Icelanders with a legal domicile abroad

Attention!
These rules apply to parliamentary elections, presidential elections and national referendums, but not to municipal elections.

All Icelandic nationals who have had a legal domicile abroad for less than 16 years (counting from 1 December in the year before the election year) have automatic voting rights in Iceland. They must have reached the age of 18 on election day and have had a legal domicile in Iceland at some point.

All Icelandic nationals who have had a legal domicile abroad for more than 16 years (counting from 1 December in the year before the election year) must apply to Registers Iceland to be entered into the electoral register. Registers Iceland must have received a satisfactory application before 1 December of the year before the election year.

The application must fullfill the following requirements:

  • The applicant must have Icelandic citizenship.
  • The applicant must be at least 18 years old on election day.
  • The applicant must have had a legal domicile in Iceland.

If an application meets the above requirements, the person in question will be entered into the electoral register for the next 4 years. Note that special rules apply for notices to submit an application.