Subsidiary Protection Residence Permit

If you receive subsidiary protection in Iceland, you will receive a residence permit valid for two years.

International protection is granted on the basis of Article 37(2) and Article 40(1) of the

Subsidiary protection is granted to those who are at risk of being subjected to the death penalty, torture or other inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, or may be subject to serious injury due to random violence resulting from armed conflict, should they be returned to their home country.

Anyone who wants to apply for international protection in Iceland must be present in Iceland, either at the country's border or within it. The application must be submitted in person. It does not need to be in a specific format, and it is sufficient for the applicant to state their request verbally.

You can apply for protection with the police at Keflavík Airport upon arrival in the country. Individuals who are already in the country can apply for protection at the reception centre for applicants for international protection at Egilsgata 3 in Reykjavík. It is open during daytime working hours. Individuals located outside the capital area can apply for protection at the nearest police station.

Applications for international protection sent to Iceland from individuals who are abroad will not be processed.

Only applications examined under this procedure are assessed to determine whether the applicant qualifies for refugee status, subsidiary protection, or a residence permit on humanitarian grounds.

their biometric data are recorded in the European Eurodac database.

the Directorate of Immigration assesses whether Iceland or another participating State is responsible for examining the application under the AMMR.

You can work in Iceland without a work permit.

A residence permit on grounds of subsidiary protection does not grant the right to family reunification until after it has been renewed once.

You may be exempted from the requirement that your residence permit has been renewed before your family member applies for family reunification with you, if you have had a residence permit for one year and meet the following conditions:

must have attended a course in Icelandic for a minimum total of 80 hours.

the Directorate of Immigration must make a new assessment of the general situation in your home country

You can appeal a decision to revoke your subsidiary protection to the Immigration and Asylum Appeals Board.

Service provider Directorate of Immigration