Alcohol regulations in Faroe Islands

Licences needed

Production and food safety establishment approval; customs excise warehouse authorisation

Authority

Heilsufrøðiliga starvsstovan (Food and Veterinary Authority) and TAKS

Documents

Facility plans, standard operating procedures, hygiene documentation, business registration (V-tal), excise bond/guarantee documentation

Fees

not confirmed

Time to obtain

not confirmed

Who can import

Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins (Rúsan) holds the state monopoly on the commercial importation and wholesale of beverages exceeding 2.8% ABV. Private companies cannot commercially import spirits for retail outside the monopoly framework.

Licences or registrations

Registered monopoly procurement supplier; customs registration with TAKS for customs clearance

Authority

Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins (monopoly purchasing) and TAKS (customs)

Documents

Commercial invoice, bill of lading/consignment notes, certificate of origin, chemical/analytical specification, EUR.1 (if claiming preferential origin)

Fees

Varies by consignment; customs handling fees apply

Time to obtain

Subject to monopoly tender cycles and evaluation schedules

Required

yes

Process

Spirits must be listed and approved through Rúsan’s product selection/tender system before being imported and placed on sale. Labels must meet Faroese food labeling standards prior to distribution.

Authority

Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins and Heilsufrøðiliga starvsstovan

Documents and samples

Product specification sheet, label artwork, laboratory analysis (ABV, bottle volume, ingredients/allergens), commercial samples upon request by the tender committee

Fees

not confirmed

Renewal

Maintained as long as sales performance thresholds set by Rúsan are met

Time to obtain

Dependent on Rúsan assortment review windows

Commercial imports must be consigned to or approved by Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins. Spirits exceeding 60% ABV are banned from commercial import and sale. Commercial consignments require standard import declarations through TAKS. Travellers aged 18+ may import a duty-free allowance (e.g., up to 3 litres of spirits between 22% and 60% ABV) plus a restricted dutiable excess cap (maximum 2 additional litres of spirits); unpermitted surplus is confiscated.

Spirits imported under HS heading 2208 are subject to the Faroese Customs Tariff (Tollskráin) administered by TAKS. Standard third-country customs duty applies, though preferential tariffs apply to origins covered by free trade agreements (e.g., with the EU, UK, and EFTA).

Alcohol excise duty is levied by TAKS based on pure alcohol content / volume of alcoholic beverage. Value Added Tax (meirvirðisgjald / MVG) of 25% is levied on top of duty and product price.

Strict state monopoly. Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins (Rúsan) is the sole legal off-premise retailer of spirits and any alcoholic beverages over 2.8% ABV (domestic breweries may sell their own beer/cider at approved brewery outlets). Rúsan operates 8 stores nationwide with restricted operating hours (typically weekday afternoons until 17:30, short Saturday midday hours, and closed on Sundays and statutory holidays). On-premise sales (restaurants, bars, hotels) require a municipal/police alcohol serving licence (either a full licence covering spirits or a limited licence covering beer and wine).

Restricted. Available exclusively through Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins’ official online portal (rusan.fo) for domestic delivery across the Faroe Islands, subject to mandatory 18+ age verification. Direct cross-border delivery to consumers from overseas e-commerce vendors without monopoly clearance is not permitted.

Labels must clearly declare product description, actual alcoholic strength by volume (% ABV), net volume in metric units, producer/bottler details, lot number, and allergen declarations. Faroese, Danish, or other Scandinavian languages (and widely understood English) are accepted. Absolute cap: spirits with an alcohol strength exceeding 60% ABV cannot be sold.

Banned. Commercial advertising and promotions that encourage the purchase or consumption of alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in the Faroe Islands across broadcast, print, digital media, and public outdoor displays. Rúsan stores do not engage in price discounting or commercial advertising campaigns.

Spirits must adhere to recognised international standards (generally aligned with Nordic and EU spirits regulations, such as minimum ABV of 40% for whisky, 37.5% for vodka/rum/gin). Upper ceiling: retail spirits may not exceed 60% ABV.

No dry areas exist, but retail availability is heavily restricted geographically: sales of spirits for off-premise consumption are limited exclusively to 8 designated Rúsan monopoly shop locations across the archipelago.

• A legislative proposal to liberalise alcohol retail by permitting grocery stores to sell beverages up to 22% ABV was decisively rejected by the Løgting (23 votes to 1), preserving Rúsan's retail monopoly.
• Rúsan reported marked consumer shifts toward ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktail products and lower-ABV categories alongside declining off-take for traditional high-proof spirits and aquavits.

Foreign distillers can only access the Faroese consumer market by submitting proposals to Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins during official tender and assortment review cycles. Emerging opportunities exist primarily in ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails, premium gin, and craft spirits bottled at or below the mandatory 60% ABV limit.

• Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins (Rúsan)
• TAKS (Faroese Customs and Tax Administration)
• Heilsufrøðiliga starvsstovan (Food and Veterinary Authority)

1. Nordic Alcohol: Alcohol Policy in the Faroe Islands
2. Visit Faroe Islands: Alcohol Regulations and Customs
3. TAKS: Duty-Free Allowances and Customs Declarations
4. TAKS: Limits on Alcohol Luggage and Import
5. Faroe Islands Daily: Retail Monopoly Closures and Consumer Shifts
6. Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins (Rúsan)