I'm not from the EEA / EFTA region - General information

Owing to international agreements, those who are not EEA/EFTA nationals must apply for a residence permit if they intend to stay in Iceland for longer than three months.  The Directorate of Immigrants issues residence permits.

Read more about residence permits here.

As an applicant, you need permission to stay in Iceland while the application is being processed. This is important as it may affect the processing of your application. Read more about this here.

Follow this link for information on processing time of applications for residence permits.

The majority of first-time applications are processed within six months and most renewals are processed within three months. In some circumstances it may take longer to evaluate whether an applicant fulfils the permit requirements.

Those who are applying for international protection but want to work while their application is being processed, can apply for so called provisional residence and work permit. This permit has to be granted before starting any work.

The permit being provisional means that it´s only valid until the application for protection has been decided on. The permit is not granting the one that gets it a permanent residence permit and is subject to certain conditions.

Read more about this here.

A permanent residence permit provides the right to stay permanently in Iceland. As a general rule, an applicant must have been resident in Iceland for four years to be able to apply for a permanent residence permit. In special cases, an applicant may gain the right to a permanent residence permit sooner than four years.

Further information on requirements, documents to be submitted and an application form can be found on the website of the Directorate of Immigration.

Find out if you need a visa to come to Iceland.

British citizens in Europe after Brexit

If you already have a residence permit but need to renew it, it´s done online. You need to have electronic identification to fill out your online application.

Further information about residence permit renewal and how to apply.

Note: This application process is only for renewing an existing residence permit. And  it is not for those who have received protection in Iceland after fleeing from Ukraine. In that case, go here for further information.