Iceland
Civil law
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Iceland is a civil-law country in the Nordic tradition. It has one of the oldest parliaments in the world, the Althing, founded in 930. Its Constitution dates from 1944, and it follows most EU single-market rules through the European Economic Area.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Where the law comes from
- The Constitution of 1944, the highest law
- Acts of the Althing, the main source of law
- The agreement on the European Economic Area
- Decisions of the Supreme Court, which carry weight
The main courts
- The Supreme Court (Hæstiréttur) at the top
- The Court of Appeal (Landsréttur), created in 2018
- District courts for first instance
Becoming a lawyer
A master's degree in law, then a licence as a district court attorney, and later as a Supreme Court attorney after further experience and an exam.
What may surprise you
- Iceland has no separate constitutional court, and courts can rule on whether laws follow the Constitution.
- The Althing, founded in 930, is often said to be the oldest parliament still in existence.
- A Court of Appeal was added only in 2018.
Related systems
How this country is classified
The University of Ottawa’s JuriGlobe database lists Iceland as: Civil law. It names the systems in order of importance.
The map colours a country by the first-named system, and shows both civil-law and common-law countries as “mixed”. It is a simplification, and real systems are rarely pure.
Other countries in the same family
Sources
Sources last reviewed: October 2026.
TheLawToKnow Tools’s Legal Families Atlas is an educational overview. It simplifies on purpose, and it is not legal advice. For a real legal question about Iceland, consult a lawyer qualified there. Report a mistake.
