the Faroes to work at another time.

Identification numbers in other countries

Most countries use some kind of number system to identify their citizens in various matters, including tax matters. In many places it is called TIN, which stands for taxpayer identification number. Other countries use different terms, for example, in Denmark it is called a CPR number.

Click Tax identification numbers, under Quick Links, to read more about the different identification numbers in other countries.