Traffic rulesIceland

Driving-licence applications and cards are handled by the District Commissioners, while the Icelandic Transport Authority is responsible for national driver-training, examination and licensing standards.

Frumherji conducts theory and practical driving tests nationwide under an agreement with the Icelandic Transport Authority.

Yes. A valid Icelandic driving licence is recognised throughout the country, subject to its categories, restrictions and current legal status.

Yes. A valid Icelandic licence is generally recognised throughout the European Economic Area and the Nordic countries.

It is the official digital service for study permits, first licences, renewals, additional categories and related driver services.

Yes. An eligible licence appears in the Ísland.is application after the licence is ordered.

No. The physical licence should be carried when driving outside Iceland.

No. EEA rules generally permit only one valid EEA driving licence at a time.

It is the electronic record used to register the study permit, driving instructor, lessons, school stages and examination progress.

Official application and examination fees are set separately, while driving-school and instructor charges vary by provider.

The minimum age for category B is 17 years.

Driving education may begin from age 16.

It must be requested when the learner begins the formal driving-study process.

The applicant applies electronically through Ísland.is, selects a driving instructor and driving school and completes the required declarations.

It is valid for two years.

Yes. The first application requires an approved photograph, signature and valid identification to complete the record.

Yes. Permanent residence in Iceland is a condition for issue of the first Icelandic licence.

Yes, if the person satisfies residence, age, identity, health, training and examination requirements.

No. A current driving prohibition, withdrawal or incompatible foreign licence status must be resolved.

Yes. Adequate vision, hearing and general physical and mental fitness are required.

Yes. The first category B licence requires successful completion of both examinations.

The learner should contact the District Commissioner and driving instructor because an expired study record may require a new application and updated documentation.

No. A medical certificate is normally required when one or more health questions in the application are answered affirmatively.

The assessment can cover eyesight, hearing, mobility, neurological conditions, cardiovascular health, medication, mental health and other matters affecting safe driving.

Yes. A restriction code can require corrective lenses whenever the holder drives.

Yes. Medical and technical codes may require an automatic transmission, hand controls or another adaptation.

No. Fitness is assessed individually and the person may qualify with restrictions or a suitably adapted vehicle.

Yes. A medical condition can justify earlier review or limited validity.

Yes. Additional medical, psychological or specialist reports can be requested when ordinary information is insufficient.

Yes. The licence can be restricted, suspended or withdrawn if the holder no longer meets the medical standard.

Yes. Commercial and higher categories require more extensive and repeated medical certification.

Yes. A licence does not authorise driving while illness, medication, fatigue or another condition makes the person unsafe.

The programme combines instruction from an authorised driving instructor, theory education through driving schools and supervised practice.

The general category B programme is divided into Driving School 1, Driving School 2 and Driving School 3.

Yes. Approved distance-learning programmes may be used when they follow the official curriculum and progress-control requirements.

The learner must normally obtain at least 80% in the module assessment.

At least 15 practical driving lessons are required.

Not necessarily. Official guidance states that many learners complete approximately 15 to 25 instructor lessons.

Yes, after the required initial instruction and registration of an eligible practice supervisor.

Yes. Private practice must be linked to an approved and recorded supervisor.

No. It supplements, rather than replaces, the required professional instruction.

Yes. The journal or electronic record documents theory, practical instruction and supervised experience.

No. The study permit and supervised-learning arrangement are intended for use in Iceland.

Yes. The study record can be updated and completed training remains documented in the official system.

It can be taken up to two months before the applicant’s seventeenth birthday.

The candidate is responsible for booking it through the authorised examination service.

It is conducted on a tablet at an approved test location.

The test contains 50 true-or-false statements.

At least 45 out of 50 must be answered correctly.

The examination covers traffic law, signs, safe driving, vehicle knowledge, hazards and material taught by the school and instructor.

The test is available in Icelandic, English, Polish and Arabic.

Yes. A certified or Transport-Authority-approved interpreter may be used, with the candidate paying the interpretation cost.

Yes. Web-based dictation or reading support is available during the theory examination.

The candidate must wait at least one week before another attempt and pays the fee again.

Since the May 2026 amendment, it is valid for 12 months.

Yes. A valid theory result is required before the driving instructor books the practical examination.

It can be taken up to two weeks before the seventeenth birthday.

The learner’s driving instructor books it.

The examiner conducts an oral assessment about vehicle controls, dashboard lights, safety equipment, maintenance and the registration certificate.

It assesses vehicle control, observation, road position, priority, signs, speed, manoeuvres and safe interaction with other road users.

The examiner selects the route.

Yes. Passing in an automatic vehicle creates an automatic-only restriction.

Yes. A manual pass permits both manual and automatic vehicles.

Yes. A serious traffic violation, unsafe action or necessary examiner intervention can cause failure.

Yes. A new test can be arranged after further preparation and payment of the applicable fee.

