Asylum and international protection in Iceland

Iceland grants protection as a refugee to people at risk of persecution, and subsidiary protection to people at risk of capital punishment, torture or inhuman or degrading treatment; stateless persons can be protected on grounds of statelessness. You must be physically present in Iceland. The request can be made orally and needs no particular form: tell the police at Keflavík Airport when you arrive, go to the reception centre for applicants at Egilsgata 3 in Reykjavík during working hours, or, outside the capital area, go to the nearest police station. Iceland does not process claims sent from abroad.

Applicants may work only after receiving a provisional residence and work permit, which costs ISK 40,000. Conditions: you have given your statement, your identity is not in doubt, there are no known grounds for expulsion, no request has been made to another state to take you back (waivable after 90 days), and you have cooperated. You need a work permit application, a contract endorsed by the trade union, and health insurance. Holding this permit ends your entitlement to applicant housing and allowances after a reasonable transition, and it does not count towards permanent residence.

Your fingerprints are recorded in Eurodac. Under the AMMR, which replaced the Dublin III Regulation on 12 June 2026 and links Iceland with the EU states, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, the Directorate first checks whether another participating state is responsible, for example because you hold its visa or residence permit, entered it irregularly, have close family there or applied there before. If so, you are transferred without a decision on the merits, after being heard.

Applicants from countries on Iceland’s safe-countries list are normally handled in an accelerated procedure. The Directorate may also prioritise likely approvals, unaccompanied children and repeat claims. All other claims are examined on their merits through an interview and country information, leading to refugee status, subsidiary protection, a humanitarian residence permit or refusal.

The Directorate of Labour provides basic services while the claim is pending, without a separate application. Applicants are first housed in its accommodation at 17 locations in three municipalities, mostly in the capital area, or may live elsewhere if they report their address. A weekly food allowance of up to ISK 28,000, depending on family size, is paid on a card. Necessary health care and medicines are covered, starting with a medical check at Egilsgata 3, and the Directorate of Labour applies for school places for children aged 6 to 18.

The Directorate of Immigration appoints an advocate with legal qualifications for every protection applicant, paid by the State Treasury; if you choose another lawyer, you pay yourself. Passports are kept until the case ends.

If no detailed reasons accompany a refusal, you can request them in writing within 14 days. Appeals go to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board: within 15 days in cases examined on their merits and within 5 days in accelerated cases, and AMMR transfer decisions can also be appealed. After a final refusal you must leave Iceland; assisted voluntary return is available in some cases. A subsequent claim based on significant new facts is lodged with the police at Egilsgata 3, or with the Appeals Board by email at postur@knu.is if the case is already there.

Iceland’s list of safe countries of origin covers the EU member states and countries such as Albania, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, the United Kingdom and the United States; each claim is still examined individually. The Directorate links to EUAA information material on the procedure, and questions about services go to the Directorate of Labour’s service team.