News

14-day quarantine upon entry to Iceland

As of Friday April 24 anyone arriving in Iceland must undergo a 14-day quarantine from their day of arrival. At the same time, temporary internal Schengen border controls will be introduced, according to a joint statement by the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health. The rules are valid until June 15 2020.

Who is required to go into quarantine when entering Iceland?

The quarantine requirement applies to people, regardless of nationality, arriving from countries and areas defined with high risk of infection. At present, this applies to all countries except the Faroe Islands and Greenland. Which countries and areas are defined as high-risk areas shall be regularly reassessed.

Information on how quarantine works

Why does everyone have to go into quarantine?

The COVID-19 outbreak in Iceland has now been largely contained and only a few new cases are diagnosed each day. One of the most important factors in controlling the outbreak and preventing a widespread epidemic in Iceland is to ensure that the disease does not spread from other countries, neither through persons residing in Iceland nor tourists.

How will the quarantine rules be enforced?

Temporary border controls for arrivals from the Schengen area have been established in accordance with the Foreign Nationals Act and the regulation on cross-border travel. Travelers arriving in Iceland will be required to complete a Public Health Passenger Locator form and present it at border points.

Thus, it will be a precondition for entering Iceland that necessary information about where a person will stay in quarantine and how it will be organised is made available to authorities.

Who can travel to Iceland?

Travel restrictions to Iceland are effective until June 15, according to which foreigners who are neither EU/EEA nor EFTA nationals, are not allowed to enter Iceland unless they can demonstrate that their travel is essential.

Further information on travel restrictions to Iceland

Restrictions on non-essential travel prolonged until 15 May

The Minister of Justice has announced that travel restrictions that came into effect on March 20 will be extended until 15 May 2020, in accordance with the EU Commission recommendation to the Schengen Member States.

The scope of travel restrictions remains unchanged. Foreigners, who are neither EU/EEA nor EFTA nationals, continue not to be allowed to enter Iceland unless they can demonstrate that their travel is essential.

Further information on to whom the travel restrictions apply and who is exempt from them can be found in a previous article on the Directorate’s website.

Here you can also read the Directorate's answers to various questions related to COVID-19.

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 10 August 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 10 August 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.