Companies in Iceland are registered in Fyrirtækjaskrá (the Register of Enterprises), a single national register kept by Skatturinn (Iceland Revenue and Customs) under Lög um fyrirtækjaskrá nr. 17/2003 (Act on the Register of Enterprises No. 17/2003). The same register covers limited companies, partnerships, cooperatives, branches of foreign companies and self-employed traders, so Iceland does not operate a separate registry for individual entrepreneurs. Basic registry data can be searched free of charge on the authority's website, while certificates and copies of filed documents are issued on request by Fyrirtækjaskrá.

The company registry in Iceland

The official registry is Fyrirtækjaskrá (Register of Enterprises), operated by Skatturinn (Iceland Revenue and Customs), the authority headed by ríkisskattstjóri (the Director of Internal Revenue). Its pages are published at skatturinn.is/fyrirtaekjaskra, and the public search facility covering the register is at skatturinn.is/fyrirtaekjaskra/leit.

Article 1 of Act No. 17/2003 places the register with ríkisskattstjóri and makes the same authority responsible for issuing kennitala (identification numbers) to parties other than natural persons. Article 2 defines its scope: the register holds information on individuals, companies and other parties engaged in business activity, on institutions and enterprises owned by the state and by municipalities, on associations and other bodies with tax obligations, and on any further activity the Director of Internal Revenue considers appropriate to register.

There is one register for both legal entities and sole traders. Until the end of 2013, the trade names of einstaklingsfirma (sole traders' firms), sameignarfélög and samlagsfélög were registered by sýslumenn (the district commissioners) in firmaskrá (the register of firms) under Lög um verslanaskrár, firmu og prókúruumboð nr. 42/1903. From 1 January 2014 that function was transferred to Fyrirtækjaskrá, which since then handles the registration of all business forms in one place.

Iceland is a unitary state: there are no regional company registrars and no free zones with registries of their own. Several statutory sub-registers are, however, kept by the same authority — hlutafélagaskrá (the register of limited companies) and samvinnufélagaskrá (the register of cooperative societies), named in Regulation No. 162/2006; ársreikningaskrá (the Register of Annual Accounts) under Lög um ársreikninga nr. 3/2006 (Act on Annual Accounts No. 3/2006); and almannaheillafélagaskrá (the register of public-benefit associations) under Lög um félög til almannaheilla nr. 110/2021. The only registration function held outside Skatturinn concerns sjóðir og sjálfseignarstofnanir sem starfa samkvæmt staðfestri skipulagsskrá (funds and self-owning institutions operating under a confirmed charter) under Act No. 19/1988, which are registered by Sýslumaðurinn á Vestfjörðum (the District Commissioner of the Westfjords). Statutory notices concerning companies are published in Lögbirtingablað (the Legal Gazette) under Act No. 15/2005.

Legal forms that can be registered in Iceland

Forms used for business activity

  • Einkahlutafélag (ehf.) — private limited company. Governed by Act No. 138/1994; liability is limited to the subscribed share capital, with a statutory minimum of ISK 500,000. The standard vehicle for one or a few owners.
  • Hlutafélag (hf.) — public limited company. Governed by Act No. 2/1995; requires at least two founders and a minimum share capital of ISK 4,000,000. Used for larger companies and for those with many shareholders.
  • Samlagshlutafélag (slhf.) — partnership limited by shares. A share-capital form under Act No. 2/1995 in which at least one partner carries unlimited liability while the remaining partners are liable only to the extent of their share contribution.
  • Sameignarfélag (sf.) — general partnership. Governed by Act No. 50/2007; the partners carry direct, joint and unlimited liability for the obligations of the firm. Typical for small ventures resting on personal cooperation.
  • Samlagsfélag (slf.) — limited partnership. Also governed by Act No. 50/2007; at least one general partner has unlimited liability, while limited partners are liable only up to their agreed contribution.
  • Samvinnufélag — cooperative society. Governed by Act No. 22/1991; owned by its members, whose liability is limited to their contribution, and requiring a minimum of fifteen founders.
  • Sjálfseignarstofnun í atvinnurekstri — self-owning institution engaged in business. Governed by Act No. 33/1999; it has no owners and operates its own assets for the purpose set out in its charter.
  • Einstaklingsfyrirtæki / einstaklingsrekstur — sole proprietorship. The trader operates on their own kennitala and bears unlimited personal liability; the trade name is registered under Act No. 42/1903 on commercial registers, firm names and powers of procuration.
  • Útibú erlends félags — branch of a foreign company. A registered establishment in Iceland of a company incorporated abroad; the branch is not a separate legal person and the foreign company remains liable.
  • Evrópufélag (SE) — European public limited-liability company. Governed by Act No. 26/2004 on European companies; liability is limited and registration follows the rules for hlutafélög.
  • Evrópskt samvinnufélag (SCE) — European cooperative society. Governed by Act No. 92/2006 on European cooperative societies.

Non-profit and other registrable bodies

  • Almenn félagasamtök (general associations) and almannaheillafélög (public-benefit associations, registered voluntarily in almannaheillafélagaskrá under Act No. 110/2021).
  • Húsfélög (housing associations), starfsmannafélög (employees' associations), stjórnmálasamtök (political organisations), trú- og lífsskoðunarfélög (religious and life-philosophy organisations) and félög í frístundabyggð (recreational-area associations).
  • Sjálfseignarstofnanir og sjóðir sem starfa samkvæmt staðfestri skipulagsskrá (self-owning institutions and funds not engaged in business, Act No. 19/1988) — registered by Sýslumaðurinn á Vestfjörðum rather than by Fyrirtækjaskrá.

