Information for citizens of the United States

Samtökin ’78 understands that the political climate and situation for LGBTIQ+ people in the United States is scary right now. Over the last few months, Samtökin has gotten a surge of outreach from US citizens who want to move to Iceland. However, since the states are classified as a „safe country“ in Icelandic law, we recommend contacting the Directorate of Immigration directly. As an immigrant, you have the same rights as anyone outside the EEA/EFTA region entering the country, and the Icelandic Government is required by law to treat all people equally, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender expression, or sexual characteristics.
Remember, you are not alone, and Samtökin ’78 is here for you when you arrive, offering counseling and support. Please note that it may take us a few days to respond to your request.

Here are a handful of links to get you started:
Multicultural Information Center, FAQ for those not from the EEA/EFTA region
The Directorate of Immigration processes applications for residence permits, Icelandic citizenship, international protection, and visas. It also decides on foreigners’ right to stay in the country and issues travel documents for refugees and passports for foreign nationals.
The Directorate of Labour is part of the Ministry of Social Affairs and manages, among other things, the employment service for the entire country, the daily handling of the Unemployment Insurance Fund, the Maternity / Paternity Leave and Parental Leave Fund, and the Wage Guarantee Fund, as well as numerous other labor market-related projects. Here, you can find information about work permits.
The Tourism Skill Center creates educational and support material for managers and staff in the tourism industry with the aim of promoting skills and quality in the industry. Here they have gathered information for citizens outside the EEA / EFTA area. Citizens must have a work and residence permit. The Directorate of Immigration decides on the issuance of residence permits. The applicant may not start working at all until both the residence and work permits have been approved and administered.

Information about health care in Iceland:
All trans children need to be referred to the trans team at the Children’s Psychiatric Department at the National University Hospital, Landspítali. There is no private care for trans people in Iceland; everyone has to go through the National Hospital. There is a separate trans team for people over the age of 18.
You must have lived in Iceland for at least six months to be eligible for Icelandic National Health Insurance.

All trans children who need medical care before the age of 18 must see a general practitioner, who will then send a referral to the team. This includes assessment interviews, a questionnaire, screening for ADHD and autism, and cognitive development (WISC-IV). The children’s school psychologist usually does this assessment, or parents/guardians visit private practitioners to do it. There are waitlists for getting the assessment done. The evaluation does not concern gender identity. All children who need services from the Child Psychiatric Department go through them.

Unfortunately, we have not yet received an answer from Landspítali regarding whether the assessment and screenings coming from the US are sufficient.
If the referral is approved, the child is placed on a waiting list, usually for a few months—right now, about three months.
When the children have access to the team, we know they are in good hands. The team is excellent, and they do their best to provide the best care while being very careful in their approach. The trans team prescribes blockers and then hormones, but hormones only after the age of 16.