Residence and work permit based on temporary shortage of labourers

A foreigner may be granted a residence permit based on temporary shortage of labourers, for a specific job, if employees are not available within the local work force or within the European Economic Community area, the EFTA countries or the Faroe Islands.

Please note that an application will not be processed until it has been paid for. See here.

Estimated application processing time for a residence permit is 90 days from the date when all required documentation has been received by the Directorate.

An application for a first residence permit shall have been approved before a foreigner arrives in the country. This means that if a foreigner is in Iceland when an application is submitted for the first time, he must leave the country.

A foreigner who has held a residence permit based on temporary shortage of labourers may not be granted such a permit again until he has resided abroad for two years from the date of expiry of the last permit.

A residence permit on the grounds of temporary shortage of labourers does not count towards a permanent residence permit.

Holders of a residence permit on the grounds of temporary shortage of labourers do not qualify for family reunification.

For renewal of work- and residence permits, see instructions at the bottom of this page.

The following documentation must be submitted with the application:

If sufficient documentation has not been submitted, the application processing time will be considerably longer.

1. A completed original application form for a residence permit signed by the applicant.
2. A completed original application form for a work permit based on shortage g labourers, signed by the employer.
3. A signed employment contract.
4. One passport size photo (35mm-45mm).
5. A photocopy of the applicant’s passport. The validity of the passport must be at least three months beyond the proposed permit.
6. Criminal Record Check. The certificate must be issued by the country/countries where the applicant has resided for the past five years, original. Criminal Record Certificate must be dated no earlier than 6 months prior to being submitted to the Directorate
7. Medical Insurance. Insurance must cover at least 2.000.000 Icel.kr., and shall be issued by an insurance company authorized to provide services in Iceland. The insurance must be in effect for 6 months.
8. Authorization. The applicant may grant a relative or another person in Iceland authorization to enquire about his application.
9. Housing Certificate The foreigner must prove that he has secure housing for the period of time he is applying for. The certificate must be signed by the property owner and witnessed by two adults.

Attached to the application must be certified originals of documentation as applicable. The Directorate of Immigration reserves the right to ask for authentication of foreign documents, if necessary. The 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.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.

Further information on apostille is available at http://hcch.e-vision.nl

If the application for work- and residence permit is approved, the foreigner needs to obtain a D-Visa in the closest embassy issuing such visas on behalf of Iceland. The application must state in which embassy the foreigner intends to obtain the visa. Check here for a list of embassies.

Upon arrival in Iceland, the foreigner shall:

• Register his domicile in Iceland at the National Registry (Þjóðskrá).
• Deliver a Medical Certificate to the Directorate. Check here for exemptions and procedures from the Directorate of Health.
• Present himself at the directorate’s office, or at the nearest District Commissioner’s office to be photographed for the purpose of issuing a residence permit card.

Upon fulfilling those requirements, the permit is issued and the residence card is sent to the applicant’s address. The first day of the permit is counted as the date the residence permit is issued.

Renewal

Applicant shall personally submit application and will be photographed at that time, unless otherwise stated. See here.

The residence permit may be renewed for up to one additional year. If circumstances warrant the permit may be renewed for a longer time than one year, in the case of a clearly defined and timed project.

An application for renewal that is submitted within the time limits has the effect that the applicant may stay in Iceland subject to the same conditions as before until a decision has been made on his application. A foreigner shall submit his application for a renewal at least one month before his permit expires; or else the applicant has to leave the country.

The following documentation must be submitted with the application:

If sufficient documentation has not been submitted, the application processing time will be considerably longer.

1. A completed original application form for a residence permit signed by the applicant.
2. A completed original application form for a work permit based on shortage of labourers, signed by the employer.
3. A signed employment contract.
4. A photocopy of the applicant´s passport. The validity of the passport must be at least three months beyond the proposed permit.
5. Housing Certificate The foreigner must prove that he has secure housing for the period of time he is applying for.

6. Certificate from social services. The applicant must submit a certificate from the applicable municipal services, indicating whether or not he has received any financial social support.

7.      Tax payment record. A foreigner shall submit a statement from the applicable tax authority of payment of taxes for the past 12 months.

When the processing of the application is completed, the applicant will be advised by a written notification.