Can I vote in Iceland and what are the conditions?
It depends on the election and your status: to vote for Althingi you must be an Icelandic citizen, 18 and legally resident here, but in local elections foreign nationals may also vote after a period of residence. Under the Elections Act no. 112/2021, every Icelandic citizen who has turned 18 by election day and has registered legal domicile in Iceland can vote for the Althingi, the president and in national referendums. In local elections the right is wider: it covers Icelandic citizens aged 18, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish citizens at once when they register domicile in the municipality, and other foreign nationals who have lived in Iceland for 3 years continuously before election day. Here lies an out-of-date figure: the residence requirement used to be 5 years for non-Nordic nationals, but the 2021 Act cut it to 3 years. The myth that no foreigner may vote is therefore wrong — in local elections they may, though they may not vote for Althingi.
📋 The rules
- Elections Act no. 112/2021: the right to vote for the Althingi belongs to every Icelandic citizen 18 by election day with registered domicile in Iceland.
- The same right applies to presidential elections and national referendums.
- In local elections, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish citizens also vote at once when they register domicile in the municipality.
- Other foreign nationals gain the local vote after 3 years of continuous residence in Iceland before election day (previously 5 years).
- Age is measured on election day: someone who turns 18 on election day itself has the vote.
🔓 Exceptions
- An Icelandic citizen who moves abroad keeps the Althingi vote for a time but may have to apply to stay on the electoral roll after a certain number of years.
- The right to vote is not the same as eligibility to stand for office; partly different rules apply to that.
- The right to vote in local elections is tied to the municipality where domicile is registered, not to the country as a whole.
⚠️ Penalties & fines
Voting is a right, not a duty, so there is no fine for staying home — compulsory voting does not exist in Iceland. The consequence is different: it lies in rights people miss out on through misunderstanding. A foreign national who wrongly believes they may never vote fails to use the local vote they hold after 3 years of residence — and if they go by the out-of-date 5-year rule they keep themselves off the roll longer than necessary. An Icelander who moves abroad can drop off the electoral roll without noticing and be left without a vote in Althingi elections if they did not apply to stay registered. Someone who tries to vote without the right, votes twice or uses deception at a vote does, on the other hand, commit an electoral offence, punishable under the Elections Act and the penal code. The hidden cost is democratic: anyone who is not on the correct roll — or in the wrong municipality — cannot reach the ballot box on election day, and by then it is too late to fix.
📎 Official sources
- Althingi · Elections Act no. 112/2021 →
- National Electoral Commission (Landskjörstjórn) · elections and the roll →
- National Electoral Commission · local elections (voting rights) →
❓ Frequently asked
Can I vote for Althingi if I am not an Icelandic citizen?
No, the right to vote for the Althingi, the president and in national referendums is tied to Icelandic citizenship, being 18 and having registered domicile in Iceland. Foreign nationals may, however, vote in local elections once they meet the residence conditions, so they are not entirely without a vote here.
How long must I have lived in Iceland to vote in local elections?
Danish, Finnish, Norwegian and Swedish citizens gain the local vote as soon as they register domicile in the municipality. Other foreign nationals must have lived continuously in Iceland for three years before election day, a requirement that was five years under the old law and was cut to three by Elections Act no. 112/2021.
What age does the right to vote depend on?
The right to vote depends on being 18 years of age, and it is enough that the person turns 18 on election day itself. Someone whose birthday falls on or before election day therefore has the vote, but someone who turns 18 the day after the election does not get to vote that time.
Can I vote for Althingi after I move abroad?
An Icelandic citizen keeps the right to vote for the Althingi for a time after moving abroad, but after a certain number of years they may have to apply specifically to stay on the electoral roll. If they do not apply, they can drop off the roll and lose the vote without noticing until election day.
Is voting compulsory in Iceland?
No, voting is a right and not a duty in Iceland, and there is no fine for choosing not to use it. It is, however, a punishable offence to try to vote without the right, to vote more than once or to use deception at a vote, and such acts count as electoral offences under the Elections Act.
🔎 Common searches
What people search to land here:
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