Information available from the register

Article 4 of Act No. 17/2003 lists what is recorded for each registered party: name, kennitala (identification number), address, legal form, date of establishment, the names of directors, managers and prókúruhafar (holders of a power of procuration), the ÍSAT industry classification of the activity, information on dissolution or winding-up, information on beneficial owners, and any further items that must be registered under other statutes.

Article 8 obliges ríkisskattstjóri to supply information from the register to public authorities, to businesses and to the general public, and provides that electronic access to the register is free of charge. The public search facility covers three registers at once — fyrirtækjaskrá, ársreikningaskrá and VSK-skrá (the VAT register) — and can be queried by name, address, kennitala or VAT number. The result list itself shows the kennitala, the registered name and the registered address; fuller particulars, such as the board and the holders of procuration, are provided in the registration certificate obtainable through the authority's web shop, in Icelandic or in English.

Financial reporting is public in Iceland. Annual accounts filed under Act No. 3/2006 are held in ársreikningaskrá, where the search facility shows which accounts a company has filed, and filed statements can be retrieved in electronic form; paper copies are supplied on request by Fyrirtækjaskrá.

What is not openly published

Information on raunverulegir eigendur (beneficial owners) is registered with Fyrirtækjaskrá, but its disclosure is governed by Lög um skráningu raunverulegra eigenda nr. 82/2019 (Act on the Registration of Beneficial Owners No. 82/2019) rather than by the open company search. Under Article 7, competent authorities — including the financial intelligence unit, supervisory bodies, the police and the tax authorities — have full access without notice to the parties concerned, and obliged entities carrying out customer due diligence under the anti-money-laundering legislation are given the access they need; the general public is entitled only to a limited data set consisting of the name, month and year of birth, country of residence, nationality, and the nature and extent of the ownership interest. Article 9 allows access to information on the holdings of minors to be restricted. Tax returns and tax-assessment data are not part of the public register, and Fyrirtækjaskrá does not publish a shareholder list: share ownership is recorded in the company's own hluthafaskrá (register of shareholders).

Documents that can be obtained from the register

Fyrirtækjaskrá issues certificates and copies of documents on file. The items available are set out in the authority's published schedule of services and can be ordered through the web shop or requested from the register by e-mail, in Icelandic or in English.

  • Staðfest skráningarvottorð / staðfest vottorð (certified registration certificate). Confirms the company's registered particulars — name, kennitala, address, legal form, board, managers and holders of procuration. The standard proof of existence and representation for banks, notaries, tenders and foreign authorities.
  • Sérútbúið vottorð (specially prepared certificate). A certificate drawn up to confirm specific registered facts requested by the applicant, where the standard certificate does not cover the point at issue.
  • Endurrit eða ljósrit af samþykktum (transcript or photocopy of the articles of association). The company's constitutional document as filed, showing purpose, share capital, governance and any special rights.
  • Endurrit eða ljósrit af stofngögnum (transcript or photocopy of the founding documents). The incorporation papers submitted at registration, used to evidence how and by whom the company was established.
  • Endurrit eða ljósrit af aukatilkynningum (transcript or photocopy of supplementary notifications). The subsequent notifications of changes — board changes, capital changes, amendments to the articles — as recorded by the register.
  • Endurrit eða ljósrit af öðrum gögnum (transcript or photocopy of other documents). Any other document held on the company's file with the register.
  • Ársreikningur ásamt yfirlitsblaði (annual accounts with overview sheet), from ársreikningaskrá. The filed financial statements together with a summary sheet, used for credit assessment, due diligence and analysis.
  • Rafrænt afrit af gögnum (electronic copy of documents) from ársreikningaskrá. Digital copies of filed accounting documents.
  • Úrtök úr fyrirtækjaskrá (extracts from the register). Bulk lists of registered parties, authorised by ríkisskattstjóri for purposes such as surveys and research projects and produced through designated service providers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the business register of Iceland called?

It is called Fyrirtækjaskrá (the Register of Enterprises) and is maintained by Skatturinn (Iceland Revenue and Customs) under Act No. 17/2003.

Are companies and sole traders registered in the same register in Iceland?

Yes. Since 1 January 2014, when firmaskrá was transferred from the district commissioners to Fyrirtækjaskrá, all business forms — including sole traders' firm names — are registered in the same register.

Is the Icelandic company register free to search?

Basic searching is free: Article 8 of Act No. 17/2003 provides that electronic access to information from the register is free of charge, and the online facility searches fyrirtækjaskrá, ársreikningaskrá and the VAT register together. Certificates and copies of filed documents are issued against the authority's published charges.

Are annual accounts of Icelandic companies public?

Yes. Annual accounts filed under Act No. 3/2006 are held in ársreikningaskrá; the register shows which accounts a company has filed and filed statements can be obtained in electronic form.

Can I see the beneficial owners of an Icelandic company?

Beneficial owners must be registered with Fyrirtækjaskrá, but access is tiered under Article 7 of Act No. 82/2019: authorities and obliged entities receive full information, while the general public is entitled to a limited data set only (name, month and year of birth, country of residence, nationality and the nature and extent of the interest).

How can I obtain an English-language company certificate from Iceland?

Fyrirtækjaskrá issues its certified registration certificate in English as well as Icelandic; English certificates are requested from the register directly, and the certificate sets out the company's registered particulars including its board and holders of procuration.

Sources

Keywords

business register Iceland, company registry Iceland, Fyrirtækjaskrá, Skatturinn business register, Register of Enterprises Iceland, legal forms Iceland, einkahlutafélag ehf, hlutafélag hf, company documents Iceland, Icelandic company certificate, annual accounts register Iceland, beneficial owners Iceland