Apply for or renew your Icelandic ID card

Open to Icelandic citizens, including children

The Icelandic ID card, nafnskírteini, is issued only to Icelandic citizens. You apply at a district commissioner (sýslumaður), where your photo is taken, and you can choose any office that suits you, not only the one in your home district. One version also works as a travel document within the EEA, so check which kind you need before you apply.

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How it works

Apply for or renew a national ID card

Find where citizens apply for or renew their national identity card.

National ID cards are issued only to citizens of the country. You usually apply in person, because the office takes or checks your photo and sometimes your fingerprints. Bring your old card or passport and a photo that meets the rules, and check the rules for children, who often need a parent with them. You collect the new card after a few weeks, sometimes at a separate appointment. If you are a foreign resident, you need a residence card instead.

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At a glance

Offices
13 offices in 13 cities
Book online
At 1 of 13 offices
Apply online
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Choose the office that suits you

Where to apply for your ID card

Icelandic ID cards are issued by the district commissioners, and most of them take applications whether or not you live in their district. Some offices let you start online, others work with walk-ins.

See the offices

Related services

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Understand what the electronic ID is for, how it is activated and where to go when you need help with the first setup.

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For anyone importing a car or buying a used one in Iceland: what happens before the inspection, what the station does and how ownership changes are reported.

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Find out who can apply, which municipality handles your case and what to check before you contact social services.

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Applying for an Icelandic passport

Who can apply, what you do online, what happens at the district commissioner and how a child’s passport differs from an adult’s.

12 offices · 12 cities

Swapping a foreign licence for an Icelandic one

Check how licences from the EEA and from other countries are treated, what to bring to the district commissioner and when you can apply.

12 offices · 12 cities

Renewing or replacing your driving licence

A quick look at who can renew an Icelandic licence, when a medical certificate comes into play and where to hand in the application.

12 offices · 12 cities
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Other countries

The same task in other countries

Moving on, or comparing before you decide? See how this works elsewhere.

Where to next

Where to get an Icelandic ID card

District commissioner offices across Iceland where you can have your photo taken and apply for the card; not every smaller office takes applications.

ID card offices in Iceland

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