A child is an Icelandic citizen at birth if its mother is an Icelandic citizen, or if its father is an Icelandic citizen and married to its foreign mother. (This is not the case if the parents are legally separated at the time of the child‘s conception). If the child is born abroad, it does not need a residence permit when moving to Iceland, but needs to be registered at Registry Iceland (Þjóðskrá).

If a single Icelandic man has a child with a foreign woman, the child can obtain Icelandic citizenship if:

a)  the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights registers it as an Icelandic citizen upon proof of its paternity; or
b)  if the parents of the child marry, the child automatically becomes an Icelandic citizen at that time, if it is under the age of 18 and single.

An individual needs to be under the age of 18 to be regarded as a child under the Act on Foreigners no. 96/2002. A child needs to be supported by and in the custody of his/her family member in Iceland to fulfill the conditions set for a residence permit for a child. The applicant needs to have been supported by his/her family member in Iceland for a minimum of one year before he/she applies for a residence permit.

A child of the spouse of an Icelandic citizen is permitted to stay in Iceland during the processing of his/her application for a residence permit.

Application may be paid for and sent by registered mail to the Directorate, Skógarhlíð 6, 105 Reykjavík, along with a receipt for the payment. The application must be approved before the applicant arrives in the country.

Estimated processing time for residence permit applications is 90 days from the date the Directorate has received adequate documentation. If supporting documents are missing or inadequate, the processing time will take longer. For further information, see here.

This type of residence permit is usually issued for one year at a time.

This type of residence permit can count towards a permanent residence permit.

A child may work in Iceland notwithstanding who the employer is.

First application - documents needed:

1. An original application form, completed and signed by the applicant’s parent/custodian.
2. A photocopy of the applicant’s passport.  The validity of the passport must be at least three months beyond the proposed permit.
3. One passport size photo (35mmx45mm).
4. Medical Insurance.  A separate medical insurance is required for a child if the child is granted a permit at the same time as the parent/custodian. If the parent has been residing in Iceland for over 6 months, the child does not need a separate medical insurance.
5. A certificate from social services.  The parent/custodian needs to submit a certificate from the appropriate social services stating whether or not he/she has received financial aid.
6. Financial support.  The parent/custodian must show that he/she has sufficient means of financial support. In addition, the custodian residing in Iceland, shall hand in verification of the child having been supported by him/her for a minimum of one year before the child applies for a residence permit.
7. Birth certificate.  A verified original of a child‘s birth certificate needs to accompany the application for a residence permit.
8. Documents on custody/divorce/death:
   Documents on custody.  To verify the formal and legal custody of a child, a verified original of documents on custody need to accompany the application for a residence permit. An affidavit is not considered an adequate document on custody, even though it is notarised by a notary public. Verification on custody needs to originate from authorities in the home state of the child. The documents need to state and confirm who is the child‘s custodian. If more than one individual are custodians of the same child then in addition to documents on custody, documents on approval from the custodian not living in Iceland of the child residing in Iceland need to accompany the application for a residence permit. That approval needs to be in its original form and in the case of such approval being necessary, an affidavit notarised by a notary public is considered adequate.
   Documents on divorce.  If a child‘s parents have divorced and it is stated in the documents on the divorce who is the child‘s custodian, such documents are considered adequate to verify the custody of a child. These documents need to be handed in, in their original form, and they need to be verified by the appropriate authorities.
   Death certificate.  If one of a child‘s custodian is deceased and the living custodian therefore is the only custodian, a verified original of a death certificate of the deceased custodian is considered an adequate verification of custody.
9. Certificate of marital status.  If a child has reached 16 years of age when he/she applies for a residence permit in Iceland, a verified original certificate of the child‘s marital status needs to accompany the application. The certificate needs to be issued by the appropriate authority in the child‘s home state.
10. Housing Certificate.  The parent/custodian must prove that he/she has secure housing for the period of time applied for.  The certificate must be signed by the homeowner and witnessed by two adults.

The documents in no. 7, 8 and 9 are necessary to verify the age, custody and marital status of a child. These documents, along with other necessary documents, need to have been received by the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration before the child‘s 18th birthday according to paragraph 3, Article 47 of the Regulation on Foreigners no. 53/2003. Otherwise, the application will be processed as if an adult applied for a residence permit.

