Expulsion and re-entry ban to Iceland

When a decision regarding refusal of entry, expulsion or revocation of a residence permit is appealed, the authorities shall appoint the foreign national a legal advocat to protect their interests.

If the foreign national does not have a lawyer or does not nominate one, the Directorate of Immigration will appoint a lawyer from the Icelandic Bar Association's list.

This, however, does not apply to appeals against decisions on international protection under Chapter III or expulsion under paragraphs 2 and 3 of Article 95, items c and d of paragraph 1 of Article 98, items b and c of paragraph 1 of Article 99, and item a of paragraph 1 of Article 100 of the Foreign Nationals Act.

Payments

The cost for the advocacy service is paid from the State Treasury, 16.500 ISK for each hour commenced, plus value-added tax, for a maximum of seven hours.

Only advocats appointed by the Directorate of Immigration will be paid from the State Treasury. If a foreign national chooses to select an advocat other than the one appointed to them, they must pay the costs for their services themselves.

Invoices

Invoices for advocacy services provided shall be sent to the Directorate of Immigration electronically with reference to the Directorate's case number, together with a detailed time report and the letter of appointment.

Only one invoice for services to each individual is accepted at the end of the case or when the permitted number of hours has been reached. If more than one invoice is sent for the processing of the same case, the subsequent invoice will be rejected.

Payment is not made for the advocat's work that takes place after the final conclusion of an administrative case, such as work on requests for the suspension of legal effects or the reopening of a case.

Driving time, including driving to and from an interview, is not paid for.

Electronic invoices

The Directorate of Immigration only accepts electronic invoices. Invoices shall be in XML format and communicated through message servers.

In no case shall the payment deadline be less than 25 days.

For those without electronic invoices, Skúffan is a solution that the Financial Management Authority offers users to send invoices in electronic form to government agencies.

Further information on the issuance of electronic invoices is available here (in Icelandic).

Laws

Legal aid and advocacy services are the subject of Article 13 of the Foreign Nationals Act and Article 42 of the Regulation on Foreigners.