Healthcare Rights
Universal healthcare, patient rights, emergency care, medicine costs, mental health, dental care and complaints under Icelandic law.
Covered in this guide:
Healthcare in Iceland is universal and tax-funded, covering all legal residents under Lög um heilbrigðisþjónustu (the Health Services Act, Lög nr. 40/2007) and Lög um sjúkratryggingar (the Health Insurance Act, Lög nr. 112/2008), with Sjúkratryggingar Íslands (Icelandic Health Insurance) the sole public purchaser nationwide. You pay a co-payment for GP visits, specialist visits and prescriptions. Your patient rights — informed consent, access to your medical record, confidentiality, a second opinion and the right to refuse treatment — fall under Lög um réttindi sjúklinga (the Patients' Rights Act, Lög nr. 74/1997). Complaints about a doctor go to Embætti landlæknis (the Directorate of Health). Visitors from the EEA are covered by an EHIC card.
Key Laws
Lög um heilbrigðisþjónustu
Lög nr. 40/2007
Organisation of health districts and the provision of primary, secondary and tertiary services
Lög um sjúkratryggingar
Lög nr. 112/2008
Establishes Sjúkratryggingar Íslands (SÍ), rules on cost-sharing and rights to services
Lög um réttindi sjúklinga
Lög nr. 74/1997
Informed consent, access to the medical record, confidentiality and the right to refuse treatment
Universal Healthcare
Iceland runs a universal, tax-funded healthcare system that covers all legal residents:Everyone who has been legally resident in Iceland for 6 continuous months is automatically covered, regardless...
Patient Rights
The Patients' Rights Act guarantees fundamental rights to everyone receiving healthcare in Iceland:Informed consent: You have the right to decide whether you accept or refuse treatment.Right to...
Emergency Care
Everyone has the right to emergency medical care in Iceland, regardless of insurance status:Cost-sharing system (monthly caps):General public: Monthly cap of 37,794 ISK.The elderly, the disabled and...
Cost-Sharing for Medicine
Iceland subsidises medicine costs through a tiered cost-sharing system over a 12-month rolling period (the period starts on your first purchase — not a calendar-year cap). Two rule changes took...
Mental Health Rights
Mental-health patients in Iceland have special protections, especially regarding involuntary admission:StageDurationAuthorised byEmergency admissionUp to 72 hoursAny doctorExtended admissionUp to 21...
Dental Care
Cost-sharing for dental care in Iceland varies greatly by age group:Children (under 18): Sjúkratryggingar Íslands pays 100% of general dental treatment. An annual fee of 2,500 ISK is paid at the...
Healthcare Complaints
If you have a complaint about healthcare in Iceland, there are two separate routes:Professional complaint (the Directorate of Health):Submit a written, signed complaint to Embætti landlæknis (the...
Healthcare for Children and the Elderly
Iceland provides enhanced health protection for children and the elderly:Children:Under 2: No cost-sharing.Aged 2–18: A lower monthly cost-sharing cap, 25,198 ISK.Free dental services: 100%...