All applications are processed as quickly as possible. The Directorate of Health aims to start processing applications no later than 2 weeks after receiving the application.
All documents must be submitted in Icelandic or English.
A certified translation is made by a certified document translator who confirms that the translation is accurate and correct to the best of the translator's knowledge, which is confirmed with a special seal.
The original document must be translated directly and in its entirety. Signatures, stamps, and seals must also be translated.
You need to contact the competent authority in the country where you were educated or last worked as a licensed healthcare practitioner to request certificates confirming:
You have an unlimited license, which is neither revoked nor limited (letter of good standing). This certificate has to be issued within three months when received by the Directorate of Health.
Your training to obtain the license meets Directive 2005/36/EC requirements.
Any authority or institution responsible for issuing or receiving diplomas and other documents or information relating to an application for recognition of professional qualifications.
A certified copy means that the correspondence between the original and the copy has been confirmed by a public institution or the publisher of the original.
Documents can be confirmed at the relevant school (if studies were conducted in Iceland), the Directorate of Health, or the District Commissioners‘ office.
Information on Icelandic ID numbers can be found at Þjóðskrá/ Registers Iceland.
The Directorate of Health collects a fee for issuing licenses to practice, specialist licenses, and certificates.
Issued licenses are sent to the applicant's Mailbox on island.is
A person who has lost an issued license can not request a reissue or a copy of the license. On the other hand, one can request a certificate confirming that the person in question has a valid license to practice.
In the absence of mutual recognition of training between countries, the Directorate of Health must obtain an evaluation of the applicant's training.
The applicant's education is compared with the study requirements made in Iceland.
The application must be accompanied by a description of the study, a list of courses, and a detailed list of contents for each course, including length and number of credits, often called a course syllabus or course transcript. For more information, please look at the required documents for a license to practice.
In cases where the content of the applicant's study is considered significantly different from that of a study that grants a license to practice in Iceland, the Directorate of Health may decide to offer the applicant compensation measures. Compensation measures can either be an adaptation period or an aptitude test.
An adaptation period refers to employment within a regulated profession in Iceland under the supervision of an employee with an unlimited license in the relevant profession.
Suppose the Directorate of Health considers that it has not been demonstrated that the applicant's education and training meet the requirements for granting a license. In that case, the office may invite the applicant to work during an adaptation period.
The Directorate of Health determines the length of the adaptation period and its objectives.
At the end of the adaptation period, the applicant's skill shall be equivalent to that of a healthcare practitioner who has graduated in Iceland.
After supervision, applicants may have to extend the adaptation period or add further studies.
You can find information about your license number under "Licenses" on Ísland.is - Login.
A transcript is an official record of your academic history issued by a school or a university.
The transcript must include:
Name and date of birth
Name of the institution
Study period - dates or semesters
Level of study and degree
Courses taken
Grades or marks
A course description (syllabus) is a comprehensive document that acts as a roadmap for an academic course, outlining essential information. It must be confirmed that the course descriptions apply to your studies and that they are valid for the years in which you studied.
The course description (syllabus) should include:
The course name
Course objectives
Main topics
Length and/or number of units/ECTS
Number of clinical hours
Learning and teaching methods (lectures, assignments, exams)
Qualification criteria
Service provider
Directorate of Health