Attesting Icelandic Documents (FAQs)

Yes - Iceland is a member of the Apostille Convention.

Icelandic documents can be legalized for use abroad with an Apostille Stamp when destined for other signatory countries without additional certification by the destination country.

When Icelandic documents are required for non-apostille countries, such as United Arab Emirates - Taiwan - Malaysia - Thailand - Qatar they need additional authentication by the embassy of the destination country.

For further information about Apostille certification in Iceland, see:
Iceland Apostille Services

Iceland Apostille Stamps from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be obtained for official documents including:

• Icelandic birth, death and marriage certificates (paper certificates only)
• Marital Status and History Certificates
• Criminal Record Certificates (paper certificates only)
• Documents issued by Iceland Revenue and Customs and the Icelandic Medicines Agency
• University diplomas and transcripts
• Other documents notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus)

To confirm whether your document is eligible for apostille authentication in Iceland, please Contact us and we’ll check your document free of charge. For further information about our Icelandic apostille services and for assistance obtaining official copies of Icelandic documents, see:
Iceland Apostille Services

Iceland Apostilles are normally obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2-3 working days

Icelandic documents required for submission to the authorities of the United Arab Emirates must be legalized in Iceland by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the UAE embassy in London.

Icelandic documents required for submission to the authorities of Vietnam must be legalized in Iceland by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Vietnamese embassy in Copenhagen.

Icelandic documents required for submission to the authorities of Qatar must be legalized in Iceland by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Qatari embassy in London.

Icelandic documents required for submission to the authorities of Taiwan must be legalized in Iceland by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then by the Taipei Representative Office in Denmark.

An Icelandic Apostille is a certificate that is affixed to a public document. It certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Iceland and confirms the capacity of that official.

Icelandic Apostille stamps are often required when submitting an Icelandic document, such as a birth certificate, to the authorities of a foreign country or to a foreign embassy in Iceland (for example, as part of a visa or citizenship application). Apostilles are recognised by the authorities and embassies of countries that are members of the Hague Apostille Convention

For more information on Apostilles, see:
The ABCs of Apostilles (PDF)

Document legalization (or attestation) is a procedure which authenticates a public Icelandic document so that it can be submitted in another country for official or legal purposes - for example, if you need to submit an Icelandic birth certificate to the authority or embassy of another country, it will often need to be legalized.

Legalizing a document in Iceland certifies the authenticity of the signature appearing on the document as that of an authorized public official in Iceland and confirms the capacity of that official.

• Because Iceland is a member of the Apostille Convention, Icelandic documents can be legalized by means of an Apostille Stamp when being submitted to countries that are also members of the Hague Apostille Convention
• If an Icelandic document is required for a country that is not a member of the Apostille Convention, it will need to be legalized both by Icelandic authorities and by the embassy of the recipient country (embassy in Iceland or non-resident embassy accredited to Iceland).
  See: Document legalization - Wikipedia

Isarey Certification Services provides a range of services in Iceland including Apostille and legalization services, notarization services, certified translation services and document retrieval services.

You can see reviews from past clients who have used our attestation and apostille services:

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Iceland birth, death and marriage certificates can be obtained from Registers Iceland

Certificates can be ordered online with an IceKey (Íslykill) or digital certificate. Paper certificates (required for an Apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will be mailed to your legal registered address or made available for collection from the office of Registers Iceland in Reykjavík.

A marriage certificate is not issued when a marriage has been terminated due to e.g. divorce or death of a spouse. In such cases, a Certificate of Marital History has to be ordered.

Yes - an original paper certificate is required from Registers Iceland

Yes - an original paper certificate is required from the District Commissioner

Iceland Criminal Record Certificates can be obtained in person from any office of the District Commissioner

To obtain an Apostille Stamp, a paper certificate is required (printed digital certificates are not valid for legalization).

If you need assistance obtaining your criminal record certificate from Iceland, please Contact us

Apostilles can be obtained for Iceland Criminal Record Certificates from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An original paper certificate is required, issued by an office of a District Commissioner

University degrees and transcripts required for submission to the authorities of Qatar must be notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus), then legalized by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and finally attested by the Qatari embassy in London. The embassy will require transcripts and a cover letter from the university, which must be legalized separately.

University degrees and transcripts required for submission to the authorities of the United Arab Emirates must be notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus), then legalized by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and finally attested by the UAE embassy in London.

University degrees and transcripts required for submission to the authorities of Vietnam must be notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus), then legalized by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and finally attested by the Vietnamese embassy in Copenhagen (Denmark).

University degrees and transcripts required for submission to the authorities of Taiwan must be notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus), then legalized by the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and finally attested by the Taipei Representative Office in Denmark.

University degrees and transcripts required for submission to the authorities of Saudi Arabia must be notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus), then legalized with an Apostille Stamp from the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Since Saudi Arabia joined the Apostille Convention, attestation by the Saudi Embassy and Cultural Bureau is no longer required.

Apostilles in Iceland can be obtained for Icelandic university diplomas, transcripts and supplements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Diplomas and certificates must be previously notarised by a District Commissioner (notarius publicus).