Landspitali- The National University Hospital of Iceland

A citizen is allowed to stay and work for 3-6 months without moving their domicile to Iceland. EU/EEA citizen are insured in the country where you work. Further information about this you find at www.tr.is, www.skra.is and if you are from the Nordic countries www.hallonorden.org or you can call the HalloNorden office in your home country.

If you are a citizen from a country within the EEA area, and you don‘t have the Icelandic ,,kennitala“ you´ll need to register at þjóðskrá, www.skra.is. At their website you will find detailed information on the process of moving to Iceland.

If you are a specialist such as a nurse or a doctor you will also have to get an Icelandic License to work in your profession. More detailed information on that process is at the website of the Directorate of Health; www.landlaeknir.is or contact them directly at starfsleyfi@landlaeknir.is.

If you have further questions about this process, please contact our HR staff at job@landspitali.is

If you are a citizen from a country outside the EEA area you need to apply for a residence permit. You can read about the difference residence permits and the process at www.utl.is. In order to get a residence permit based on work, you will first have to get a job as you will need to submit an employment contract. You can find information on our vacancies here .

Once you have gotten a job offer / employment contract you can start your process in applying for a residence and work permit.

You will have to get an Icelandic license to work in your profession (nurse, doctor, med tech and so on). The Directorate of Health handles that application and you can find more about that process at their website www.landlaeknir.is or contact them at starfsleyfi@landlaeknir.is 

If you have further question, please contact our HR staff at job@landspitali.is.

Landspitali - The National University Hospital of Iceland is the leading hospital in Iceland and the largest workplace for employees in health care. It is funded by the Ministry of Welfare, provides specialised and general care and has the capacity of approx. 630 beds.

 Icelandic students do not get paid salaries or receive any benefits from the university nor the hospital during their clinical placements and the same goes for foreign students.

Students will have to provide all cost of their visit to Iceland. The hospital does not have living quarters for staff or students - students need to find and pay themselves for a place to live. The main hospital buildings are in the city, or to be exact areas with the ZIP code 101 or 108.

The hospital offers a general evaluation of the student, if requested by the school and a form provided, but tests are not conducted. Confirmation letter of the training period is provided on request.

The hospital provides a uniform and its laundering (trousers and jackets), not socks or shoes.

Almost all documents regarding health care and the hospital are written in Icelandic. Most people speak English and/or a Nordic language, but students will be working and living in an Icelandic-speaking environment. Fluency in English is required of all foreign students.

Landspitali has very limited student positions. Students are therefore encouraged to apply through exchange programmes, such as ERASMUS and NORDPLUS or other programmes.

Medical students who want to come as exchange students during the summer (June through August) for 4 weeks or less, are encouraged to apply via IMSIC (Icelandic Medical Student International Committee). Please see IMFSA  or IMSIC. No formal teaching takes place during the summer months.

Students who want to apply for clinical training at Landspitali need to provide the following information IN ONE E-MAIL.

• Application form:  Please see the form here >>.  
•  Your CV with information about your working and educational career
• A certificate from your school that you are a student, in which semester you are and how many semesters your programme is.
• A certified list of courses that you have already completed, as well as list of courses that you will have completed by the time you arrive.

Please send this information in one e-mail to one of the following:

•  Medical students: medicalstudents@landspitali.is
•  Nursing students: eygloing@landspitali.is
•  Pharmacy students: pharmacystudents@landspitali.is
•  Other students: otherstudents@landspitali.is

Health certificates - IMPORTANT 

 Students need to provide the following health certificates before arrival and show them to the ward manager on the first day of their clinical practice. Note that without these certificates’ students are not allowed to participate in the clinical practice at Landspitali.

• MRSA test certificate: A recent (not more than approx. 7 days old) negative MRSA (Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) screening test, from samples taken from nostrils, throat or rashes (if present).
• Tuberculosis status certificate: Proof of the tuberculosis status; a recent (less than one year old) negative Mantoux (PPD) test or a report of negative chest X-ray. If the Mantoux test is positive, bring a report of negative chest X-ray and a confirmation of non-infectious status.
• Immunization certificates: Certification of immunization against Diphteria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Polio, Measels (Morbilli), Rubella and Mumps (Parotitis epidemica).
• Hepatitis B immunization certificate: Students doing clinical rotations (or working with human blood/tissue) need to be immunized against Hepatitis B (with completion of minimum two of the three basic immunizations, meaning that the vaccination must have started at least one month before departure). 

