Who can vote? Eligibility to vote
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The eligibility to vote varies according to the type of election.
Elections for parliament, presidential elections and referendums:
Th conditions to be able to vote are:
Icelandic citizen
legal domicile in Iceland
have reached the age of 18 on election day
Icelandic citizens living abroad
An Icelandic citizen who has been domiciled in Iceland, has the right to vote for sixteen years from the time he moves his or her legal domicile from Iceland.
After that time he needs to apply to vote again.
Danish citizens
Danish citizens resident in Iceland on 6 March 1946, or at some point in the 10 years preceding that date, shall have the right to vote in parliamentary elections, in accordance with Act No. 85/1946.
Others
Foreign nationals do not have the right to vote in parliamentary elections, in presidential elections or in referendums.
Municipal elections
Municipal elections are based on the right to vote due to domicile, whereas in other elections citizenship is the condition.
Icelandic citizens have the right to vote if they:
are domiciled in Iceland
have reached the age of 18 on election day
Nordic nationals have the right to vote if they:
are domiciled in the municipality
have reached the age of 18 on election day
Other foreign nationals have the right to vote if they:
have been domiciled in Iceland for 3 consecutive years prior to election day
have reached the age of 18 on election day
Icelandic students living abroad:
Icelandic students with domicile in the following Nordic countries may vote in municipal elections:
Denmark
Finland
Faroe Islands
Greenland
Norway
Sweden
The right to vote applies in the municipality in which they last had their registered domicile. The same applies to spouses and children of those who reside with them in the Nordic country.
Attention! For students in the Nordic countries to vote in municipal elections, they must apply to the National Registry at the latest 40 days before polling day. A new application must be submitted before each municipal election with confirmation of study.