If you want to apply for Icelandic citizenship at the Directorate of Immigration, you need to fulfill certain requirements that you can find on this page. If you meet all the conditions, you can apply here. Please note, that you need an electronic certificate to do so. The application fee is 27.000 ISK and the payment is included in the online application. If you also want to apply for citizenship for your child(ren), their application can be included in yours and you do not have to pay an extra fee.
If you do not meet all requirements, there is also the possibility to present your application for citizenship to the Parliament (Alþingi). Here you can find further information about applying to Alþingi.
Conditions:
Before you can apply for citizenship, you need to have lived in Iceland for a certain period . The length of this waiting period depends on your personal situation. Usually, you need to have had your legal domicile and permanent residence in Iceland for at least 7 years, starting from the moment you are officially registered in Iceland. If you have left Iceland for more than 90 days in total in each 12-month period, you are not considered a permanent resident.
However, there are exceptions regarding both the length of your stay in Iceland and the permanence of your residence.
In addition, you need a permanent residence permit if you are neither a citizen of a Nordic state, nor of an EEA/EFTA-state.
You also must pass an Icelandic language test if you do not meet the conditions for an exemption.
Besides, you cannot be in debt. That means, there has not been an unsuccessful attachment of your property in the last 3 years. An attachment is a court order seizing some of your property. Also, your estate has not been accepted for liquidation and you are not behind with paying taxes.
If you want to become a citizen of Iceland, you will also have to prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself or your family. For an individual that means 217.799 ISK per month and for a married couple it is 348.476 ISK per month. If you have received financial sustenance (framfærsla) from a municipality in the last 3 years you do not meet the legal requirements for citizenship.
In certain instances, different requirements apply.
It might affect your application if you have had to pay fines, been in prison or there is an open case in the criminal justice system against you. This can for example mean that you will have to wait with applying for citizenship. More detailed information can be found here.
To prove that you meet all the conditions listed above, you need to submit several documents:
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a copy of your passport (all pages with personal data, signature, and stamps) **
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certificate of legal registration history (can be ordered from Registers Iceland)
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Icelandic language test certificate or documents proving exemption
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legally authenticated criminal records from all states, you have been a resident since the age of 15 (if not in Icelandic, English or a Nordic language, certified translation needed) * / **
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documents proving sufficient funds in the last 12 months (for example employment contract/self-employment income, payslips, guaranteed regular payments, bank statement, student grant or loan)
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confirmed copies of tax returns for the last 3 years
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certificate from municipalities you lived in for the last 3 years confirming that you have not received financial sustenance (not older than 30 days before applying)
for a spouse:
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all documents listed above
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marriage certificate or certificate of cohabitation (confirmed copy and certified translation if not in Icelandic, English or a Nordic language) **
for children:
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copy of passport **
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legally authenticated original of the birth certificate * / **
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custody documents if one parent has custody alone
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custodian consent if only one parent applies for citizenship
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consent of the child, if they are 12 years or older
Some documents need a certified translation. Certified translators can be found here.
Documents marked with * need to be sent by mail to Dalvegur 18, 201 Kópavogur. The others can be attached to the application as pdf.
The Directorate of Immigration can make an exception from requiring certain documents (**) if it is impossible or unbearable for you to obtain those or if compelling reasons of fairness apply. You still need to meet all other requirements.