Residence permit for students

• A residence permit for students can be granted for up to one year.

• If the holder of the permit stays abroad for more than three consecutive months, the residence permit can be revoked. If the holder registers his legal domicile out of the country, the residence permit is automatically revoked.

Right to renewal

• The permit can be renewed for up to one year at a time, if the conditions of the residence permit are still met and if satisfactory study results are shown, see the requirements for renewing a student permit.

• Even though the residence permit has been revoked, it is possible to apply for a renewal, if this is done within the validity period of the previous residence permit and the reasons for doing so recommend it.

Right to renewal after graduation

• A holder of a student residence permit who completes a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral degree at an Icelandic university may be issued a special residence permit for employment seeking after graduation, see the requirements for renewing a student permit. A residence permit for employment-seeking is intended as a bridge between a student permit and a residence permit for work requiring expert knowledge.

Right to family reunification

• Only student permit holders enrolled in full-time university studies leading to a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral degree have the right to family reunification with their

  • marital spouse,

  • cohabiting spouse, after at least one year of cohabitation,

  • children under the age of 18, if the holder has custody of them.

• Children of foreign citizens do not receive Icelandic citizenship even if they are born in Iceland. The residence rights of children born in Iceland depend on the residence rights of their parents.

• An application for family reunification with a student may be submitted at the same time as the application for a student residence permit or later.

  • Please note that applications for family reunification with students are not processed simultaneously with student residence permit applications. There is a longer waiting time for processing residence permit applications based on family reunification, and therefore it cannot be expected that family members will be issued residence permits at the same time as the student.

  • Applications for residence permits for the spouse and children of a student are not processed under expedited procedures, even if the student has given birth to a child in Iceland.

• Students enrolled in diploma programmes are not eligible for family reunification.

Right to work

• Student residence permit holders may work in Iceland without a work permit for up to 60% of full-time employment while studying. The 60% limit applies to the student's total employment. If a student works for more than one employer, the combined workload may not exceed 60%.

• Students may work more than 60% if one of the following applies:

  • The work takes place during scheduled breaks between academic terms in accordance with the institution's academic calendar.

  • The individual has completed a university degree in Iceland and is residing in the country while seeking employment based on their specialist qualifications.

  • The work forms part of a formal workplace training or internship programme.

Obligation to provide information on employment

When renewing a student residence permit, applicants must provide information about their employment to confirm that they have not exceeded the permitted working hours.

The Directorate of Immigration may also request employment information during the validity period of the residence permit and may obtain relevant information from other public authorities and employers. If the employment does not comply with the legal requirements, the Directorate may review or revoke the individual's right to work.

Right to permanent residence permit

• The permit cannot be the basis for a permanent residence permit except in instances where the applicant

  • has held a residence permit that may be the basis for a permanent residence permit for at least two years,

  • has previously held a student residence permit for at least two years

  • and thus has resided in Iceland legally for at least four years.

• Please note that one of the conditions of a permanent residence permit is that you have not resided abroad for more than 90 days in total each year during the period of validity of the residence permit, counting from the date of issue of the permit.