Residence and Work Permit Renewal

The employee is responsible for ensuring that their residence and work permits remain valid. The renewal process is as follows:

• If applicable, the HR team at the relevant School renews the employee’s employment contract.
• The employee emails their employment contract and a completed and signed work permit application to International Staff Services.
• International Staff Services signs the work permit application and returns it to the employee by email.
• The employee applies digitally to renew their residence permit and attaches the signed work permit application as part of the same process. The employee must pay the application fee and have an Icelandic electronic ID.
• All required supporting documents must be submitted with the application:
  • Copy of passport
  • Application for a work permit
  • Employment contract
• The application must be submitted at least four weeks before the current permits expire. However, we recommend applying one to two months before the expiry date.
• If the employee is continuing in the same position with the same employer and applies on time, they may generally continue working while the renewal is being processed.

Foreign nationals who have completed a doctoral degree in Iceland may renew a specialist residence permit for up to 12 months to seek employment based on their specialist expertise. A work permit is not required in order to obtain this residence permit. An application is submitted digitally.

Further information and the digital application are available on the residence permit renewal page. Requirements may vary depending on the type of permit, so the applicable conditions should always be checked before applying. The processing time for renewal can be up to 90 days.

The Directorate of Immigration strongly advises against traveling during the renewal process. Some of the countries within the Schengen area have become more strict in terms of travel permits within the area. If you know your travel plans, apply for a renewal in a timely manner rather than taking the risk of travel with an expired permit card that might cause serious consequenses at borders. The DOI does not issue a letter or confirmation on applicants status in the renewal process for the purpose of travelling without a valid permit card.