The District Commissioner orders the provisional licence, and the digital licence is updated when the order is processed.

The first category B licence is a provisional licence.

It is valid for three years.

Yes. After passing and receiving valid entitlement, the holder may drive independently.

Yes. A provisional holder who receives three points within three years can lose the licence.

After holding the provisional licence continuously for at least one year.

The holder must complete Driving School 3.

A formal driving assessment with an authorised driving instructor is required.

It takes about 50 minutes, including approximately 30 minutes of driving.

Yes. Early issue of the full licence requires no recorded penalty points.

The provisional licence remains valid for its three-year period, but the full-licence conditions must still be completed.

It is normally valid for 15 years, subject to age, medical and category rules.

No. The ordinary penalty-point and disqualification rules continue to apply.

It covers mopeds and specified light vehicles within the legal speed and technical limits.

It covers light motorcycles up to 125 cm³, 11 kW and the prescribed power-to-weight ratio.

It covers motorcycles up to 35 kW with the prescribed power-to-weight and derivation restrictions.

It covers unrestricted motorcycles, subject to the applicable age and staged-access rules.

It covers vehicles up to 3,500 kg with no more than eight passenger seats in addition to the driver.

A trailer up to 750 kg, or a heavier trailer where the combined maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg.

The Icelandic category includes specified four-wheel motorcycles, mopeds, tractors, road work machines and off-road vehicles such as snowmobiles.

It covers a category B vehicle with a trailer or coupling device whose maximum authorised mass does not exceed 3,500 kg.

The minimum age is 18, and the applicant must hold a full, non-provisional category B licence.

C1 covers vehicles above 3,500 kg and up to 7,500 kg; C covers heavier goods vehicles.

D1 covers minibuses within the statutory passenger and length limits; D covers vehicles designed for more than eight passengers.

No. The appropriate A-category entitlement must be obtained.

Yes. Additional driving rights are built on a full category B licence.

No. The applicant must hold a permanent or full driving licence.

Yes. Additional and commercial categories require a medical certificate.

Yes. The applicant completes the appropriate additional-category or commercial-driving course.

It is the written road-safety theory examination used for applicants seeking additional driving categories.

Yes. The applicant must pass the practical examination for the relevant vehicle class.

Yes. Covered professional lorry and bus drivers must complete periodic training.

The professional qualification follows a five-year renewal cycle.

Yes. The renewal procedure requires medical certification.

Yes. If more than two years have passed since expiry, a new driving test may be required.

An ordinary full licence is normally issued for 15 years.

General driving licences must be renewed at age 70 under the current official guidance.

The renewed licence is normally valid for five years where the age-based procedure applies before the seventieth birthday.

Yes. Licence validity is progressively shortened as age increases and depends on medical fitness.

Yes. The renewal service specifies the medical certificate and photograph requirements.

Yes. Health conditions can require earlier review.

The holder requests a duplicate through the District Commissioner and provides the required identity and declaration.

No. It normally preserves the existing categories and expiry date.

Yes. The digital version is updated when the new licence is ordered.

No. The official driver record controls whether the person may legally drive.

Yes, when the licence is valid, covers the vehicle and is recognised under Icelandic and international rules.

It is advisable when the national licence is not in a readily understandable convention format or a rental company requires it.

No. It must be carried with the valid underlying licence.

After six months of permanent residence in Iceland.

Qualifying licences from the EEA, the United Kingdom and Japan can generally be exchanged without theory or practical tests.

The applicant must normally pass both the Icelandic theory and practical driving tests.

No. The foreign entitlement must meet the final, valid licence conditions used by the Icelandic authority.

Yes. The original licence is normally submitted as part of the exchange procedure.

A person aged at least 18 who holds a valid Icelandic driving licence.

It is valid for one year and must be used together with the Icelandic licence.

A violation can carry from one to four points, depending on seriousness.

Yes. Points for separate violations can be added together.

A driver who accumulates 12 or more points within three years can lose the licence.

A provisional driver can lose the licence after receiving three points within three years.

Yes. Police or courts can impose immediate or direct driving bans for serious offences.

A driver is considered unable to drive safely at 0.2 per mille blood alcohol or the corresponding breath level.

The official alcohol guidance states that drink-driving penalties apply from 0.5 per mille in blood or 0.25 mg per litre of breath.

Yes. Police can prevent further driving where alcohol or another condition makes the person unsafe.

Yes. Driving under the influence of illegal drugs or medicines that impair safe control can lead to criminal and licensing consequences.

Sometimes the entitlement is restored without a new test, but the driver must confirm that the ban has ended and all imposed conditions are satisfied.

This FAQ was prepared from current Ísland.is guidance, the Icelandic Transport Authority’s examination material and the official driving-licence regulation framework.

This website is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with the Icelandic Transport Authority, a District Commissioner, Frumherji, an examination centre, driving instructor or driving school.

Official legislation and instructions from the competent authority always take precedence. Last reviewed: 4 August 2026.