International protection, rights and application procedure

If your application for international protection is refused, you will be required to leave Iceland. Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be subject to a refusal of entry or an expulsion order.

Reasons for the decision

The Directorate of Immigration will normally provide a detailed statement of reasons together with its decision.

If a detailed statement of reasons is not provided, and your application has not been granted in full, you may request a written statement of reasons. Such a request must be submitted within 14 days of the date on which the Directorate's decision is served on you.

Appeal to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board

If you believe that the Directorate of Immigration did not process your application correctly, that its assessment of your case was incorrect, or if you disagree with the decision for any other reason, you may appeal the decision to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board.

You will be given the opportunity to lodge an appeal immediately when the decision is served on you. Alternatively, you may take time to consider your options. The time limit for lodging an appeal is 15 days in applications examined on their merits and 5 days in cases processed under the accelerated procedure.

Request for a subsequent application

A foreign national who has previously applied for international protection in Iceland and later returns to the country may request that their case be reconsidered if new information or circumstances have arisen that significantly increase the likelihood that the previous application would be successful.

A request for a subsequent application must be submitted to the police at Domus Medica, Egilsgata 3, 101 Reykjavík. The police will complete the request form and provide further guidance on the procedure. The request must clearly explain the reasons for submitting it and describe what has changed since the previous application. Any supporting documents should be submitted together with the request.

A request for a subsequent application must be submitted to the authority that made the decision for which reconsideration is sought. This means that an applicant who has not left Iceland and has already appealed the Directorate of Immigration's decision to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board must submit the request directly to the Appeals Board. If the Directorate receives a request in a case that has already been considered by the Appeals Board, it will reject the request.

Requests for a subsequent application may be submitted to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board by email at postur@knu.is.