Iceland’s New Work Visa Without Job Offer for Remote Workers

Iceland has recently introduced a new work visa of 6 months’ duration for remote workers.

Foreigners from non-EU countries will be able to apply for a work visa in Iceland without having to pay taxes and work offers in Iceland. About a press release from the Ministries; the Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Innovation, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs has taken steps to enable non-EEA foreign nationals to reside in Iceland for up to six months for teleworking to their foreign companies.

There has been an advantage set aside for those foreign citizens who are exempt from the visa requirements will be allowed to apply for a long-term visa in Iceland for teleworkers and bring their families without having to move their legal domicile to the country or obtain Icelandic ID numbers.

Basic requirements

There has not been some special requirement set aside by the government till now, but some have to be met in any case. Such as:

Income requirements: Applicants will need to have a monthly income of at least 1,000,000 ISK ($7039,28, €6032,09) for individuals and 1,300,000 ISK ($9151,06, €7841,72) for those who bring their companions. However, it has not been set mandatory to have a job offer from within Iceland.

“Given the rapid technological advancement, we need to make our programs more flexible and increase opportunities as employer telecom grows, ” said Áslaug Arna the minister of Justice..” According to her, this is only the first step. When asked why the income requirements are so high, she replied that it is because these people will not pay taxes in Iceland and will not hire any community. “It was decided to set up the bar this year at an annual salary of $85k  for a typical specialist working in a big city.

Visa duration: The work visa will be issued for a whole of 6 months. Until now the authorization has only been for 90 days. To be granted permission for this extended stay, the person in question must demonstrate an employment relationship, income, and health insurance.

Qualification: There have not been set any qualification parameters for applying for the visa. But one must have a certain educational level to perform their job. Thus visas have been started for specialists,  so a relevant degree requirement might be asked later on.

Language proficiency: Since the job or project is to be done remotely in Iceland, no language proficiency document has been required. Anyhow, knowledge of the Icelandic language is surely an advantage.

The no-EU people who are living in Iceland will be able to work remotely for international overseas companies and stay in the country for six months, the Icelandic government has announced. They can also sponsor their families to stay with them during this period. 

The government has also indicated that these are the initial steps to start the visa program, whereas further steps will be taken in the future such as extending the visa duration.

Who are remote workers, teleworkers, and digital nomads?

Digital nomads are people who use telecommunication technology to earn their livelihood. They use wireless devices through the internet by sitting in a restaurant or a coffee shop, or space work. They can work remotely from around the world being nomadic.

Iceland is an island, a European country, located in the middle between North America and mainland Europe. The capital of Iceland is Reykjavik. The total population of Iceland is 356,991 (2019) and the currency is Icelandic króna.

Reasons to work in Iceland

There are 5 good reasons to work in Iceland:

• Work-life balance
• Equality at work
• Easygoing business environment
• Strong social protection
• Value innovation and creative approach

  Further details can be gained from this email address: work@iceland.is