Staying more than 6 months
If you intend to stay for more than 6 months, you must register a legal domicile in Iceland. You must come to the office of Registers Iceland or the nearest police office and register your arrival to Iceland within 7 days of arriving in the country.
This is what you must bring in person
- Passport or other valid travel document.
- All those who move to the country need to identify themselves in person, children of primary school age and adults.
- There are special rules for children who do not move to Iceland with both custodial parents.
The Nordic agreement on public registration between Denmark (including Greenland and the Åland Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden applies to those who move to Iceland from other Nordic countries. The agreement stipulates that people can only register one legal domicile in the Nordic countries. When a legal domicile is registered in Iceland, Registers Iceland notifies the departure country of the registration in Iceland, and then the person is registered as having moved to Iceland in the national registry of the relevant country.
Your right
Residency for more than 6 months without registration of legal domicile is illegal and can have an impact on your rights. The right to public service and assistance is mostly dependant on a registered legal domicile, so it is advisable to register one as soon as possible.
All persons who register a legal domicile in Iceland for the first time are listed in the National Registry and allocated a personal identification number. An ID No. without a registered legal domicile in Iceland provides limited rights.