How To Elope In Iceland in 2026/2027

So, you are engaged and considering eloping in Iceland as a foreigner, but not sure how to do it? Then this article is for you! First of all, congratulations on your engagement and for considering making your wedding day into an adventure in one of the most beautiful places in the world!

I hope this article will be helpful for you as I’m going to put my knowledge and expertise into it as an Iceland elopement photographer.

The practical / paperwork

I’m going to start with the practical and then move to the fun. Let’s talk about paperwork!

First of all, I’m happy to let you know that you can elope in Iceland regardless of your religion and sexual orientation, yay!

If you decide to actually get married in Iceland (and not just have a symbolic ceremony like most couples), you will need to prepare some documents. The documents must be in English or one of the Scandinavian languages, otherwise they need to be translated to English and certified.

Here are the documents that you will need:

• Marriage notification
• Both birth certificates
• Certificate of marriage status (cannot be more than 12 weeks old when submitted)
• Valid passports

Conditions for marriage:

• You must be 18 years old or older
• You need to prove that you’re divorced or widowed if you have been married before (you cannot be separated)

If you would like to present your original documents when you’re in Iceland, you will need to arrive 5 days before the ceremony to do it. Alternatively, you can mail certified copies of your documents to the District Commissioner at least 3 weeks (and no more than 12 weeks) before you arrive to Iceland instead and you won’t need to wait for 5 days to get married after your arrival.

Find the official information here and you can email gifting@syslumenn.is with any questions.

And now, let’s talk about the fun part!

When to elope in Iceland?

You can elope in Iceland during any season, I’m going to list the pros and cons below.

How to plan your elopement in Iceland

First, you need to decide how much you’re willing to spend on your elopement and how much planning you are comfortable with doing yourself.

Here are some ideas that will help you, your elopement might be a mix of all of these – it’s really up to you!

The luxurious elopement

This is for you if you’re looking to have an amazing and unique celebration without doing much planning and organising yourself. This could last 1 full day or several days.

What you will need:

• Hire a wedding planner
• Prepare the paperwork and the wedding planner will help you with the rest
• Find the photographer you like the most or let the wedding planner decide

And here is what your day could look like:

• Getting ready: the photographer will meet you at your accommodation and take photos photos of you while you’re getting ready. It’s really amazing to have photos of these moments of joy and anticipation!
• First look outside of your accommodation – always an unforgettable experience!
• Off to a unique location for your ceremony. You can really think outside of the box here! Take helicopter to a remote ice cave or a beautiful spot on a glacier that few people have seen, take a boat to an island in a glacier lagoon so you will be surrounded by icebergs during the ceremony, take a super Jeep to a remote location somewhere in the highlands where you need to cross rivers to get there. The options are truly unlimited in Iceland!
• After the ceremony you would visit a few more incredible locations for photos
• You could have a picnic at one of those locations
• In the evening you could have a celebration or take more photos with stars/Northern lights
• If you’re celebrating for several days you could visit more amazing locations during the following days

What you will need:

Normally, your photographer will have a list with the local vendors and will create a custom timeline for the day and find the best locations for you.

• Hire a photographer who will help you with all the planning
• Do the paperwork yourself
• Hire an officiant
• If you would like to get married at a church rather than out in nature, you will also need to arrange that
• Hire a florist, makeup and hair artist if needed

What your day could look like:

• Getting ready: the photographer will meet you at your accommodation and take photos photos of you while you’re getting ready. It’s really amazing to have photos of these moments of joy and anticipation!
• First look outside of your accommodation – always an unforgettable experience!
• Off to a unique location for your ceremony. You can really think outside of the box here! Ice caves, glaciers, remote waterfalls in the highlands, black sand beaches, mountains – anything you like!
• After the ceremony you would visit a few more incredible locations for photos
• You could have a picnic at one of those locations
• In the evening you could have a celebration or take more photos with stars/Northern lights

The simple elopement

If you want something simple that lasts a few hours with photos from 1-2 locations then this will be the best option for you.

Normally, your photographer will have a list with the local vendors and will create a custom timeline for the day and find the best locations for you.

What you will need:

• Hire a photographer
• Do the paperwork yourself
• Hire an officiant
• If you would like to get married at a church rather than out in nature, you will also need to arrange that
• Hire a florist, makeup and hair artist if needed

What your day could look like:

• Ceremony in nature or at a church
• Photoshoot at 1-2 location after the ceremony

Where should you get married in Iceland?

Diamond Beach

Skogafoss waterfall

Reynisfjara beach

Jokulsarlon glacier lagoon

How much will it cost you to elope in Iceland?

Usually, the rates for professional photographers start from around USD $4000 for 4 hours. It’s different what the photographers include into their packages and you will need to contact the ones whose portfolios you like the most to request full pricing and package information.

The luxurious elopement

• Flights from the US for 2: $1000 – 2500
• Luxury hotel for 4 nights: $4000 – 10,000
• Car for 4 days: $800 – 2000
• Photographer: $5000 – 15,000
• Officiant: $550 – 2500
• Hair & makeup: $300 – 1000
• Florist: $250 -1000
• Wedding planner: $500 – 4000

Total: USD $12,400 – 38,000

The adventurous elopement

• Flights from the US for 2: $1000 – 2500
• Hotel for 4 nights: $400 – 1000
• Car for 4 days: $200 – 500
• Photographer: $5000 – 10,000
• Officiant: $550 – 2500
• Hair & makeup: $300 – 500
• Florist: $250 -500

Total: USD $7700 – 17,500

The simple elopement

• Flights from the US for 2: $1000 – 2500
• Hotel for 4 nights: $300 – 600
• Car for 4 days: $200 – 500
• Photographer: $4000
• Officiant: $550
• Hair & makeup: $300 (or free/DIY)
• Florist: $250 (or free/DIY)

Total: USD $6050 – 8700

My Iceland Elopement Packages