Document Recognition for Iceland: ENIC/NARIC, Verified Copies and Translations

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Iceland has no central office that decides whether you may enrol. Each university decides on admission, using the Icelandic rules and, where it helps, advice from ENIC/NARIC Iceland. The practical difficulty is less about recognition than about sending documents in a form the university can verify.

Who decides

For a bachelor's programme, the university checks your school qualification against its admission requirements. ENIC/NARIC Iceland, which operates from the University of Iceland, publishes a list of qualifications by country that meet the minimum for entry. Check it before you apply, and email enicnaric@hi.is if your country or qualification is missing. See how to get into a university in Iceland.

An evaluation from ENIC/NARIC

You can also ask ENIC/NARIC Iceland to evaluate a foreign academic qualification. The office compares the qualification with the Icelandic system. Its opinion is guidance, not a decision, and it cannot be appealed to a higher authority. The evaluation is free, but it does not judge the academic content of your studies and does not give the right to work in a regulated profession. You apply online, with:

• the diploma and the transcript in the original language, as PDFs
• the Diploma Supplement, if one exists
• an English or Icelandic translation if the documents are not in the Latin alphabet
• proof of the earlier qualification that gave you access, and proof of a name change if relevant

The office offers a confirmed evaluation if your documents can be verified electronically or you bring certified copies or originals to its office, and an unconfirmed one based on scanned documents. Processing can take up to three months from the day the documents are complete, according to its application page; another page of the same site says one to two months. Licences for regulated professions come from other authorities: the education ministry evaluates teachers' qualifications and the Directorate of Health those of health professionals.

Documents for the university

The University of Iceland says it accepts only verifiable documents. Photocopies and plain scans do not count. You can use one of these routes:

1. a PDF digitally signed by the issuing institution
2. a certified paper copy, signed and stamped in colour by the school or an official body, sent to Student Registration in Reykjavík
3. an online verification database run by a government or school
4. a third-party portal such as Parchment, Digitary, National Student Clearinghouse, GradIntelligence or Open Certs

You pay any portal fees. Transcripts and diploma supplements should be in English, Icelandic, Danish, Swedish or Norwegian; otherwise add a certified English translation. International applicants must have documents in by 1 February. Reykjavik University accepts scanned documents for the first assessment but asks for originals before an unconditional offer.

Extra rules for the residence permit

Non-EEA students who apply for a residence permit follow the Directorate of Immigration's rules. Foreign documents must generally be legally authenticated, by an apostille or by chain authentication through the issuing country's foreign ministry and the Icelandic embassy. Documents not in English or a Nordic language need a translation by a certified translator. Icelandic documents need no authentication. A criminal record certificate does not need to be legally authenticated. See apostille and legalisation of documents and sworn translation of documents.

A practical order

1. Read the ENIC/NARIC entry list for your country and the programme page.
2. Ask your school or the exam body whether it can issue digitally signed or verifiable documents.
3. Ask for certified copies and translations early, because they take the longest.
4. Check the university's deadline for documents, not only the application deadline.
5. If you need a permit, check separately which documents must be authenticated.

Where to look next

• Student visa for Iceland
• IB Diploma: university admission in Iceland
• All programmes and cities in Iceland

Official sources

• ENIC/NARIC Iceland: evaluation of studies and application details (in Icelandic)
• ENIC/NARIC Iceland: entry requirements to Icelandic universities
• University of Iceland: supporting documents
• Reykjavik University: international admissions
• Island.is: document requirements for student permits

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.