Travel document for refugees

A travel document for refugees will only be issued if you:

• are lawfully resident in Iceland,

• hold a residence permit on the grounds of international protection or subsidiary protection,

• have established your identity so that there is no doubt as to who you are;

• have not been charged with a criminal offence punishable by imprisonment; and

• have not been convicted by a final judgment of a particularly serious crime and are not considered a danger to the community.

You must submit the following documents with your application form:

• A valid passport issued by your country of origin or a travel document issued by another country, if such documents are not already in the possession of the Directorate of Immigration.

  • Please note that travel documents or residence permit cards issued by a country other than your country of origin cannot be used to establish your identity. In such cases, you must submit the documents on which the issuance of those documents was based.

• If you have previously been issued a travel document for refugees from the Directorate of Immigration, you must submit it with an application for a new travel document.

  • If your travel document is lost or destroyed, you must notify the police and the Directorate of Immigration immediately by completing the Notification of a lost or stolen travel document form.

• If your identity was not verified when you were granted international protection or subsidiary protection, you must submit documents that establish your identity. Examples of documents that may be used to establish your identity include:

  • Previous passports and identity certificates.

  • Other official identity documents containing your photograph and issued by government authorities.

  • Supporting documents may include officially issued documents such as national identity cards, birth certificates, family registers, proof of residence registration, marriage certificates, custody documents, or criminal record certificates.

Identity assessment

If your identity was not verified when you were granted protection, the documents relating to your identity that you have previously submitted must be assessed. You may receive a letter informing you that there is still doubt regarding your identity and giving you a specific deadline to submit additional documents.

Supporting documents submitted with the application must be provided as legalised originals or certified copies. If the documents are not in English or a Nordic language, they must be accompanied by a certified translation.

All submitted documents will be assessed. Please note, however, that copies of documents alone cannot be considered sufficient evidence of identity, as their authenticity cannot be verified.

It is best to download the form and fill it in on a computer.

Applications for a travel document for refugees must be submitted in their original form on paper.

They can either be sent by regular mail to the Directorate of Immigration or delivered to the drop box in the Directorate’s reception. It is necessary to first pay the processing fee by bank transfer and submit the payment receipt with the application for confirmation, see information on how to pay the processing fee.

Directorate of Immigration (see map)
Dalvegur 18
201 Kópavogur
Iceland

Applications can also be handed in and paid for in the Directorate’s reception or at the offices of District Commissioners outside the capital area.

Processing fee

• Fee is 7.000 ISK

• An unpaid application will be returned to the applicant.

• The processing fee is not refunded if the applicant cancels the application.

When applications for a travel document for foreigners have been received and registered by the Directorate of Immigration, they are processed in the order in which they were received.

The majority of applications are processed within two months. However, applications that require further processing take longer to process, for example if the applicant’s identity has not been verified, the application is incomplete or supporting documents are missing. In such cases, the Directorate contacts the applicant or their representative.

It is important to be patient while waiting for a decision. No information about the status of an application can be provided by telephone, email, or online chat while the application is awaiting processing.

Once your application has been processed, the Directorate of Immigration will contact you and inform you of the next steps you need to take. Plesas note that it is not recommended to book airline tickets unless you already have a valid travel document in your possession.

Once your application for a travel document for refugees has been approved, you must have your photograph taken, either at the Directorate of Immigration (where an appointment is required) or at a District Commissioner’s office outside the Capital Region. Children may only attend a passport photo appointment if accompanied by a legal guardian.

Please note that it is not possible to have your photograph taken before your application has been approved.

Travel document collection

After your photograph has been taken, you will receive an email confirming that a travel document production request has been received by the National Registry of Iceland.

Once the travel document has been produced, you will receive another email with information about when and where you can collect the document. Passports are usually ready for collection approximately one week after the production request has been received by the National Registry of Iceland.

If your application for a travel document for refugees is rejected, you have 15 days to appeal the decision to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board.

An application for a travel document for refugees may be rejected if:

• The applicant does not meet the requirements for the issuance of a travel document.

• The applicant's identity has not been established or there is doubt as to the applicant's identity.

• The applicant is wanted by the police, is subject to an arrest warrant or a travel ban, or criminal charges have been brought against the applicant for an offence that may result in a custodial sentence.

• The applicant has been convicted by a final judgment of a particularly serious criminal offence and is considered to pose a danger to society.

• Considerations relating to national security or the Government's foreign policy weigh against issuing the document.