U.S. Embassy in Iceland

The Department of State assists U.S. citizens imprisoned overseas and works to ensure their fair and humane treatment.

The Department of State helps the family and friends of U.S. citizens who die abroad. We inform the U.S. citizen’s next-of-kin of the death and we provide information on arrangements for local burial or the return of remains to the United States and on disposition of estates and personal effects. We also issue a Consular Report of Death Abroad, an official record of death.

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues works to resolve and prevent cases of international parental child abduction and to help children and families involved in abduction cases. For more information, see our international parental child abduction page on travel.state.gov.

The Department of State helps U.S. citizens who are victims of crime overseas. We connect crime victims with police and other services and provide information and resources to assist with physical, emotional, and/or financial injuries from crime.

If you are in immediate need of police, fire, or other emergency services in Iceland, dial 112. The American Citizen Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Embassy Reykjavik provides a wide range of services to U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Iceland.

Are you a U.S. citizen who needs a passport?

The United States is a party to the Hague Adoption Convention, an international treaty which seeks to ensure that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interests of the child and that safeguards are in place for their protection. All adoptions in another country must take place according to both U.S. and local laws for the adopted child to be eligible to immigrate to the United States. You should work with a U.S. adoption service provider specifically authorized to facilitate intercountry adoption. You can find more information about authorized adoption service providers and the intercountry adoption process at travel.state.gov and are invited to direct questions to Adoption@state.gov.

If you have a child outside the United States the child may have acquired U.S. citizenship at birth if the requirements under the Immigration and Nationality Act have been met as of the time of your child’s birth. To determine whether your child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth and to document that, you can apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for your child. You may also choose to just apply for a U.S. passport for your child, although one benefit of a CRBA is that, unlike the U.S. passport, it does not expire and may be used as proof of acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth. A full validity, unexpired U.S. passport is also proof of U.S. citizenship.

A Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) is a formal document certifying the acquisition of United States citizenship at birth for a person born abroad to a U.S. citizen parent or parents who meet the requirements for transmitting citizenship under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). United States non-citizen nationals are also eligible for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, using the non-citizen option. CRBA applications must be made before the child’s 18th birthday. We recommend that parents apply for the CRBA as soon as possible after the child’s birth.

By law, certain requirements must be met in order for a U.S. citizen parent to transmit citizenship to their child.

U.S. embassy and consulate personnel cannot perform marriages. Depending on the local law, civil or religious officials generally perform marriages. If your marriage overseas was performed in accordance with local law, it is valid in the country where it took place. Whether your marriage is recognized elsewhere depends on the laws of that place.

If you get married abroad and need to know if your marriage will be recognized in the United States and what documentation may be needed, contact the office of the Attorney General of your state of residence in the United States.

If you believe your child is in the process of being abducted by a parent, legal guardian, or someone acting on their behalf, from the United States to Iceland, call 1-888-407-4747 from the United States or +1 202-501-4444 from Iceland to speak with a U.S. State Department officer to discuss your case.