International protection for spouse of a refugee
Supporting documents
It is the applicant's responsibility
to submit the necessary supporting documents with the application and
to make sure documents meet the document requirements, see instructions below.
If satisfactory documentation is not submitted with the application, this may lead to delays in processing or rejection of the application.
The Directorate of Immigration may request additional data when special circumstances recommend this.
The passport photo should be 35x45 mm.
The passport must be valid at least 90 days beyond the validity of the permit applied for.
Copies must be submitted of
personal information page
signature page
Please note that the machine readable zone must be clearly visible in the copy.
Criminial record certificate
does not need to be legally authenticated,
must be issued by the applicant's country of residence,
may not be older than 12 months when submitted, and
must be issued by the highest authority competent to issue such certificates in the respective country
If a criminal record certificate contains information about the applicant having been sentenced, the applicant must also submit information about when the serving of the sentence was completed.
If the certificate is in another language than English or a Nordic language a translation must also be submitted, see requirements to document translations below.
If necessary, the Directorate of Immigration may request a legally authenticated original of a criminal record or that criminal records from more countries than the country of residence be submitted.
Different rules by different countries
Different rules may apply in different countries regarding the issuance of criminal record certificates. The certificate must state that the information in the certificate stems from national databases, not only databases in certain areas (for example, in certain regions or states of a country).
Following are examples of competent issuers of criminal record certificates:
USA – FBI criminal record certificate
There are two ways to get an FBI criminal record check. One is to mail a request to the FBI and receive a criminal record check certificate back by mail. The other is to submit an application electronically with the FBI or through the FBI approved channellers. This method is faster.
The FBI website lists the approved channellers. Please note that criminal record checks from some channellers cannot be opened outside the United States, the services of those channellers can therefore not be used when submitting a criminal record check to the Directorate of Immigration.In both cases, the applicant needs to be fingerprinted and submit fingerprints with the application. If you are in Iceland, the Reykjavik City Police can take fingerprints.
Canada – RCMP Certified Criminal Record Check based on fingerprints
Philippines – NBI criminal record certificate
Thailand – Royal Thai Police
Brazil – Ministério da Justica – Policia Federal
Mexico – SEGURIDAD - (Secretaría De Seguridad Y Protección Ciudadana)
United Kingdom – ACRO Criminal Record (ACRO Criminal Records Office - Police Certificates)
Please note that it may take some time to obtain a criminal record certificate.
If you apply as a spouse on the basis of marriage, you must submit
Original or a certified copy of an original marriage certificate.
The original document must be legally authenticated with an apostille certification or chain authentication.
A certified copy is made from an original document that has been legally authenticated.
Original or a certified copy of the marriage certificate's translation by an authorized translator.
This applies only to foreign certificates in languages other than English or a Nordic language.
Translations made by legally certified translators in Iceland do not need to be legally authenticated.
If you apply as a spouse on the basis of cohabitation, you must submit
Original or a certified copy of the applicant's original marital status certificate.
The document may not be older than six months when the application is submitted.
Original or a certified copy of the cohabiting spouse's original marital status certificate.
The original documents must be legally authenticated with an apostille certification or chain authentication.
A certified copy is made from an original document that has been legally authenticated.
Original or a certified copy of the applicant's marital status certificate's translation by an authorized translator.
Original or a certified copy of the cohabiting spouse's marital status certificate's translation by an authorized translator.
This applies only to foreign certificates in other languages than English or a Nordic language.
Translations made by legally certified translators in Iceland do not need to be legally authenticated.
Other documents confirming that you and your spouse have cohabited for at least one year. For example:
Certificate of registered cohabitation.
Rental agreements, were the names of both the applicant and cohabiting spouse appear.
Letters addressed to the applicant and sent to the confirmed address of the cohabiting spouse, for example:
Bank statements.
Phone bills
Receipts for purchases from online shopping sites (e.g. Amazon).
Other letters concerning mutual household expenditures (insurance statements, subscriptions, loan agreements or other bills).
