Persons who are nationals of countries outside the EEA and EFTA generally need a permit to work in Iceland. The EEA is the European Economic Area and EFTA is the European Free Trade Association.
General information on work permits
Work permits are always temporary. Their validity period depends on the type of work permit and residence permit.
An employee may not start working until a work permit is granted.
If the individual does not have a residence permit, it is the employer's responsibility to apply for a work permit.
If an individual has a residence permit, it is the joint responsibility of the employee and the employer to apply for a work permit. This also applies to the extension of a work permit.
A work permit is issued to both the individual and the employer.
The individual can only work for the employer to whom the work permit is granted. The work permit is also limited to the individual for whom an application is made.
Duration of the employment contract can be valid for a longer or shorter time.
Required data
To apply for all types of temporary work permits, you must submit:
Original application form. Application forms for each type of temporary work permit can be found in each category, in the list below.
In many cases, the application must also include the opinion of the relevant trade union. Trade unions review the employment contract, among other things. When the union is Efling, the Directorate of Labour provides the opinion.
The contract and application form must be signed by the person to be employed and the employer.
Employers submit an application for a work permit, together with an application for a residence permit, to the Directorate of Immigration.
From there, an application for a work permit is sent to the Directorate of Labour and is processed there.
The work permit is issued to the employer and to an individual.
An employee may start working.
Status and processing time
Applications received by the agency in the month specified in the table below are being processed. Not all applications are processed in the month in which they are processed.
Work permit applications in progress – updated April 15th, 2025
General applications February 13, 2025
Student applications Mars 10, 2025
Applications in expedited processing February 14, 2025
When an application has been processed, it means that it has been sent to a specialist, who checks whether the application meets the requirements for a work permit. If the application is incomplete or if documents are missing, the agency contacts the applicant or his or her representative. In some cases, the Directorate of Labour obtains additional documents to those submitted by the applicant, for example from the tax authorities. For this reason, it may take some time from the time an application is processed until the Directorate of Labour contacts the applicant.
If your application is waiting to be processed, no further information regarding the application will be available by phone or email.
More on work permits
You must submit an application for an extension of the temporary work permit before it expires.
An application for an extension must meet all the requirements of the temporary work permit and the employer must have paid withholding tax and social security contributions for the work of the individual.
Applications are submitted to the Directorate of Immigration.
If a person with a temporary work permit wishes to change his/her place of employment, the person concerned must submit an application for a work permit to the Directorate of Immigration from the new employer. That permit must be granted before the person concerned can start working.
It can have serious consequences to start work before a work permit is granted. The requested work permit can be refused and such an act can result in fines or imprisonment for up to two years for both the employer and the person involved.
This applies regardless of whether the person concerned is expected to work in Iceland for a short or long period of time.
From the above, there are narrow exemptions that apply to jobs that require expert knowledge.
Employers are responsible for employees having the necessary permits before they start working.
Other situations where a work permit is required
Divorce
If spouses or cohabiting partners get a divorce of a citizen of the EEA country get a divorce, they may need to apply for a work permit.
No residence permit
Individuals who do not have a permanent residence permit may need to apply for a work permit when they turn 18, despite having grown up in Iceland.
Employees in tourism
Guides and other employees in the tourism industry who are nationals of non-EEA countries must apply for a temporary work permit in Iceland because of their work in Iceland.
Who does not need a work permit?
Reasons why a person does not need a temporary work permit in Iceland may be the country of origin, the circumstances or the type of work to be performed.
Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish citizens.
Citizens of countries that are part of EFTA, EEA and the agreement between Iceland, Denmark and the Faroe Islands.
Citizens of these states are exempt from a work permit:
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
The Faroe Islands
Greece
Netherlands
Ireland
Italy
Croatia
Cyprus
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Malta
Norway
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Slovakia
Slovenia
Spain
Switzerland
Sweden
Czech Republic
Hungary
Germany
However, family members must obtain a residence permit issued by the Directorate of Immigration to stay legally in Iceland.
With a permanent residence permit
Foreign spouses and cohabiting partners of Icelandic citizens and their children up to the age of eighteen
Have been granted a residence permit on grounds of international protection
Are in the private services of foreign ambassadors
Have been granted a residence permit on the basis of youth mobility agreement
Individuals who were Icelandic citizens from birth but have lost their Icelandic citizenship
Residence permits based on humanitarian grounds
Residence permit based on special ties to the country
Foreign spouses and cohabiting partners of foreign nationals who have been granted temporary work permits for work requiring professional expertise and their children up to the age of eighteen.
In certain cases, foreigners’ employment may be exempted by law if the period of employment does not exceed 90 days per year. If, however, the period of employment exceeds 90 days, an application must be made and a work permit issued.
Further information on this exemption is provided in Article 23 of the Regulation.
If a notification has not been sent to the Directorate of Labour, an individual is not considered exempt from a work permit as the provisions of Article 23 of the Act are not considered to be complied with. This can lead to the person being stopped and deported at the border.
As there are exemption clauses, it is necessary to notify the arrival of the employer before he/she arrives in Iceland. With the notification of arrival, information must be submitted about the travel agency and/or the tour guide who will conduct the guided tour in Iceland.
Note that notification must be sent for each period of use of the exemption.
Tour guides and group leaders from non-EEA countries
Guides
Please note that guides are not exempt from Article 23 of the Act and guides with a nationality outside the European Economic Area must apply for a temporary work permit in Iceland for their work in Iceland. The same applies to other employees in the tourism industry who are not exempt from the requirement for a work permit and do work that is generally considered to be within the Icelandic collective agreements and the Icelandic labour market. Further information on the rights and obligations of foreign tourism operators with operations in Iceland can be found here.
Group leaders
Group managers from countries outside the European Economic Area who accompany groups of tourists to and from Iceland are subject to the exemption clause of the Act for short-term work and may be employed in Iceland for up to 90 days for business purposes.
The group leader's role is mainly to accompany the group to and from the country and is represented by such as a tour guide and other national service providers.
In general, all jobs and industries in Iceland are covered by collective agreements. See more on the ASÍ website.
Volunteer work in economic activities, production and sale of goods or services on the market for profit, often in competition with companies in the same economic activity, does not comply with either collective agreements or the law.
Employers are therefore not permitted to have volunteers perform work that is generally paid for in the Icelandic labour market. In Iceland, volunteer work is only permitted if it is a non-governmental organisation that operates in charitable, cultural or humanitarian activities that are not run for profit and are exempt from tax liability according to Article 4 of the Income Tax Act.
Employment contracts that stipulate less favorable terms than those according to collective agreements are considered invalid. For further information and assistance, contact the relevant trade union.
In addition to the above, volunteers with citizenship outside the European Economic Area, EFTA countries and the Faroe Islands must apply for a residence permit from the Directorate of Immigration, regardless of the length of stay in Iceland. This is in accordance with Article 67 of the Aliens Act.
Further information on residence permits for volunteers can be found on the Directorate of Immigration website here.
Self-employed individuals
Individuals who are citizens of non-EEA countries may not work in Iceland as self-employed individual.
