Immigration law in Iceland

Iceland is part of the Schengen area. Nationals who are neither EEA/EFTA nor Nordic citizens may generally stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a residence permit. A visa is required for visa-required nationalities. Visa-exempt visitors and people holding a residence permit from another EEA/EFTA state can enter under the applicable conditions. At the border, officials may request a passport issued within the previous 10 years, proof of purpose, sufficient funds, a return or onward plan and evidence that no Schengen Information System entry alert or security, public-order or public-health concern applies. The Schengen visa fee is EUR 90, or EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 12, and a complete case often takes about two weeks. A visa refusal can be appealed to the Visa Appeals Board within 30 days for a EUR 300 fee. A stay exceeding 90 days normally requires a residence permit or another recognized residence basis. EEA and EFTA citizens do not need a residence permit, but a stay exceeding three months generally requires registration with Þjóðskrá Íslands. That registration records legal domicile, called lögheimili, and supports the issue of a kennitala, the Icelandic personal identification number. Nordic citizens follow a separate residence-right system. Non-EEA family members of EEA citizens who stay longer than three months generally apply for a residence card. Eligible family members can include a spouse or cohabiting partner, descendants under 21 or dependent descendants, dependent ascendants and a custodial parent of an Icelandic child under 18. An EEA family member may work without a separate work permit. Non-EEA residence permits cover employment, study, family reunification, au pair work, volunteering, missionary activity, Working Holiday or Youth Mobility, special ties, legitimate or special purposes, trafficking-victim protection and other short-term purposes. Employment permits include categories such as expert knowledge, labour shortage, athlete, special circumstances and service or collaboration contracts. A work permit normally identifies both the employer and the worker. Work cannot begin before the permit is granted, and changing jobs generally requires a new permit. A student permit can last up to one year. From 2026, a separate work permit is no longer required for qualifying students, but work is normally limited to 60% of full-time employment during study and may be full-time during scheduled breaks. Self-employment is not allowed under that student arrangement. Graduates of an Icelandic bachelor's, master's or doctoral programme may qualify for a period to seek employment. Family reunification commonly covers a spouse or cohabiting partner, children under 18 and parents aged 67 or older. The sponsor may need to be an Icelandic or Nordic citizen, a permanent resident, a qualified work-permit holder, a full-time bachelor's, master's or doctoral student or a holder of a protection, humanitarian or special-ties permit. The evidence can include an authenticated marriage or partnership certificate, proof of custody, dependency evidence and proof of shared domicile. A spouse permit usually lasts one year and may last up to two years. A spouse of an Icelandic citizen may work after submitting the paid application; other spouses generally need the permit before working. Fees from 1 January 2026 include ISK 110,000 for a spouse permit, ISK 60,000 for a child permit and ISK 70,000 for a student permit. Applications normally require identity evidence, a passport valid for at least 90 days beyond the requested permit period, proof of the correct purpose, secure financial support, health insurance and any required criminal-record evidence. Health insurance must generally be valid in Iceland for at least three months and provide coverage of at least ISK 2,000,000 until national insurance applies. Documents may need originals or certified copies, apostille or legalisation and certified translations when they are not in English or a Nordic language. A photograph and fingerprints are required for a residence card. Citizenship, permanent residence and renewal applications are mainly submitted online, while many first applications use paper forms. Missing documents, interviews or requests for an exemption can delay the decision, and the Directorate may obtain police or tax information. The support benchmark is ISK 259,951 per month for one person, ISK 415,922 for a married couple and ISK 129,976 for each additional adult family member. State or municipal social assistance is generally not accepted as secure support for permanent residence or citizenship. Fees from 2026 include ISK 80,000 for a work permit, ISK 120,000 for an au pair permit, ISK 40,000 for Working Holiday and several special-purpose permits, ISK 90,000 for a protection-spouse permit and ISK 8,000 for an EEA family card or card renewal. A person seeking international protection must be physically present in Iceland. A personal verbal application is sufficient and can be made at Keflavík Airport, the Reykjavík reception centre at Egilsgata 3 or the nearest police station. Refugee protection concerns persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group. Subsidiary protection covers risks such as the death penalty, torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or serious harm. Útlendingastofnun decides the application. A refugee permit normally lasts three years, allows work without a separate work permit and can support family reunification, a refugee travel document and later permanent residence. While an application is pending, Vinnumálastofnun can provide access to housing options, a weekly food allowance, necessary healthcare and medication, psychological services and school access for children aged 6 to 18. An applicant generally has no kennitala or national insurance during the pending case. Work requires a provisional residence and work permit, and work before that permit is granted is not allowed. Time spent only as an applicant does not establish a basis for permanent residence. Iceland also provides a collective-protection permit connected with Ukraine. The current decision is valid through 2 March 2027. Since 23 August 2026, new applications are generally excluded where the person already holds valid temporary protection in an EU country or a comparable permit in Denmark, Norway, Switzerland or Liechtenstein. A departure after that date may require proof that it was lawful. The permit can last up to one year and allows work without a separate work permit. Permanent residence generally requires five years in the relevant permit category, and the collective-protection period can therefore lead to a total stay of up to six years. Permanent residence generally requires a qualifying valid permit and four years of continuous residence. Exceptions include three years for the spouse or cohabiting partner of an Icelandic citizen, two years for a child of an Icelandic citizen and three years for an Icelandic doctoral graduate holding an expert-work permit. A former student may qualify after four years in total, including at least two years on a qualifying permit. Absence is generally limited to 90 days per year. Applicants need documented support, a clean legal status and either an Icelandic course of at least 150 lessons with 85% attendance or an accepted language assessment. The application should be filed before the current permit expires. The permanent residence card is valid for five years. The permit can be revoked after legal domicile abroad for 18 months. EEA family members generally acquire permanent residence after five years and can lose it after more than two years abroad. Fees are generally ISK 60,000. Citizenship generally requires seven years of legal domicile and continuous residence in Iceland. A permanent residence permit is normally required, although Nordic and qualifying EEA/EFTA citizens may rely on a residence-permit exemption. Applicants must prove identity, pass the Icelandic citizenship test at A2 level in listening, reading, writing and speaking, show legal self-support during the previous three years and avoid tax arrears and municipal financial assistance during that period. Documents commonly include tax returns for the previous three years and foreign criminal-record certificates for countries of residence since age 15. A spouse of an Icelandic citizen may qualify after four years of marriage if the spouse has held Icelandic citizenship for at least five years; a cohabiting partner generally needs five years. Iceland has permitted dual citizenship since 1 July 2003. The citizenship fee is generally ISK 60,000, or ISK 30,000 for a child's application. A refusal of residence is issued in writing and usually includes a departure deadline of about 30 days. An appeal normally goes to Kærunefnd útlendingamála (Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board) within 15 days. An appeal does not generally suspend removal, except in specified cases such as a permanent-residence refusal combined with a timely renewal application. An appeal against revocation within 15 days suspends its effect. Protection appeals normally have a 15-day time limit, with merits review or an accelerated five-day procedure depending on the case. Reasons for a protection decision can generally be requested within 14 days. An expulsion or re-entry-ban decision can normally be appealed within 15 days, but suspensive effect depends on the decision. A final expulsion revokes residence, work and permanent-residence permits; a re-entry ban generally lasts at least two years and may have Schengen-wide SIS consequences. Missing the appeal deadline or remaining after the permitted stay can lead to unlawful residence, removal and a re-entry ban.