Why Join the Pharmaceutical Society of Iceland?

As a pharmacist, becoming a member of the Pharmaceutical Society of Iceland (Lyfjafræðingafélag Íslands – LFÍ) means joining the only professional and trade union in Iceland dedicated exclusively to pharmacists. The Society works to protect your professional interests, strengthen the profession, and promote the highest standards of pharmaceutical care and patient safety.

Icelandic Association of Pharmacist (LFÍ) houses over 600 licensed pharmacists presently. These individuals work in over 75 pharmacies spread across the country, with over 37% working in community pharmacies, 14% working for the government, 26% in pharmaceutical industry and the rest in other key areas, such as start up companies and companies that have pharma related purpose. 

Our Purpose

LFÍ represents pharmacists across all sectors of practice and serves both as a professional association and a trade union. The Society's mission is to:

• Promote public health and the safe, effective use of medicines.
• Advance pharmaceutical practice wherever medicines are involved.
• Strengthen and protect the role and recognition of pharmacists in Iceland.
• Increase awareness among healthcare professionals and the public about the value of pharmaceutical expertise.
• Advocate for pharmacists in legislation, regulations, professional policy, and collective bargaining.

Benefits of Membership

By joining LFÍ, you become part of a strong professional community that supports you throughout your career.

Members benefit from:

• Professional representation through collective bargaining and advocacy for fair salaries, working conditions, and professional rights.
• Expert advice and legal support on employment contracts, workplace issues, and professional matters.
• Continuing professional development, including educational courses, lectures, conferences, and discounted training opportunities.
• Networking opportunities with pharmacists from community, hospital, industry, academia, and regulatory sectors.
• Access to grants and support funds, including opportunities for continuing education, health-related support, and other member benefits, depending on membership type.
• Professional events such as the annual Pharmacy Day and other scientific and social gatherings.
• A stronger professional voice, contributing to discussions on healthcare policy, pharmaceutical legislation, and the future of the pharmacy profession in Iceland and internationally.

Stronger Together

A strong professional association benefits every pharmacist. By becoming a member, you help strengthen the profession, improve healthcare services, support future generations of pharmacists, and ensure that pharmacists continue to play a leading role in improving medication use and patient care.

Together, we shape the future of pharmacy in Iceland.

How to get licensed as a pharmacist in Iceland

Are you an internationally educated pharmacist who wants to practise pharmacy and hospital (clinical envirnonment) in Iceland? 

In order to work as a pharmacist in Iceland, you will need governmental approval, a so-called "approbation" or a permit to practice the pharmacist profession. 

Decisions concerning the recognition of pharmaceutical degrees and the granting of approbations or the license to practice are made by the Directorate of Health (Embætti landlæknis). You can apply for recognition of your pharmacy degree regardless of your nationality.

So where to start? 

• The right to practice as a pharmacist in Iceland is defined in ,,The regulation on the education, rights and obligations of pharmacists and the criteria for granting licences and specialist licences’’ (https://www.government.is/media/velferdarraduneyti-media/media/Reglugerdir-enska/Regulation-No-1090-2012---pharmacists.pdf) .
  
  

Required documents for a licence to practice as a pharmacist

• When applying for a licence to practice as a licensed pharmacist, an application form must be filled out, printed and signed. 
• All documents must be mailed to the Directorate of Health or delivered to reception. Applications or required documents sent by e-mail will not be accepted.
• All documents must be submitted in Icelandic or English. However, licences and certificates can be submitted in Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian. Documents in other languages must be translated by a certified translator. Both the translation and the translated document must be submitted.
• It is important to consider which documents are required, considering both citizenship and country of study. Note that in some cases, additional documents may be requested.

Degree in Pharmacy Earned Within Europe

• If you have completed your pharmacy education in a member state of the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or in Switzerland, the principles of automatic recognition will generally apply to your pharmacy degree. The automatic recognition process is regulated in, Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the recognition of professional qualifications (Professional Recognition Directive)

Documents you will need: 

• Copies of diplomas
• Copy of your Licence to practice – if you hold one.
• Copy of Letter of Good Standing from a competent authority confirming that your licence to practice has not been suspended or revoked and that the licence is valid and unrestricted. The Letter of Good Standing has to have been issued less than three months before being received by The Directorate of Health. This applies if you hold a licence.
• Copy of a Letter of Conformity from a competent authority in the country where the diploma was issued. The certificate must confirm that the applicant's education meets the requirements of Directive 2005/36/EC, with reference to the appropriate article for the relevant profession.
• Copy of passport.
• Icelandic ID number (kennitala)

Degree in Pharmacy Earned Outside Europe

• If you have completed your pharmacy education in a non-member country, meaning a country that is not a member of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you will go through the individual recognition process. The process evaluates whether your education is equivalent to Icelandic degree. Anyone who has completed a program of study in another country has the right to have this equivalency assessment performed. Equivalency is checked in accordance with § 4 Para. 2 Federal Pharmacists Regulation (BApO) as is done for EU educational qualifications.

Documents you will need: 

• Certified copies of diplomas
• Certified copy of the licence to practice
• Certified copy of Letter of Good Standing from a competent authority confirming that your licence to practice has not been suspended or revoked and that the licence is valid and unrestricted. The Letter of Good Standing has to have been issued less than three months before being received by The Directorate of Health.
• Information about your studies. Diploma supplement and detailed description of your studies; list of all your courses, time length, credits, and description (often called Course Syllabus/Transcript)
• Information about your work experience. This is not mandatory but can be helpful.
• Copy of passport.
• Work- and residence permit in Iceland or employment contract within the Icelandic Health Service.
• Icelandic ID number (kennitala)
• Icelandic language certificate 

How much does it all cost? 

Fee for an evaluation 

When an application must be sent for an evaluation, a fee is collected by the Directorate of Health

• The fee for evaluating an application for a licence to practise or a specialist licence based on university education acquired outside of Iceland is 100.000 ISK 

Fee for licences and certificates 

A fee shall be paid for the issue of a licence to practise, a specialist licence, and a certificate. 

• The fee for issuing a licence to practise and a specialist licence is 12.000 ISK.
• The fee for a certificate for a licence to practise is 2.700 ISK. 

How long does it take to get a licence? 

• It can take up to two months after all the necessary documents are delivered to Directorate of Health to process the application.
  
  Thanks and have a nice one or njóttu dagsins as we say in Icelandic
  Update 29.june 2026 by: Sigurbjörg Sæunn Guðmundsdóttir chair LFÍ
  Originally created 4.june 2024 by: Barbora Gorová, Meðstjórnandi LFÍ