Citizenship for children of Icelandic citizens

The rules that determine who is entitled to Icelandic citizenship from birth have often changed over the years. The general rule is that children born to Icelandic parents automatically acquire Icelandic citizenship at birth.

Registers Iceland shall record the Icelandic citizenship of a person who at birth has an automatic right to Icelandic citizenship. The individual in question must, among other things, submit a birth certificate to Registers Iceland.

The right to Icelandic citizenship from birth is based on the condition that the Icelandic parent itself held Icelandic citizenship at the birth of his or her child. Iceland authorised dual citizenship on 1 July 2003 but before that time Icelandic citizens lost their Icelandic citizenship when applying for foreign citizenship. If a parent has lost Icelandic citizenship prior to the birth of a child, then the child no longer has an automatic right to Icelandic citizenship, unless the Icelandic parent applies for the restoration of Icelandic citizenship.

Child born to one Icelandic and one foreign parent

If a child is born to one Icelandic and one foreign parent, the law in force at the birth of the child is the law that determines whether the child has or had the right to Icelandic citizenship from birth. Therefore it matters when the child was born, whether the father or mother is an Icelandic citizen, the marital status of the parents at the time of the child's birth, and whether the child was born in Iceland or abroad.

Children born after 1 July 2018

A child born after 1 July 2018 automatically acquires Icelandic citizenship at birth, if one of its parents is an Icelandic citizen.

Registers Iceland handles the registration of children who acquire Icelandic citizenship automatically.

Children born before 1 July 2018

• Icelandic mother and foreign father

• Icelandic father and foreign mother

Child of a parent who late became an Icelandic citizen

An individual who has a parent that acquired Icelandic citizenship after the individual was born can apply for Icelandic citizenship with a digital application. The condition is that the person in question has been domiciled in Iceland for the past two years and that the parent has been an Icelandic citizen for a minimum of five years.

Icelandic citizens born abroad

It should be kept in mind that Icelandic citizens born abroad, who have never been domiciled in Iceland or lived or resided in Iceland, may lose their citizenship at the age of 22. You can request to retain the Icelandic citizenship by submitting an application to the Directorate of Immigration.