In short: Foreign couples can marry legally in Iceland without living there. You send a marriage notification and your documents to the District Commissioner (Sýslumaður), pay ISK 6,700 for the check, and marry within 30 days of the certificate being issued. A district commissioner, a pastor, a humanist celebrant from Siðmennt or an Ásatrú priest can officiate, and the last two regularly marry couples outdoors. Wind decides more than rain does, so plan two locations and a spare day.
Legal or symbolic: what foreigners can do
A legal wedding in Iceland is open to visitors. The conditions on the government portal are short: both of you are at least 18, legally competent, not closely related, and any earlier marriage has formally ended. A separation is not enough.
A symbolic ceremony needs no Icelandic paperwork. You marry legally at home, and a celebrant or a friend leads the ceremony wherever you like. As a rule a foreign officiant cannot perform a legal wedding in Iceland, so a friend can only lead the symbolic kind.
Choose legal if you can gather original documents three months ahead. Choose symbolic if your date is close, your papers are complicated, or you want full freedom over place and hour.
Jacky & Jordan · Positano · see the full wedding →The legal steps: documents for the District Commissioner
The District Commissioner examines whether there are any impediments to your marriage. The steps below follow the official page Marriage on island.is, as of November 2026. Fees and forms change, so read the page again before you send anything.
- Fill in the Marriage Notification form linked on that page. Both of you sign it. Two trustworthy persons also sign to confirm that nothing prevents the marriage. They do not have to attend the wedding.
- Collect for each of you: a birth certificate, a certificate of marital status that is no more than 12 weeks old when you submit it, and a copy of your passport certified by a notary public.
- If your country issues no marital status certificate, get a certified confirmation of that from the relevant authority. You will both then give a formal declaration about your marital status.
- If you were married before, add the divorce decree. If your spouse died, add papers confirming that the estate has been settled.
- Email the form and documents to gifting@syslumenn.is. You receive instructions by email. The form and all supporting documents must be submitted as originals, so ask in that exchange how to deliver them. Ask too whether your papers need a certified translation, because the office may require one.
- Pay ISK 6,700 for the examination certificate by bank transfer to the District Commissioner of the Westman Islands, who handles these checks for the whole country. Foreign transfer charges come on top.
- Receive the certificate of no impediments and hand it to your officiant before the ceremony.
- Book the officiant yourself. The date you write on the form is not an appointment.
On deadlines: island.is gives no fixed number of days. It only says that processing times vary between offices. The hard limits are the 12 weeks for your marital status certificate and the rule that the ceremony must take place within 30 days of the certificate of no impediments. After the wedding the officiant reports it to Registers Iceland, where you order the marriage certificate. If your country wants an apostille on the marriage certificate, the apostille service in Kópavogur charges ISK 2,700 per document, by appointment.
the certificate lasts only 30 days and your marital status certificate only 12 weeks. Order papers at home about three months ahead, send them to Iceland six to eight weeks before the wedding, and ask the office to issue the certificate inside the 30-day window.
Who can marry you, and outdoor ceremonies
- District Commissioner (civil). The ceremony is held at the commissioner’s office in office hours and costs ISK 15,400 as a minimum. A ceremony outside the office or after hours is possible only if that office can manage it, for an additional fee.
- Siðmennt (humanist). Legally valid since 2013. Its celebrants have married couples in front of waterfalls and on beaches. The 2027 price list gives ISK 94,680 for a wedding, plus ISK 210 per km outside Reykjavík, 45% more for travel on F-roads and ISK 15,000 per hour of waiting or hiking. Ceremonies on 17 June, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January cost double.
- A pastor. Ministers of the National Church and leaders of other registered religious organisations can marry you. Ask the pastor whether an outdoor ceremony is possible. Our guide to church versus civil ceremonies in Iceland compares the two.
- Ásatrúarfélagið (Norse pagan). A priest called a goði leads the ceremony, with an oath ring and a drinking horn. The fellowship says most of its weddings are held outdoors. It gives prices on request, so write to the office and ask whether it marries visiting couples.
Ask your officiant how many witnesses you need at the ceremony itself.
Best regions and how to reach them
South Coast
The classic choice: waterfalls at Seljalandsfoss and Skógafoss, black sand near Vík, glaciers at Skaftafell and the lagoon at Jökulsárlón. The Ring Road is paved and open all year, though wind and snow can close sections. Vík is about 190 km from Reykjavík and the lagoon about 380 km, so sleep on the coast instead of driving out and back. It is the busiest region, so go before 09:00 or after 20:00 in summer. The surf at Reynisfjara is dangerous, so follow the warning signs and keep well back. More in our Vík and Reynisfjara guide.
Snæfellsnes
A peninsula about two and a half hours from Reykjavík with sea cliffs at Arnarstapi, the black church at Búðir, Kirkjufell mountain and a national park around the glacier. Roads are paved and you can see a lot in one day. It is quieter than the south and very exposed to wind. See our guide to Arnarstapi, Hellnar and Kirkjufell.
The Highlands, summer only
Coloured mountains, hot springs and almost nobody. The mountain roads, called F-roads, are gravel tracks with river crossings. Safetravel says they are usually closed from mid-September until June or July, that not every 4×4 is good enough, and that no insurance covers damage in a river. Driving off the track is strictly forbidden. Opening depends on snow: the road from Sigalda to Landmannalaugar opened between 23 May and 23 June in the years 2021 to 2025. Plan for July or August, or book a driver with a modified vehicle. Our Landmannalaugar guide has the routes.
The north
Akureyri, Lake Mývatn, Goðafoss and Dettifoss. It is about 390 km from Reykjavík by road, or a short domestic flight. Summer nights are brighter here than in the south and visitors are fewer. In December Akureyri has only about three hours of daylight. Start with our Lake Mývatn guide.
