Marital and cohabiting spouses
The application processing time can be up to 10 working days after all necessary documents have been submitted.
You can reside in Iceland as a marital spouse or cohabiting partner if
Marital spouse
- You are an EEA/EFTA citizen, married to a person with a legal domicile in Iceland and are supported by your spouse.
Cohabiting partner
- An unmarried EEA/EFTA citizen who has cohabitated with a person who is unmarried and has a legal domicile in Iceland and is supported by his partner.
You need to provide the following documents :
Marital spouse
- Copy of your passport or other legal travel document.
- Original marriage certificate along with a certified translation if needed must be submitted to our office or the nearest police station.
- Documentation confirming that the spouse can support you financially.
You must have comprehensive private health insurance until you have had your legal domicile registered in Iceland for 6 months or during the length of your stay in Iceland if you stay is shorter. A six month period of registered legal domicile in Iceland is the requirement to gain access to the public health insurance scheme in Iceland.
It is each persons own responsibility to know and verify the conditions of their insurance, i.e. what the insurance covers.
Note: If your spouse resides in Iceland on the basis as an employee or employer, you do not need to document your health insurance or documents of financial ability. It is each persons own responsibility to verify the conditions of their insurance, i.e. what the insurance covers.
Cohabiting partner
- Copy of your passport or other legal travel document.
- Application for registration of cohabitation must be submitted.
- Original Marital status certificates for both the applicant and their cohabiting partner must be submitted to our office or the nearest police station.
- Documentation confirming that your partner can support you financially.
- Signed declaration from your cohabiting partner of their financial support.
You must have comprehensive private health insurance until you have had your legal domicile registered in Iceland for 6 months or during the length of your stay in Iceland if you stay is shorter. A six month period of registered legal domicile in Iceland is the requirement to gain access to the public health insurance scheme in Iceland.
It is each persons own responsibility to know and verify the conditions of their insurance, i.e. what the insurance covers.
Note: If your partner resides in Iceland on the basis as an employee or employer, you do not need to document your health insurance or documents of financial ability. It is each persons own responsibility to verify the conditions of their insurance, i.e. what the insurance covers.
Note: Abuse of rights or fraud may result in the revocation of a person‘s right to reside in Iceland.
During your stay in Iceland, you are allowed to work.
After 5 years in Iceland, you may be entitled to a permanent right of residence, if you meet the requirements.
An EEA/EFTA citizen residing in Iceland as a spouse/partner of a person who supports them can reside in Iceland as long as their supporting spouse/partner continues to meet the requirements for residence. As an EEA/EFTA citizen, you can always reside in Iceland if you yourself meet the requirements for residence.
If you plan to stay in Iceland for less than 3 months, you do not meet the requirements for domicile registration in Iceland and you should apply for a system ID, see more here. However if you are seeking employment, you can remain in Iceland for up to 6 months before applying for a legal domicile registration.
If you plan on being in Iceland for longer than 3 months, you need to apply for a legal domicile in Iceland. You can stay in Iceland as long as you meet the requirements for legal domicile registration in Iceland.
If you are no longer the spouse/partner of an EEA/EFTA citizen, you can reside in Iceland as long as you meet the requirements for registration based on one of the other residence categories:
- As an employee
- As a self-employed person
- A person residing on the basis of sufficient funds
- As a family member
- As a posted worker
If you are leaving Iceland because you no longer meet the requirements as a spouse/partner, you must notify us that you are leaving and submit a notification of moving from Iceland using form A-251.
Individuals can stay abroad for up to 6 months on a yearly basis without registering their domicile out of Iceland.
Please note that you do not need to register out of Iceland for a stay abroad for more than 6 months if any of the following conditions apply:
- Longer absence on one or more occasions for compulsory military service.
- A single absence of a maximum of 12 consecutive months for urgent reasons, such as pregnancy and child birth, serious illness, study or vocational training or work to which the person concerned is sent to in another EEA/EFTA country or third country.
If you leave Iceland for more than 6 months and the above mentioned reasons don't apply, you are required to register your legal domicile out of Iceland here. For more information regarding moving from Iceland, see here.
If you have registered out of Iceland, but have returned, you will need to re-apply for legal domicile registration within 3 months, using form A-271.
If you have acquired permanent residence, you will not lose it unless you leave Iceland for a period exceeding two consecutive years.
Please note that it is not permitted to have a legal domicile registration in two countries at the same time according to pgr. 1 of art. 2 of the law of legal domicile no. 80/2018.
You can apply using application A-271 or click on the application form on the right.
With your application, you must always submit a valid passport or ID card along with the required documents to demonstrate that you meet the requirements for legal domicile registration.
An application is not processed until all documentation has been received and the applicant has arrived at a registration office and presented his passport and other necessary documents.
It is optional to submit the following documents with the application :
- Birth certificate
All documents must be in Icelandic or English. In cases where documents are in another language, a certified translation is required along with the original document.