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Living in Iceland · The law

The law & you

Iceland is a calm country, but problems still happen. If you are a foreigner, the same problem can cost you more than it costs a citizen: it can also affect your right to stay in Iceland. The system treats you fairly, but only if you know where to go and how much time you have.

Last verified 4 August 2026 · logreglan.is, island.is, domstolasyslan.is, 112.is

Your situations, one by one

The police stop you, or you need their help

What actually happens
The Icelandic police (Lögreglan, LUR-eg-lan: the police) must help everyone in Iceland. It does not matter what country you are from or what your residence status is. If you do not speak Icelandic or English well enough to understand what is happening, you have the right to an interpreter. In police and court cases, the state usually pays for this.
What to do
Stay calm. Ask for the officer's name and station. Ask for an interpreter if you need one, and say which language you need (for example, "Polish interpreter, please"). The official information page is logreglan.is.
The common trap
Signing anything you do not fully understand. If a document is in Icelandic and no interpreter is there, ask for one before you sign.

You are arrested or taken in for questioning

What actually happens
You have the right to stay silent, the right to a lawyer (lögmaður, LURG-ma-thur: lawyer), and the right to an interpreter. The police must tell you about these rights in a language you understand. In serious cases, if you cannot afford a lawyer, the state gives you one and pays for it.
What to do
Ask for a lawyer before you answer any questions. You can ask the police to contact one for you, or choose your own from the Icelandic Bar Association's list of working lawyers at lmfi.is. Tell your embassy that you have been detained. This is your right under the Vienna Convention (an international agreement on how countries must treat foreign citizens who are held by police).
The common trap
Trying to explain yourself before the lawyer arrives. Anything you say can be used later and stays on record.

You need a lawyer but you do not know where to start

What actually happens
Lawyers in Iceland are called lögmenn (LURG-men: lawyers). For everyday matters, such as contracts, disputes, or immigration appeals, you choose and pay a lawyer yourself. For criminal defence and some family matters, the court appoints a lawyer and the state pays. There is also free first-step help for foreigners. The Multicultural Information Centre (Fjölmenningarsetur, FYUL-men-ning-ar-set-ur: Multicultural Information Centre, also called MCC) is the official, state-funded information service for residents who are not Icelandic.
What to do
To find and pay a lawyer, search the Icelandic Bar Association directory at lmfi.is. For free help in your language, to understand your situation first, contact the MCC at mcc.is. They will not represent you in court, but they will tell you where to go next.

You are pulled over for a traffic offence or get a fine

What actually happens
Many on-the-spot fines in Iceland can be paid right away by card in the police car. If you pay immediately, you usually get a discount on the fine. This has long been Icelandic policy, to cut down on paperwork for everyone. The current discount rate is published by the police, so check logreglan.is instead of trusting a number you heard elsewhere. If you do not pay on the spot, the fine is sent for collection and you lose the discount.
What to do
If you accept the fine, paying right away is almost always cheaper. If you plan to dispute it, do not pay: paying counts as accepting the fine. Current fine amounts and how to dispute them are on logreglan.is.
The common trap
Ignoring a fine that arrives by mail. Unpaid fines go to collection (innheimta, IN-hyme-ta: debt collection), grow with extra charges, and can later stop you from renewing your residence permit.

You drove after drinking, or well over the limit

What actually happens
Iceland has one of the strictest drink-driving limits in Europe: 0.20 per mille (about 0.02% blood alcohol) for every driver. There is no higher limit for anyone. Source: Umferðarlög nr. 77/2019, Art. 49 (the Icelandic Traffic Act, article 49). Penalties include large fines, loss of your licence, and, above certain levels, prison. A serious driving conviction is the kind of thing that shows up on the criminal record check that Útlendingastofnun (the Directorate of Immigration) runs every time you renew your permit.
What to do
If this has happened to you, get a lawyer before your court date, not after. The sentence, and how it is recorded, can affect your right to stay in Iceland, not just your right to drive.
The common trap
Assuming a foreign driving licence will protect you. Iceland recognises foreign convictions and shares criminal record information with most European countries.

A criminal record: even a minor one, and your residency

What actually happens
Útlendingastofnun checks your record every time you renew your permit, and again when you apply for permanent residence or citizenship. Open criminal cases, unpaid fines that have gone to collection, and some convictions can block a renewal, permanent residence, or citizenship application, sometimes for years after the case is closed.
What to do
Close open cases before you apply. Pay any outstanding fines and keep the receipts. The exact rules for each permit type are on island.is, Residence permits.
The common trap
Sending in a renewal while a case is still open, hoping no one will notice. Someone will notice, and a refusal for this reason is harder to appeal than a refusal for missing paperwork.

A crime has been committed against you: reporting it

What actually happens
The one emergency number for all of Iceland is 112. Use it for police, ambulance, fire, search and rescue, and to report a crime that is happening now. For reports that are not urgent, you can also go to any police station in person or report online at 112.is. You have the right to an interpreter when you file a report.
What to do
Call 112 if it is urgent. If not, file the report in person or online, and ask for a copy of the report number. You will need it for insurance, for compensation, and to follow the case. If you have been the victim of violence or sexual assault, the Bjarkarhlíð (BYARK-ar-hlith: name of a support centre) family-justice centre offers free support from several kinds of experts.

Compensation if you are the victim of a crime

What actually happens
Iceland has a state compensation scheme for victims of crimes that caused personal injury (the Act on the Payment of State Compensation to Victims of Crime). It is for cases where the offender cannot pay or is never found. The scheme has strict time limits, usually a few years from the date of the crime or the final court decision. If you apply late, you often lose the right to compensation.
What to do
Apply through the State Compensation Committee (Bótanefnd, BOW-ta-nefnd: State Compensation Committee), which works under the Ministry of Justice. Current forms, rules, and time limits are listed on island.is. Search "bætur til þolenda afbrota" (compensation for crime victims), or ask the MCC to help you find the right page in your language.
The common trap
Waiting for the criminal case to fully end before you check the compensation deadline. The compensation deadline and the criminal case deadline are not the same, and run on different clocks.

You have been served with a deportation or refusal decision

What actually happens
A negative decision from Útlendingastofnun comes with a written deadline: usually 15 days to appeal to the Immigration Appeals Board (Kærunefnd útlendingamála, KYE-ru-nefnd UT-lend-inga-mala: Immigration Appeals Board), plus a separate period for voluntary departure. Filing an appeal sometimes, but not always, pauses the departure date.
What to do
Read the decision carefully and note both dates. Get a lawyer or contact the MCC that same week. The appeals board's website is knu.is.
The common trap
Letting the appeal deadline pass while you decide what to do. Once it passes, the decision becomes final and removal from the country can be carried out.

Editor's note (opinion)

The Icelandic legal system rarely surprises people who follow its steps. Most of the worst outcomes we see for foreigners come from one of two things: not asking for an interpreter when they had the right to one, and not opening the letter from Útlendingastofnun the day it arrives. Both are easy and free to fix, if you act early. Companion Iceland

Sources

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