Jacky & Jordan · Positano · see the full wedding →Months, daylight and a weather plan B
These are approximate times for Reykjavík.
| Time of year | Sunrise | Sunset | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-February | 09:25 | 18:00 | Snow and ice, short drives only |
| Mid-June | 03:00 | midnight | About 21 hours of light, ceremonies at night |
| Mid-August | 05:20 | 21:45 | Highlands open, real sunsets |
| Mid-October | 08:15 | 18:10 | About 10 hours, low soft light, dark nights |
| Late December | 11:20 | 15:30 | About 4 hours, one location per day |
June to August gives the most freedom and the most visitors. September and October bring colour, dark nights and a real chance of storms. November to March is for couples who accept ice, closed roads and a short day.
Wind is the real risk. On the November day we checked Safetravel for this guide, it carried a warning for gusts over 35 metres per second. A workable plan B has four parts:
- two locations in different directions, one of them sheltered
- a spare day in the same region
- an officiant who can move the hour, agreed in advance
- a check of Safetravel alerts and road conditions the evening before and again in the morning
Permits, protected areas and drones
Check two things for every location: who owns the land, and whether it is protected. Many famous spots are.
- Vatnajökull National Park (Skaftafell, Jökulsárlón, Dettifoss, Askja) lists gatherings such as weddings under event permits and asks you to apply as early as you can. Commercial filming needs an application at least 30 days ahead. Ask the park whether your small ceremony needs one.
- Drones in Vatnajökull: the park’s drone rules ban recreational flights at Svartifoss and in most of Skaftafell and at Askja. At Jökulsárlón and the beach beside it they are banned from 15 April to 15 July and limited to early and late hours the rest of the year.
- Þingvellir National Park handles commercial filming and photography through its own office. Contact the park before you plan a ceremony or a paid shoot there.
- Other protected areas are managed by the Nature Conservation Agency of Iceland. Confirm with the agency whether your site needs a permit for a ceremony, a photo shoot or a drone.
- Drone basics: the Icelandic Transport Authority requires operator registration. Visitors from outside the EU register at flydrone.is for ISK 5,863, valid five years. European operators register at home. The ceiling is 120 metres and you never fly over crowds.
What it costs
- Official fees: ISK 6,700 for the examination certificate, plus ISK 15,400 or more for a civil ceremony at a commissioner’s office.
- Humanist celebrant: ISK 94,680 in 2027, plus travel. Siðmennt’s own example is ISK 114,630 for a ceremony at Þingvellir.
- Papers at home: certificates, notary, translations. Prices depend on your country.
- Photography or film with us: up to 5 hours €1,390, 6 hours €1,590, 7 hours €1,790, 8 hours €1,990, full day with no time limit €2,190. Photo and video cost the same, and both together is the plain sum, €4,380 for a full day. Travel is included and a 20% deposit reserves the date.
- Travel: the big variables are the vehicle (a capable 4×4 costs far more than a small car) and beds on the South Coast in summer.
Brittany & Thomas · Positano · see the full wedding →Two sample days and the mistakes to avoid
Mid-June on the South Coast. The sun sets around 23:30, so the day runs late and the crowds are gone for the best part.
- 14:00 Getting ready at your cabin near Vík or Skógar
- 16:00 First look
- 17:00 Ceremony at a quiet waterfall or canyon with the celebrant
- 18:00 Toast, cake and a long dinner break
- 21:00 Skógafoss or Seljalandsfoss once the coaches have left
- 22:30 Black sand and cliffs in low sun, until about 23:45
Mid-October on the South Coast. Sunrise is just after 08:00 and sunset around 18:00.
- 07:00 Getting ready
- 08:15 First look at sunrise
- 10:30 Ceremony
- 11:30 Hot soup and dry clothes
- 13:00 Waterfall
- 16:30 Beach or cliffs for the last light
- 19:00 Dinner, then a look outside for northern lights if the sky is clear
A photographer’s note: spray from big waterfalls soaks a dress and a lens in a minute. Stand back for the vows and go close afterwards.
The mistakes we would avoid:
- a marital status certificate that is older than 12 weeks when it arrives
- a passport copy without a notary’s certification
- a certificate of no impediments issued more than 30 days before the wedding
- a Highlands plan in a small rental car, or before the road opens
- one fixed place and hour with no wind plan
- a drone without registration, or flown in a closed zone
FAQ: eloping in Iceland
Can foreigners legally get married in Iceland?
Yes. You do not need to live there. You need the certificate of no impediments from the District Commissioner and an officiant who is authorised in Iceland.
How much does it cost to get legally married in Iceland?
ISK 6,700 for the certificate and at least ISK 15,400 for a civil ceremony at a commissioner’s office. A humanist ceremony costs ISK 94,680 in 2027 plus travel.
How early should we send our documents?
There is no fixed official deadline. Count back from two limits: your marital status certificate must be under 12 weeks old on arrival, and the wedding must fall within 30 days of the certificate of no impediments.
Can we get married at a waterfall or on a beach?
Yes, with an officiant who travels, such as a humanist celebrant, a pastor or an Ásatrú goði. A commissioner marries at the office unless that office agrees otherwise. Check whether the place is protected.
What is the best month to elope in Iceland?
June to August for long light, with Highland roads usually open from late June or July. September and October for colour and dark skies, with a spare day for storms.
Still choosing a country? Compare the best places to elope in Europe and check where foreigners can legally marry. To plan the hours of the day, use our timeline for the best light.
Planning yours?
We are a team of six photographers and filmmakers with one documentary style. We document rather than stage. Read how we work on our Iceland page.
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