Custody of a child

According to law, a child have the right to be in the custody of one or both of their parents. Under the concept of custody emphasis is placed on the parental obligations of care and protection. To change the custody arrangement please use the form below. Note that this form is available only in Icelandic.

Temporary custody

Parents may make temporary agreements on the custody of a child. This applies whether custody is to be shared or with one of the parents.

Temporary contracts must be valid for a minimum of 6 months. At the end of the contract period, the custody shall revert to its previous state unless otherwise decided.

Parents must take the initiative to inform the National Registry of Iceland when the period of validity of a temporary change in custody has passed.

What happens next?

When the parents have submitted an agreement on the change of custody of the child along with supporting documents, the District Commissioner will invite both parents to an interview. During the interview, parents will be instructed on Chapter V of the Children's Act on parental responsibilities and custody of a child and Chapter IX. section of the Children's Act on child support.

Once the parents' interview with the District Commissioner or his representative has taken place, the District Commissioner will, as the case may be, issue a confirmation of your agreement to change custody of the child(ren).

The confirmation will be sent to the National Register for registration and published to parents in their digital mailbox on Ísland.is.

You can search for information about registered guardianship of a child on my pages on Ísland.is.

If you don't have electronic ID you can access an agreement on custody via PDF here.