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Information for foreigners stranded in Iceland due to COVID-19

Foreigners situated in Iceland who are unable to return to their home countries due to travel restrictions, quarantine or isolation are allowed to stay in Iceland without a residence permit or visa until 1 June 2020, according to a temporary provision of the Regulation on foreigners that has already taken effect.

To whom does the temporary provision apply?

The provision applies to foreigners who stayed in Iceland before the introduction of travel restrictions on 20 March 2020, on the basis of:

a residence permit, which has now expired or expires before he/she can leave the country,
a visa, which has now expired or expires before he/she can leave the country,
being visa exempt, but will have stayed longer than 90 days in the Schengen Area before he/she can leave the country.

To whom does the temporary provision not apply?

The provision does not apply to foreigners who were in illegal stay before 20 March 2020 and does not prevent an expulsion on that or other basis in accordance with the provisions of the Foreigners Act.

Do I need to ask for a permission to stay longer in Iceland?

No, you do not need to ask for a permission to stay longer in the country. The amendment to the regulation gives everyone who it applies to an automatic right to stay longer in the country without a residence permit or a visa.

How long can I stay?

Foreigners in this situation are asked to leave the country as soon as possible, by 1 June 2020 at the latest.

Temporary stop to expedited processing of residence permits based on work

The Directorate of Labour has announced that due to current circumstances and its effect on the Directorate’s operations it will postpone the issuance of new work permits, in part, and not be able to respond to applications for expedite processing within the required time limit.

In view of this, the Directorate of Immigration will stop the expedited processing of residence permits based on work until the Directorate of Labour is again able to process such applications.

Information on when the expedite processing starts again will be published on this website.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Appointments necessary in Directorate’s reception as of March 31

Due to our concerns for the well-being of our clients and our obligation to ensure that a distance of at least two (2) meters can be maintained between individuals in our reception, in accordance with the instructions of the Directorate of Health, we have decided to close the Directorate’s reception in Dalvegur 18 for those who do not have an appointment as of March 31 2020.

Appointments can be made for photo shootings as well as for urgent errands that cannot be resolved by other means. Please call 444-0900 to make an appointment.

Clients are encouraged to contact the service center for assistance by calling 444-0900 or by sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The service center is open Mondays to Thursdays from 9:00 to 14:00 and on Fridays from 9:00 to 12:00. In the case of long waiting times for telephone services, the telephone answering staff will be increased.

Applications can be mailed to the Directorate, but please note that a proof of payment (bank receipt) must accompany the application otherwise it will be returned.

A drop box for applications (payment receipt must be included) and other documents will be accessible in the Directorate's lobby from 8:00 to 16:00 every weekday.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Travel restrictions to Iceland and 14-day quarantine for all residents

Due to the spread of the Covid-19 virus, the Icelandic government has implemented the travel restrictions imposed for the Schengen Area and the European Union. As of 20 March 2020, Foreign Nationals - except EU/EEA, EFTA or UK nationals - are not allowed to enter Iceland. This advice is valid until 17 April 2020.

Furthermore, as of 19 March 2020, all residents in Iceland that enter the country are obligated to undergo quarantine for 14 days, regardless of their nationality and where they are traveling from. This also applies to new residents and persons seeking international protection. Transportation crews (airlines and freighters) continue to be except from quarantine.

To whom do the travel restrictions apply?

The travel restrictions apply to all Foreign Nationals, other than EU/EEA, EFTA or UK Nationals, irrespective of whether they require a visa to travel to the Schengen Area or not.

To whom do the travel restrictions not apply?

The travel restrictions do not apply to:

EU citizens
Citizens of the EFTA States
UK citizens
Individuals with a valid residence permit in Iceland or any of the Schengen Member States
Family members of Icelandic or other EU/EFTA citizens, in particular spouses, cohabiting partners, direct descendants and dependent direct relatives in the ascending line.

Exemptions

The travel restrictions do not apply to essential travel, including passengers in airport transit, health and care workers on professional travel, transportation crews (airlines and freighters), individuals requiring international protection, individuals traveling because of acute family incidents and diplomats, international organization staff, members of armed forces traveling to Iceland for duty, or humanitarian aid workers.

Foreign Nationals covered by the travel restriction, who need to travel to a Schengen Member State through Iceland in any of the above-mentioned purposes, are advised to contact the Member State they are traveling to for a written confirmation of their permission to enter the respective state’s territory. Without such a confirmation, such Foreign Nationals cannot be authorized to enter the Schengen Area in Iceland.

If Iceland is the main destination, it is recommended that Foreign Nationals covered by the travel restriction contact Iceland's nearest embassy or the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Services (Tel. +354 545 0112 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for information on how to be given an exemption from the travel restrictions.

Please note that if you intend to travel to Iceland with a stopover in another state, it is very important to carefully examine whether any travel restrictions have been introduced in the respective state that might affect your travel to Iceland.

Disruption of the issuance of visas in specific locations

As a preliminary measure to battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Norway, Lithuania, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Sweden and Finland have now stopped issuing visas temporarily. In the places those countries represent Iceland the issuing of visas to Iceland will likewise be shut down temporarily. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may case.

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