The Directorate requires that all foreign documentation issued in languages other than English or one of the Scandinavian languages, must be translated by an accredited interpreter.

The Directorate reserves the right to ask for authentication of foreign documents, if necessary. Authentication can be either an „apostille“ from the applicant‘s home country, or a double authentication from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in the home country and the Embassy of that country in Iceland, or the embassy accredited to Iceland (if the country does not have an embassy in Iceland). This applies to criminal record checks, marriage certificates, birth certificates and any other certificates submitted with an application for a residence permit in Iceland. Further information on apostille can be found on the website http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=text.display&tid=37

If the application is approved, an applicant who needs a visa shall obtain a D-Visa at the closest embassy issuing such visas on behalf of Iceland. The application must indicate in which embassy the applicant intends to collect the visa. Check here for a list of embassies.

After arriving in Iceland:

Most foreigners need to go for a medical checkup and deliver a Medical Certificate to the Directorate. (See further exemptions and procedures from the Directorate of Health).

Appear with his passport at the Directorate’s office, or at the nearest District Commissioner’s office to be photographed.

Having fulfilled the above-mentioned conditions the residence permit is issued and the residence permit card sent to the registered address. The date of issuance marks the official beginning of a foreigner‘s residence in Iceland.

Renewal for a child under the age of 18 - documents needed:

Application for renewal must be submitted at least one month before the current permit expires. If the conditions for renewal are fulfilled, a residence permit for a child is usually renewed for one year at a time.

Photograph: The applicant will be photographed when applying for a renewal and shall bring his passport.

1. An original application form, completed and signed by the applicant’s parent/custodian.
2. A photocopy of the applicant´s passport.  The validity of the passport must be at least three months beyond the proposed permit.

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Applicants who were issued residence permits as children (until the age of 18) have the option of extending the permit on the same grounds. On the other hand they will need to hand in documents of employment and/or studies.

Renewal for an individual over 18 years of age who works in Iceland - documents needed:

If the child of the spouse of an Icelandic citizen, that has reached the age of 18, is working, he/she needs to show that they can financially support themselves. They will need to show sufficient financial support for an individual according to the official and published table of financial support at each time.

1. An original application form, completed and signed by the applicant.
2. A photocopy of the applicant´s passport.  The validity of the passport must be at least three months beyond the proposed permit.
3. Housing Certificate.  The applicant must prove that he/she has secure housing for the period of time applied for. The certificate must be signed by the homeowner and witnessed by two adults.
4. A certificate from social services.  The applicant needs to submit a certificate from the appropriate social services stating whether he/she has received financial aid or not.
5. Financial support.  The applicant must show that he/she has sufficient means of financial support.
6. An application for a work permit on the basis of family reunification, along with an employment contract, in its original form.
7. Tax payment record. The applicant shall submit a statement from the applicable tax authority of payment of taxes for the past 12 months.

Renewal for an individual over 18 years of age who studies in Iceland - documents needed:

A child of the spouse of an Icelandic citizen, that has reached the age of 18 can be exempt from showing that it can sufficiently financially support itself. This exemption is conditioned on the fact that the individual studies in Iceland and resides with the party that was its custodian before the individual reached the age of 18. That party may show that he/she has sufficient means to support themselves, other family members, and the individual over the age of 18 applying for an extension of their permit even though, according to Icelandic legislation, that party no longer has the legal obligation to financially support the individual concerned. Half of the minimum financial support for an individual needs to be shown and adequate financial support is measured by the official and published table of financial support at each time.

To be eligible for the abovementioned exemption, an applicant must provide the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration with the following documents:

1. An original application form, completed and signed by the applicant.
2. A photocopy of the applicant´s passport. The validity of the passport must be at least three months beyond the proposed permit.
3. Housing Certificate The applicant must prove that he has secure housing for the period of time he is applying for.
4. Verification of studies.  The applicant needs to show that he/she is a registered student.
5. A certificate from social services.  The applicant needs to submit a certificate from the appropriate social services stating whether he/she has received financial aid or not.
6. Financial support.  The applicant must show that he/she has sufficient means of financial support.
7. An application for a work permit on the basis of family reunification, if the applicant also intends to work in Iceland, along with an employment contract, in its original form.
8. Tax payment record. The applicant shall submit a statement from the applicable tax authority of payment of taxes for the past 12 months.