Iceland's Icelandic test for citizenship: no date set for 2026, and 84–90% passed in 2024
To become an Icelandic citizen by application you must, under article 9 of the Nationality Act, pass a test in Icelandic set by ministerial regulation. Right now there is no test to register for. The Ministry of Justice's own page says it has spent the winter looking for a new body to run the test and that, because the contract is still being drawn up, it is not known when the next tests will be held.
Everything below was read on 17 October 2026: the ministry's pages on island.is, regulation No. 1129/2008 on reglugerd.is, the Directorate of Immigration's exemption page, and the education agency MMS's own announcements and results. The legal wording of the requirement is in our citizenship requirements table.
Why there is no date
From 1 April 2024 the test was written and marked by MMS (Miðstöð menntunar og skólaþjónustu), and Mímir handled registration and the sittings, as the justice minister told the Althing in answer 1906/154. The last sitting confirmed on an official page ran from 10 to 25 November 2025.
The ministry's page on island.is now says it is still working on a contract with a new operator and that no date for the next tests has been set. A ministry spokesperson told the newspaper DV in March 2026 that a contract with the University of Iceland was nearly finished, with tests aimed for early summer. We found no official notice that any sitting has been held in 2026.
Our reading: if you are close to the residence requirement, the test date, not your Icelandic, may now decide when you can apply. Keep checking the ministry's page, and keep your Icelandic going in the meantime.
What the test is
Four parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking. The regulation sets the level as the end goal of the 2008 curriculum grunnnám í íslensku fyrir útlendinga (240 hours), leaving out its goals on customs and society. The ministry's page calls the level A2; some MMS announcements say A1–A2.
It is pass or fail. MMS gave no grade, only whether the candidate met the minimum requirements, and the regulation makes the assessor's verdict final. No official page we read publishes the pass mark, the length of each part, or whether a strong part can make up for a weak one, so we do not state them.
MMS published a sample test (from 2009), mostly multiple-choice reading and listening tasks.
Where, how often, and the fee
The regulation says the test is held at least twice a year, in or near Reykjavík, and may also be held elsewhere. In practice spring sittings ran in Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður, and autumn sittings in Reykjavík and Akureyri only.
The fee was 40,000 ISK for the autumn 2025 sitting, and it was not refundable once you registered. In 2018 it was 25,000 ISK. Registration ran online through Mímir for a fixed window, and late registration was not possible. Only registered candidates who have paid may sit, with photo ID.
How many pass, on MMS's own figures
May 2024: 460 candidates, a record, and 90% passed. The sitting ran over 21 sessions in four towns.
November–December 2024: 492 candidates, and 84% passed.
Our arithmetic: that is roughly 950 candidates and about 830 passes in 2024. MMS published no results for either 2025 sitting that we could find.
For scale, the state funded Icelandic courses for 10,028 learners in 2025, up from 9,332 in 2024, according to Rannís, which awards the grants.
Retakes, results and exemptions
There is no limit on attempts, but if you fail or miss a sitting you can only try again at the next one. Results came about six weeks after the last test of the round, by email, and you may ask for an explanation within 15 days. A pass certificate never expires.
The Directorate of Immigration can exempt you if requiring the test would be unfair, including when you are 65 or older with seven years' legal residence, are at or below compulsory-school age in an Icelandic school, have a medical certificate showing serious physical or mental reasons you cannot sit it, or have a certificate from an Icelandic school showing the same skills. You must send evidence.
What may change
Nothing has been adopted. The regulation has stood unchanged since 2014. On 15 April 2026 the justice minister told the Althing that the ministry is reviewing the conditions for citizenship, naming residence time and language.
A parliamentary motion from the Centre Party (35/158) proposes ten years' residence, a civics test in Icelandic, and an Icelandic test at B2 or C1. It is a motion, not law, and it states the current test is at A2.
Mistakes worth avoiding
Planning an application around a test date you expect in spring.
Checking the ministry's island.is page for an announced sitting before you plan.
On 17 October 2026 the ministry's page said no date for the next tests had been set while a new operator is contracted.
Counting on strong reading to carry weak speaking.
Preparing all four parts: listening, reading, writing and speaking.
The test is pass or fail across four parts, and no official page says one part can make up for another.
Registering and then deciding whether to go.
Registering only when you will sit it.
The 40,000 ISK fee for autumn 2025 was not refundable once you registered.
Questions
When is the next Icelandic test for citizenship?
As of 17 October 2026 no date is set. The Ministry of Justice says it is still contracting a new operator for the test, so it does not know when the next tests will be held.
What level is the Icelandic citizenship test?
The regulation ties it to the 2008 curriculum of 240 hours of basic Icelandic for foreigners. The ministry's page calls it A2.
How many people pass the Icelandic citizenship test?
On MMS's figures, 90% of 460 candidates in May 2024 and 84% of 492 in November–December 2024. No results were published for 2025 that we could find.
How much does the Icelandic test for citizenship cost?
40,000 ISK for the autumn 2025 sitting, not refundable once registered. No fee has been published for 2026.
Who is exempt from the Icelandic test?
Among others, people aged 65 or over with seven years' legal residence, children in or below Icelandic compulsory school, people with a medical certificate showing they cannot sit it, and people with an Icelandic school certificate showing the same skills.
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