Status during study period

A citizen of the European Economic Area (EEA) member state needs to have legitimate EEA travel documents, e.g. passport, for entering Iceland. Students from outside the EEA need to find out whether they need to provide additional documents and which rules apply for their respected country (for further information and questions see https://www.utl.is/index.php/en/). The students’ status will be a tourist one: students do not need to register their legal domicile here nor obtain an Icelandic ID number if they stay less than 3 months.

 If a student decides to enrol full time for a semester or more than he is required to have legitimate EEA travel documents for entering Iceland, sufficient insurance throughout his stay and a confirmation that he can afford living expenses during his stay in Iceland. A residence permit for a student is intended for a foreigner that studies at the University of Iceland. The applicant must however be registered as a full-time student at the university. 

Social security

EEA citizens

All insured citizens from member states of the EEA must bring the European Health Insurance Card or EHIC for use in Iceland.

This does not apply to persons from the other Nordic countries since they only need a confirmation of insurance in another Nordic country.

A fee, to be paid for each consultation, and other services, is fixed by a regulation.

EEA nationals presenting the EHIC will be charged the same fee as persons insured in Iceland.

Insured citizens of EEA countries are entitled to benefits which become necessary on medical grounds during a temporary stay in Iceland, considering the nature of the benefits and the expected length of the stay.

Students from other countries

Other persons than mentioned above, who are not insured or not covered by the EEA regulations can obtain medical assistance but must, of course, pay in full. They can then seek reimbursement from their own insurance in their country of origin or from their private insurance (www.sjukra.is).

 Key links:

• About Iceland http://www.randburg.com/ 
• Study in Iceland https://study.iceland.is/
• Univeristy of Iceland – international office https://english.hi.is/international_office
• Various ministries http://www.government.is
• The Directorate of Health http://www.landlaeknir.is/
• The Directorate of Immigration http://www.utl.is
• The Icelandic Health Insurance http://www.sjukra.is/
  

The following is information about common terms of employment.

• The normal work week in Iceland is 36 hours.
• Monthly salaries are based on collective bargaining contracts, and they depend on your expertise, education and age. There are extra payments for shifts (varying based on your profession). All overtime is generally paid extra, but with upper limits. Vacation for one year of employment is at least 24 weekdays (4 weeks and 4 days) and depending on your collective bargaining contract, you may be entitled to winter holiday if you work shifts.
• Income tax in Iceland is vary from 37,13% to 46,25%, pension fund payments are 4% and additionally most employees belong to a labor union and pay fees there.
• Vacation is 2 days for each month of employment. According to the labor law, both the hospital and the employee are ensured the right to terminate the contract with 1-3 months notice but this is specified in the contract of employment.

This applies unless intergovernmental treaties say otherwise.

Health insurance

Everyone who has been legally resident in Iceland for six months automatically becomes a member of the Icelandic social insurance system, regardless of nationality.

Those who have not been resident in Iceland for six months and are not covered by the EEA regulations can obtain medical assistance but must, of course, pay in full.

They can then seek reimbursement from their own insurance in their country of origin or from their private insurance, according to rules and regulations applicable in their insurance country. But occupational injury insurance covers employed persons working in Iceland.

The Icelandic Language

Icelandic resembles Norwegian, Danish and Swedish but the grammar is somewhat more complicated.

Internal documents regarding the profession, staff guidelines and instructions for navigating the hospital are written in Icelandic and verbal communication is normally conducted in Icelandic, so knowledge of the language is very important.

The main alternative language for the initial period would be English, and most Icelanders are quite proficient in English (both staff and patients).
Nevertheless, we recommend that you start learning Icelandic before you come to Iceland. You can study Icelandic from other countries in various ways.

Firstly, there are two websites with free online courses: The “Icelandic Online” course given by the University of Iceland at www.icelandic.hi.is and Bragi course at www2.hu-berlin.de/bragi.

Further information

The website of the Directorate of Labor, www.vinnumalastofnun.is, contains the law and regulations regarding employment and residency of foreign citizens.

Nordic citizens are advised to visit the website of the Mobility Information Service of the Nordic Region on http://www.hallonorden.org.

The website of The Directorate of Immigration is www.utl.is.