In Iceland the kennitala is not a secret tax code you hide. It is the ten-digit personal ID that employers, banks, landlords, gyms, and Registers Iceland (Þjóðskrá, the National Registry) use to recognise you. The first six digits encode your birth date; the final digit follows Icelandic numbering rules by century. Once it exists, almost every arrival step depends on it.
Who applies where, and what do you bring?
Ísland.is splits the path by passport bloc. If you are from an EEA or EFTA country, you apply in person at Registers Iceland or at some police stations with valid photo ID and the documents Þjóðskrá lists for your situation. The main desk is Borgartún 21, 150 Reykjavík. Nordic citizens moving from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, or Åland use a dedicated Registers Iceland form and must appear in person with all family members who are registering.
If you are not in the EEA/EFTA group, your kennitala usually arrives through the Directorate of Immigration (Útlendingastofnun, often called ÚTL) when a residence permit is granted, not from a standalone walk-in at Borgartún. Finish the permit route in Apply for a residence permit before you expect a number tied to lawful stay.
Work in Iceland notes that processing often takes around ten days after a complete in-person filing, but treat Þjóðskrá’s live checklist as the authority rather than a blog timeline. Short project workers sometimes receive a utangarðskennitala (system ID number for outsiders). That number can help an employer pay you briefly, but it does not replace a full kennitala for legal domicile, public health cover, or a normal resident setup.
What does the kennitala unlock next?
You cannot register legal domicile (lögheimili) without a kennitala. Domicile registration is a separate step at Registers Iceland; see Register your address. Banks ask for the number before they open a standard salary account; see Open a bank account. Phone companies and banks also tie electronic ID to the same identifier.
Housing choice still matters because you will show lease details later. If you are choosing between the capital and the north, start with Where to live in Iceland and Living in Reykjavík while the ID application runs.
How is a kennitala different from domicile or a permit card?
A kennitala proves Registers Iceland knows who you are in the national register. Legal domicile proves where you live for municipal and health rules. A dvalarleyfiskort (residence permit card) from ÚTL proves a non-EEA stay right. You may need all three for a full resident life, but getting the number alone does not register your address or enrol you in Icelandic Health Insurance.
If you only hold a utangarðskennitala, do not assume you can complete domicile registration or access the same public services as a resident with a standard kennitala.
Common misconceptions
Landing at Keflavík with a job offer does not create a kennitala. You still file in person or receive the number through ÚTL on the path that matches your nationality.
Applying for an ID number is not the same as registering where you live. Domicile is a second Registers Iceland step after the kennitala exists.
A kennitala is widely shared in daily life, but that openness does not mean you should post it on public social feeds or hand it to unverified rental agents.
Summary
Match your passport to the correct desk: EEA and EFTA movers to Registers Iceland Borgartún 21 or an approved police station, most other nationals through ÚTL with a residence permit. Bring valid ID, family papers if applicable, and patience for roughly a week of processing on the standard path.
Once the ten-digit number lands, move immediately to domicile registration, banking, and electronic ID so salary, rent, and Icelandic online services stop treating you as a visitor.
Sources
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