Information about identification (ID) numbers

Everyone who resides in Iceland is registered at the National Registry and must have an identification (ID) number, which is a ten-digit number and in fact serves as a gateway to Icelandic society.

The first six digits in an ID number indicate the day, month and year of the individual’s birth. The National Registry keeps information concerning domiciles, names, births, christenings, changes of address, marriages, cohabitation, divorces, deaths, and so on.
Foreign citizens are required to obtain an ID number from the National Registry. ID numbers are necessary, to mention some examples, in order to open a bank account, register one's domicile or obtain a home telephone.
Companies (employers) and institutions apply for ID numbers for foreign citizens and can also apply for ID numbers for the person’s spouse and children.
Insurance companies licensed in Iceland can apply for an ID number for foreign citizens doing business with them.
It is possible to apply for ID numbers on forms found on the following websites. The application form must be printed out, signed and sent in by mail.
Application form in English
A photocopy of the passport of the person for whom the ID number is requested must accompany the application, and the name of the person or company which is asking for the registration must also be provided.
Applications may be sent by fax to the National Registry at (+354) 569-2949, or in the mail to the following address:

Þjóðskrá (National Registry)
Borgartún 24
150 Reykjavík

Foreign citizens who have been issued an ID number by the National Registry but have not been issued a residence permit by the Directorate of Immigration are recorded only in a temporary registry and acquire no rights until a residence permit has been issued to them and they have a domicile.

ID numbers for children

A separate application must be made for an ID number for a child who has foreign citizenship, and the parent (guardian) applying for the ID number must her/himself have received a residence permit from and be registered at the National Registry.
The following needs to be provided with the application for an ID number for a child:
1. Photocopy of the child’s passport.
2. Photocopy of the original birth certificate of the child.
3. Photocopy of the child’s birth certificate, translated by a certified translator (there is however no need to translate certificates that are in English, Danish, Norwegian or Swedish).
4. Photocopy of the application to the Directorate of Immigration for the child’s residence permit.