The Directorate of Immigration is a government agency that operates under the Ministry of Justice in accordance with the Foreign Nationals Act, the Icelandic Nationality Act, the Regulation on Foreigners and the Regulation on Visas.

The legislation on foreigners governs their right to enter and reside in Iceland. According to the Icelandic Nationality Act, any person who is not an Icelandic citizen is considered a foreigner. 

The most extensive tasks of the Directorate of Immigration are:

• Processing applications for residence permits.

• Processing applications for international protection.

• Processing applications for Icelandic citizenship.

• Processing applications for visas.

• Issuing travel documents for refugees and passports for foreigners.

• Decisions on refusal of entry and expulsions.