General Legal Aid

Online applications will make the application process easier for you. Before you go on, it is a good idea to find out what information is gathered and how it is processed.

Conditions

For a general legal aid application, one of the following must apply:

• The applicant's financial situation is such that legal costs will be predictably excessive.

• The circumstances are such that the outcome of the case could make a substantial difference to the employment, social status or other private interests of the applicant.

• The outcome of a case has significant public significance, for example, by creating a court precedent on similar cases.

Revenue threshold

To receive a grant of contributions on the basis of a poor financial situation, the following thresholds are used in 2023:

• The base for calculating income tax and income from offshore and financial income shall not exceed ISK 4,417.918 (block 2.7 of tax return)

• If the applicant is married or cohabiting, the total annual income of the applicant and his/her spouse may not exceed ISK 6,636.368.

• The threshold is increased by ISK 491,144 for each child under the age of 18 living with the applicant.

The threshold is subject to change from the consumer price index on 1 January each year.

Application

A written application for legal aid must be sent to the Ministry of Justice at least three weeks before the main proceedings.

The processing time for applications is generally 1-2 months.

The following must be stated in the application:

• The full name, ID number (kennitala), status and address of the applicant and the counterparty.

• The court in which the case is being administered and the lawyer on behalf of the applicant.

The application must be supported by detailed reasons and must include:

• the main facts, grounds and arguments in law

• whether there is sufficient ground for legal action or defence

• information on the applicant's family situation and the burden of support

• what is the estimated cost of the case, including the cost of obtaining assessments and other evidence

Attachment data

The application must include:

• main dossiers

• a certified photocopy of tax returns of the applicant for the last two years and his or her spouse or cohabiting partner

• data on the income of the applicant, spouse or cohabiting partner before the time since the last tax return

• other data that may be of significance for the processing of the application