Iceland asks foreigners unable to leave country to register

As per Iceland’s Directorate of Immigration, foreign nationals unable to leave Iceland before September 10, 2020 are only allowed to extend their stay in Iceland without a residence permit or visa if they have been issued “permission to stay upon being registered at the Directorate of Immigration”. The announcement was made in an August 27 Notice, “Registration for Individuals who cannot return home due to COVID-19”.

As per the Notice, the option is only available for those individuals that cannot leave the country due to “travel restrictions, quarantine or isolation”.

Reasons like – high travel costs, no direct flights to the home country, or other inconveniences for travelling – will not be considered by the Directorate of Immigration as grounds for a foreigner to be allowed to stay on in Iceland without a residence permit or visa.

As per an earlier Notice dated August 10, foreign nationals in Iceland unable to return to their home countries owing to isolation, quarantine, or travel restrictions had been allowed to remain in Iceland without a residence permit or visa until September 10, 2020.

Travel restrictions had been imposed in Iceland on March 20, 2020.

For registering for a residence permit, a request for registration would have to be sent via email to the Directorate of Immigration.

 4 documents are to be included or attached by the foreigner along with the registration request. These are – [1] a photocopy of their passport, [2] a photocopy of their visa [if applicable], [3] a proof of their entry into Iceland before March 20 this year, and [4] the reason behind their inability to return to their home country by September 10, 2020.

The Directorate of Immigration has clearly mentioned that the registration request must be sent before September 10, 2020.

On all requirements being fulfilled, Iceland’s Directorate of Immigration will complete the registration process by issuing the foreigner a permission to stay in Iceland – without a residence permit or visa – until November 10, 2020.

If, on the other hand, the requirements are not fulfilled, permission for prolonging the stay will not be granted. In such a situation, the concerned individual will be expected to leave the country as soon as it is possible for them to do so.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate Overseas, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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