If you want someone other than you to receive information about the processing of the application from the Directorate of Immigration, you must submit a power of attorney to that effect.
Additional documents that a refugee's spouse might need to submit
The Directorate of Immigration can request copies of communication between an applicant and the refugee he/she wishes to reunite with in Iceland, for example text messages on Viber, Facebook, or WhatsApp.
It is not necessary to submit a copy of all communication, but it should show that they have been in contact through an extended period of time.
Screenshots can be taken of the communication and sent to utl@utl.is or they can be submitted to the Directorate of Immigration as printouts or saved on an USB stick.
The Directorate of Immigration can request photos of the applicant and the refugee he/she wishes to reunite with in Iceland together, for example during celebrations and travels as well as from their everyday lives at different times.
Photos can be sent to utl@utl.is or submitted via USB stick to the Directorate of Immigration.
When and where the applicant and spouse met.
When and where the applicant and spouse got married / startes cohabiting.
When and where the applicant and spouse decided to marry.
Who initiated the marriage.
Where the applicant and spouse lived after getting married / starting a cohabitation (city or town and date if possible).
Where the applicant lived after becoming separated from his/her spouse (city or town).
Whether the applicant lived with relatives, friends or on his/her own.
How and how often the applicant and spouse have communicated since they became separated.
Why the applicant did not accompany his/her spouse when he/she travelled to Iceland and applied for international protection.
Applicant may be requested to submit a written confirmation on whether they have any relatives in Iceland, other than the refugee they wish to be reunited with, and how those family relations are structured.
The written confirmation must be received from the applicant.
If necessary, the applicant may be requested to submit a criminal record certificate in authenticated original format or as a certified copy of the authenticated original.
It must be issued by the highest authority competent to issue such certificates in the applicant's country of residence.
It may not be older than 12 months when submitted.
If the certificate is in another language than English or a Nordic language, an original translation by a certified translator must be provided.
If the translator has not been certified in Iceland the original translation must be legally authenticated.
Document requirements
Explanations of requirements for documents to be submitted with an application.
An original means a document in its original form, not a duplicate or a copy.
Original foreign documents submitted with an application are required to be legally authenticated. Original Icelandic documents do not need to be authenticated.
There are two recognised ways to legally authenticate documents: apostille certification and chain authentication. Which way is chosen depends on the country issuing the document.
Apostille certification
Apostille certification is done in the country that issues a document.
To receive apostille certification, an applicant must bring the original of a document to the competent authority for such certification in the respective country.
Information on the member states of the Apostille agreement (Hague Convention)
Chain authentication
Chain authentication (also called double verification) is used in countries where apostille certification is not possible.
This means that a documents needs two stamps in order to be considered legally authenticated, one from the country of issue of the document and the other from the Icelandic Embassy to the issuing country.
To receive such an authentication, the original document must first be brought to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the country that issued the document. The Ministry confirms the document with a stamp and forwards it to the Embassy of Iceland to the issuing country - the applicant himself/herself can also arrange for the document to be sent to the Embassy. The Embassy then confirms that the previous stamp is correct with a second stamp.
A certified copy is a copy of an original document that has been certified by an authority authorised to certify documents.
A certified copy can be obtained from a public authority, a document's issuing body or another official body, in a document's issuing country.
It is important that the original document has been legally authenticated before a certified copy is made.
If a foreign document is issued in a language other than English or a Nordic language, its translation must also be submitted.
A translation must be submitted in the original or in a certified copy.
A translation must be made by a certified translator.
A translation may be submitted in Icelandic, English or a Nordic language.
If a translation has been produced by a translator which has not been legally certified in Iceland, the original of the translation must be legally authenticated.
Legally certified translators in Iceland
Icelandic court interpreters and translators
In some instances an applicant must submit a certified declaration. Such a declaration must be submitted in original format and be dated and signed by the party issuing the declaration. Furthermore, the declaration must be certified by a competent public authority (i.e. by a notarius publicus).
Service provider
Directorate of Immigration