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Iceland · Système de santé

La santé à Iceland

Verified data Dernière vérification June 15, 2026 Reviewed by Henry van de Vorming

Avant de vous installer à Iceland, la question qui compte n'est pas « les soins sont-ils bons » — c'est « puis-je, avec un visa temporaire, réellement y accéder, et que se passe-t-il en cas d'urgence ? » Voici comment le système fonctionne pour un nomade, et où s'insère l'assurance privée.

En un coup d'œil

Système
Financé par l'impôt (Beveridge)
Accès public (nomades)
Après enregistrement comme résident
Numéro d'urgence
112
Consultation généraliste privée
~€3.50
Soins en anglais
Largement disponible en anglais

Comment fonctionne le système

Iceland runs a tax-funded, universal health system administered by Iceland Health (Sjúkratryggingar Íslands). Most people who have held legal residence in Iceland for six consecutive months become automatically covered, regardless of nationality or employment. Care is delivered mainly through public primary healthcare centres (heilsugæsla) and the public hospital system (Landspítali in Reykjavík being the national university hospital); patients pay modest co-payments capped by a monthly out-of-pocket ceiling. Iceland is an OECD high performer: per-capita health spending and doctor/nurse density are above the OECD average, and life expectancy (about 82.4-82.8 years in 2024) sits above the OECD and EU averages.

Iceland has a small private health sector; care is overwhelmingly public (public sources fund about 84% of health spending and voluntary health insurance accounts for only around 2% of total spending), and there is no large parallel private hospital system. The relevant "private" layer for newcomers is private/supplementary health insurance, which non-EEA temporary residents must obtain because health insurance is a condition for issuing a residence permit and they have no public cover during the initial period. Domestic Icelandic insurers commonly named for this (Sjóvá, TM, VÍS, Vörður) sell medical-cost insurance to bridge the waiting period; international expat/nomad policies are also used. Once the six-month qualifying period passes and a person is registered with Iceland Health, the public system covers them and private insurance becomes optional top-up.

OECD Health at a Glance 2025 reports Iceland performs better than the OECD average on 9 of 10 key indicators of health status and risk factors, spends about USD 6,770 per capita on health (vs OECD average USD 5,967), and has 4.5 practising doctors and 15.2 nurses per 1,000 population (both above OECD averages); life expectancy at birth was about 82.4-82.8 years in 2024, above the OECD and EU averages.

Bon à savoir

  • Universal, tax-funded system: people with six months of legal residence generally become automatically covered by Iceland Health (Sjúkratryggingar Íslands), with no nationality or employment test.
  • Very low patient charges once insured: an insured daytime GP visit at a public health centre is 500 ISK (about EUR 3.5), with children, pensioners and disabled people exempt and a monthly out-of-pocket ceiling (around 37,800 ISK general / 25,200 ISK for pensioners and children).
  • Single emergency number 112 for ambulance, police and fire, operated by the national emergency centre Neyðarlínan.
  • OECD high performer with above-average life expectancy, doctor and nurse density, and broad English proficiency among clinical staff.

À surveiller

  • Six-month waiting period: after registering legal domicile with Registers Iceland you generally wait six months before public coverage starts, so most newcomers need private insurance to bridge the gap.
  • For non-EEA temporary residents, holding health insurance is a condition of the residence permit and there is no public cover during the wait, so private medical insurance is effectively mandatory at the start.
  • EEA/EFTA, UK and Swiss arrivals who were socially insured in their home country (private insurance does not count) can often transfer their rights and skip or shorten the waiting period; short-stay EEA visitors use an EHIC to pay the same fees as insured residents.
  • Uninsured visitors and not-yet-covered newcomers pay the full (unsubsidised) cost of care, which is far higher than the insured 500 ISK co-payment, so the EUR 3.5 figure applies only once you are registered with Iceland Health.

🩺 L'assurance dont vous aurez besoin

Comme les résidents temporaires ne peuvent guère s'appuyer sur le système public, et que le Remote Work Long-Term Visa exige une couverture, l'assurance santé privée fait partie de l'installation — pas un détail à régler après coup. Nous listons les formules qui répondent vraisemblablement à l'exigence de Iceland, classées par adéquation.

Voir les formules admissibles pour Iceland →

La santé à Iceland : FAQ

La santé à Iceland : FAQ

Puis-je utiliser la santé publique à Iceland en tant que nomade numérique ?

En bref — vous pouvez utiliser le système public une fois enregistré comme résident ; avant cela, vous dépendez des soins privés. Iceland has a small private health sector; care is overwhelmingly public (public sources fund about 84% of health spending and voluntary health insurance accounts for only around 2% of total spending), and there is no large parallel private hospital system. The relevant "private" layer for newcomers is private/supplementary health insurance, which non-EEA temporary residents must obtain because health insurance is a condition for issuing a residence permit and they have no public cover during the initial period. Domestic Icelandic insurers commonly named for this (Sjóvá, TM, VÍS, Vörður) sell medical-cost insurance to bridge the waiting period; international expat/nomad policies are also used. Once the six-month qualifying period passes and a person is registered with Iceland Health, the public system covers them and private insurance becomes optional top-up.

Quel est le numéro d'urgence à Iceland ?

112. Appelez-le pour les urgences vitales ; les services d'urgence vous prendront en charge quelle que soit votre assurance, mais vous pourrez être facturé ensuite si vous n'êtes pas couvert.

Ai-je besoin d'une assurance santé privée à Iceland ?

Oui — au-delà de la simple prudence, le Remote Work Long-Term Visa l'exige (obligatoire (explicite)). Voir les formules admissibles pour Iceland.

Sources