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_-_Front_cover.jpg) The front cover of an Icelandicbiometric passport issued from 2019.  | |
_-_Biodata_page.jpg) The biodata page of an Icelandic biometric passport issued from 2019 | |
| Type | Passport |
| Issued by |  Registers Iceland |
| First issued | Early-1900s (first version) 1 June 1999 (machine-readable passport) 23 May 2006[1] (biometric) 1 February 2019 (current version) |
| In circulation | 354.815 (94.9% of citizens)[2] |
| Purpose | Identification |
| Eligibility | Icelandic citizenship |
| Expiration | 10 years from date of issue (adults, 2018) |
| Cost | 14,000ISK (18–66) 6,000 ISK (children, elderly and disabled) 2x cost (urgent application)[3] |
Icelandic passports (Icelandic:íslenskt vegabréf) are issued to citizens ofIceland for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof ofIcelandic citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance fromIcelandic consular officials abroad (or public officials in themission of another Nordic country in case an Icelandic consular official is absent).[4][5]
As of 2023, 94.9% of Icelandic citizens possess an Icelandic passport.[6] The only other official document issued by the Icelandic government stating Icelandic citizenship is theIcelandic identity card.
Thepassport allows for thefreedom of movement in any of the states of EFTA[7] and the EU/EEA. This is because Iceland is a member state ofEFTA, and by virtue of it also being a member of theEuropean Economic Area (EEA) and part of theSchengen Area. For travel within theNordic countries no identity documentation is legally required for Nordic citizens due to theNordic Passport Union.
Inmedieval times, while under the control of other Scandinavian powers,internal passports were required for certain individuals. The first legal instance of internal passports, then calledReisupassi orpassi, were issued from 1781 for certain individuals travelling between regions of Iceland (mostlyfreemen). In the 19th century, the role of internal passports was questioned, progressively unenforced, and were officially repealed in 1907.[8]
International passports have been issued since at least the early 1900s for travel but were uncommon, usually issued by the Reykjavík Police and consisted of a stamped photograph attached to a folded piece of paper.[9] By the 1930s a standard international passport booklet was issued, in accordance withLeague of Nations standards, with a blue cover.[10]
From 1929, a 'Nordic Travel Document' (Icelandic:Norræn ferðaskírteini) was also issued, for use only in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. They were cheaper than regular passports but were uncommon due to lax passport requirements in the Nordic countries and their issuance ceased at the outbreak ofWWII.[11]
In 1941, during theBritish occupation of Iceland of theSecond World War, emergency laws were introduced requiring domestic identification. From 1942 until 1945, a simplified paper card version of passports, essentially acting asidentity documents, were issued by Icelandic police to all residents, who were required to carry them at all times.[12] The design was different from international passport booklets, being a simple blue printed paper card with a photograph.[13][14] The requirement to bear them at all times was abolished after the occupation.[12]
Some further iterations of Icelandic passports continued after WWII.Icelandic identity cards began to be issued in 1965. A new design was put into circulation in May 1987.[15] It featured a dark blue (near-black) cover, laser-printed pages, and a laminated information page.
The firstmachine-readable Icelandic passports were introduced on 1 June 1999,[16] including a new cover design, lighter blue colour,laminated biodata page and improved security features. In 2004, 81% of Icelandic citizens had a passport.[17]
The firstbiometric passports were introduced in May 2006, with a middle hard-plastic page[18] and the validity was temporarily shortened from ten years to five. In June 2013, the chip was relocated to the back cover and the validity was restored to ten years.[18]
A new Icelandic passport design was introduced on 1 February 2019, featuring a slightly enlargedIcelandic coat of arms andsans-serif wording on the front cover, as well as a thinner top-laminate on the biodata page.[19] They are manufactured by the Polish Security Printing Works (Polska Wytwórnia Papierów Wartościowych [pl]) in Poland.[20]
Icelandic passports areblue, with theIcelandic coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "ÍSLAND" (Icelandic), "ICELAND" (English) and "ISLANDE" (French) are inscribed above the coat of arms and the words "VEGABRÉF" (Icelandic), "PASSPORT" (English) and "PASSEPORT" (French) are inscribed below the coat of arms. Icelandic passports have the standard biometric symbol at the bottom.[21]
Vegabréf, the Icelandic word for passport, literally means "road letter", which was the Scandinavian word forinternal passports when such existed in Scandinavia.
The Icelandic passport includes the following data:
The information page ends with theMachine Readable Zone.
Personal names containing the special Icelandic letters (ð,þ,æ,ö) are spelled the correct way in the non-machine-readable zone, but are mapped in the machine-readable zone. ð becomesD, þ becomesTH, æ becomesAE, and ö becomesOE.
Letters with accents are replaced by simple letters (e.g.,é →E). This follows the standard formachine-readable passports.
The data page/information page is printed inIcelandic,English andFrench.
Visa requirements forIcelandic citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens ofIceland. As of April 5 2025, Icelandic citizens have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 182 countries and territories, ranking the Icelandic passport 10th in the world in terms of travel freedom (tied with Lithuanian passport) according to theHenley Passport Index.[22][23]
As a member of theEuropean Free Trade Association (EFTA), Icelandic citizens have freedom of movement to live and work in other EFTA countries in accordance with the EFTA convention.[7] Moreover, by virtue of Iceland's membership of theEuropean Economic Area (EEA), Icelandic citizens also enjoy freedom of movement within all EEA member states. TheCitizens’ Rights Directive[24] defines the right of free movement for citizens of the EEA,[25] and all EFTA and EU citizens are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries. TheIcelandic ID card alone can also be used to exercise free movement rights within the EEA and EFTA.
Inside Iceland and the otherNordic countries, anIcelandic identity card orIcelandic driving licence is sufficient for personal identification. Driving licences do not state citizenship and therefore are not usable in most cases as travel documentation.
TheIcelandic identity cards, calledNafnskírteini, were updated in 2024 adhering to biometricICAO andEU standards, allowing its use to exercise free movement throughout theEU/EEA/EFTA, as well as a number of other European countries.
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