The Directorate of Health
Processing of applications for specialist licenses in subspecialties
8th January 2026
The Directorate of Health has decided to change the application process for specialist licenses in subspecialties. The decision follows a recent Ministry of Health ruling and aims to clarify and improve the procedure. The change takes effect immediately, and pending applications will now be processed.
-Automatic translation
The matter concerns the interpretation of Article 8 of Regulation No. 856/2023 regarding the granting of specialist licences based on education obtained abroad. According to the recent ruling by the Ministry of Health No. 12/2025 (Icelandic), the Directorate of Health is now authorised to assess whether medical doctors who have completed specialist training in a subspecialty abroad hold the equivalent of a specialist license, even if a formal specialist license has not been issued by the authorities in the country in question. Before the aforementioned ruling was issued, it was permissible to grant a specialist license for education abroad if (a) the individual met the existing learning outcomes in Iceland and (b) the applicant had been issued a specialist license in another country. With this ruling, it became clear that the Directorate of Health was (c) authorised to grant a specialist license based on education in another country where specialist licenses are not issued, if the applicant's education and subsequent work in that country can be considered equivalent to holding a specialist license. In such cases, an opinion must be obtained.
The change, therefore, involves the Directorate of Health seeking assessments of applicants' qualifications from specialists in the relevant subspecialties. These specialists must be knowledgeable about international standards and able to evaluate whether an applicant's education and experience meet Iceland's requirements and whether the applicant holds an equivalent specialist license from abroad.
The Directorate of Health considers it necessary to amend Regulation No. 856/2023 to clarify the conditions under which it operates in these matters, for example, by including a specific provision in Article 8 of the Regulation concerning the criteria for issuing a specialist licence in a subspecialty based on education obtained in another country.
The Directorate of Health also emphasises that public debate or media coverage has not affected the aforementioned change or the processing of the applications involved.
For further information
Kjartan Hreinn Njálsson, Assistant to the Medical Director of Health
kjartan.h.njalsson@landlaeknir.is