In Greenland, there is common ownership of the land. Areas cannot be bought and sold. In order to be able to build or develop, an area allocation must be issued, which is a right of use to the land. This also applies to changes in the use of areas or buildings, temporary land use, terrain changes, and both the demolition and reconstruction of buildings.
A land allocation is personal and a transfer to a new right holder must be accepted by the land management authority. Therefore, when buying and selling buildings and/or facilities from one owner to another, or when inheriting and realising mortgage rights, the transfer of the right of use must be carried out through a land allocation.
Permission for Land Use pursuant to construction laws and national planning directives, etc., can be granted by the Greenland Government.
The provisions for land allocation in Municipality Qeqertalik have been set by the Municipal Council based on Inatsisartutlov no. 17 of 17 November 2010 on planning and Land Use, § 14, subsection 2, § 22 and §§ 37-52, and Inatsisartutlov no. 34 of 9 December 2015 amending Inatsisartutlov on planning and Land Use (National plan report, reservation of areas, possibility of extension of the utilization period, publication of waiting lists, removal of the planning and land complaints board, etc.).
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Provisions for area allocations
Municipality Qeqertalik therefore needs a set of regulations as a basis for the administration of the allocation of land and rights of use. The following guidelines are a tool for the municipal administration and information for citizens about the framework for the processing of applications for land allocation.
The regulations are structured with general provisions, where there are provisions for cities, settlements and open countryside, as well as special provisions for the installation of containers, boat storage, dog kennels, etc.
In addition, there is a set of standard terms and conditions in area allocations, as well as a set of general terms and conditions for area allocations.
Text in italics is intended to explain and illustrate the provisions. Text written in italics is not provisions and is therefore not binding.
As a basis for land administration in Municipality Qeqertalik, it is generally the case that detailed provisions must be in place prior to the final allocation of land. All land allocations must be in accordance with the municipal plan.
You can apply for land allocation in two ways:
By using the standard land allocation application form:
pdf guidance_area application_dk.pdf (770 KB).
Digital application for land allocation via http://www.nunagis.gl.
Alternatively, you can contact your local citizen service center or village office for guidance.
General information about land allocation
As a citizen, private individual or company, you can obtain land use rights if you want to build a house, for example. You can obtain land use rights by applying for an area allocation.
The Administration for Infrastructure, Construction and Environment, at the Land Administration in the Planning Department, handles land allocations in the Municipality of Qeqertalik.
You can apply for land allocation via www.nunagis.gl. If you have applied for land allocation via NunaGIS.gl, you must send or deliver a signed receipt for the land application to your local citizen service center or village office no later than 4 weeks after, which will forward the receipt to "Administration for Infrastructure, Construction and Environment". If the administration has not received the receipt within 4 weeks, the application will be cancelled.
You can see instructions on how to fill out the application.
Your application is only valid when you have signed it. Therefore, until digital signatures are introduced, you must continue to print and sign the application after you have completed it. You must send or hand in the application to your local citizen service center or village office.
If you do not have internet access, your local citizen service center or village office can help you apply for a land allocation.
Procedure
As a general rule, your application must be published so that everyone has the opportunity to raise objections. If your application for land allocation is in accordance with the detailed provisions of the municipal plan, the municipality may choose to grant the land allocation. They may do this without first publishing the application, but this will be an exception.
The application procedure is the same whether you are applying for a land allocation in a city or a settlement, as stated in the section "allocation procedure" on the left. In settlements, land allocation for minor or non-essential construction and civil engineering works may be granted, after a specific assessment, if:
- The application is within a sub-area with residual space.
- The application is in accordance with the provisions of the municipal plan for the sub-area.
If your application conflicts with the municipal plan, the municipality must generally reject your application. In some cases, however, the municipality may choose to grant you an exemption for the area applied for. The municipality may do this after publication and consultation with those who will be affected by your area allocation.
If the municipality has not adopted the municipal plan for the sub-area in which the area you are applying for is located, the municipality must either adopt a municipal plan amendment for the area or conduct a public consultation. The public consultation typically takes place by means of an announcement or notice. The consultation period is at least 14 days.
Any consultation responses will be included in the municipality's further processing of the case.