Physical therapy work permit

It is the employees of the Directorate of Health who grant licenses to practice physiotherapy and other legally protected health professions. Further information on what is required to obtain a license to practice as a physiotherapist in Iceland can be found on the website of the Directorate of Health.

Further information on the website of the Directorate of Health

For students studying physiotherapy abroad, it is important to be sure that the school will provide you with the necessary documents you need to apply for a license in Iceland.

• A diploma supplement, which should include the name of the university, university degree and length of study, a description of the study as a whole, the names of all courses, the number of ECTS credits, grades and a description of the education system in the country in question.
• Course syllabus/course descriptions, which should provide a detailed description of the content of each course and the learning outcomes.
• Information about the number of hours and emphases in clinical studies.

If the applicant's studies for a work permit in Iceland do not meet the requirements for a permanent work permit (validation in Iceland), it is likely that the Director of Health will offer the applicant so-called compensatory measures. Compensatory measures are defined as a competency test or an adaptation period (a temporary work permit where the applicant works under the supervision of a licensed physiotherapist to begin with). An example of such a situation is when the studies abroad do not cover 80% of the studies in Iceland (less than 240 ECTS).