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Public limited company

Hlutafélag (hf.), public limited company hf.Iceland

What it takes to form, own and run a public limited company in Iceland, and how its profit is taxed. Each figure links to the page it was read from.

This company type

At a glance

Owners' liability
Limited to what the owners put in
Officialgovernment.isRead 14 Oct 2026
Quote
a Public Limited Company denotes an association in which no associate is personally responsible for the Company's total liabilities
Owners
At least 2 · a company may be one · nominees allowed
Officialgovernment.isRead 14 Oct 2026
Quote
A Public Limited Company shall at all times consist of no less than two shareholders
Directors
At least 3 · one must live there
Officialgovernment.isRead 14 Oct 2026
Quote
A Public Limited Company's Board of Directors shall consist of a minimum of three persons.
Minimum capital
ISK 4,000,000 (about €29,369)
Officialskatturinn.isRead 10 Oct 2026
Quote
The minimum share capital is ISK 4,000,000.
Formation fee
ISK 276,500 (about €2,030)
Officialskatturinn.isRead 14 Oct 2026
Quote
Stofnun hlutafélags (hf.) kr. 276.500
Tax on profit
Flat · 20%
Officialisland.isRead 10 Oct 2026
Quote
public limited companies (ehf. and hf.) is taxed at a rate of 20%
Notary needed: NoResident director needed: YesFormed without visiting: Yes

Form it

Who registers it

Registry
Formed without visiting
Yes
Formed online
Not stated

The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.

What it takes to form

A notary
Not required
A resident director
Required
Paying up the capital
At least half shall be paid at the time of the company's formation
Official skatturinn.is read 10 Oct 2026
Quote
At least half shall be paid at the time of the company's formation

Own it

Who may own and run it

Directors
At least 3 · one must live there
Official government.is read 14 Oct 2026
Quote
A Public Limited Company's Board of Directors shall consist of a minimum of three persons.
Shareholders
At least 2 · a company may be one · nominees allowed
Official government.is read 14 Oct 2026
Quote
A Public Limited Company shall at all times consist of no less than two shareholders
Members
At least 2
Official skatturinn.is read 10 Oct 2026
Quote
The founders of a limited company shall be at least two and the shares are held by two or more parties.
A local company secretary
Not stated

The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.

A local registered agent
Not stated

The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.

Each year, at the registry

Annual registry fee
Not stated

The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.

Accounts on the public record
Yes
Official skatturinn.is read 14 Oct 2026
Quote
Skila ber ársreikningi hvers reikningsárs til Ársreikningaskrár til opinberrar birtingar.
Audit for a small company
Not stated

The registry’s and the law’s own pages do not mention it.

Audit
Not in our records

Important dates

When each obligation falls due, as the authority states it.

Not in our records No dates for the hf. are in our records.

What is public

Directors
Public
Official skatturinn.is read 14 Oct 2026
Quote
hægt er að nálgast ítarlegri upplýsingar, svosem stjórn, prókúru og fleira með því að sækja gjaldfrjálst yfirlit í gegnum vefverslun
Beneficial owners
Public
Official skatturinn.is read 14 Oct 2026
Quote
hægt er að nálgast ítarlegri upplýsingar, svosem stjórn, prókúru og fleira með því að sækja gjaldfrjálst yfirlit í gegnum vefverslun

Tax

Tax on profit

How this company type is taxed, which can differ from its place’s headline rate.

Flat · 20%

The income for both private and public limited companies (ehf. and hf.) is taxed at a rate of 20%, per island.is.

Official island.is read 10 Oct 2026
Quote
public limited companies (ehf. and hf.) is taxed at a rate of 20%

Work it out on a profit figure: the company’s tax, the owner’s, and what is left.

CFC rules in Iceland
Not in our records

Close it

Closing it

The other end, which most guides leave out.

Not in our records Route, Statutory fee: none of these is in our records for the hf..

Every business in Iceland

VAT

Standard rate
24%
Official skatturinn.is read 22 Oct 2026
Quote
The standard rate of VAT in Iceland is 24%.
Other rates
  • 11% Rental of hotel and guestrooms and other commercial accommodation, campgrounds, catering and sale of food, alcohol, travel agents and tour operators, passenger transport, and self-employed guides
Official skatturinn.is read 22 Oct 2026
Quote
The reduced rate of VAT in Iceland is 11% and applies to the sales of following goods and services
Registration threshold
ISK 2,000,000 · about €14,684

sales of taxable goods and services; each twelve-month period from the beginning of business activity

Official skatturinn.is read 22 Oct 2026
Quote
Exempt from the obligation to register for VAT are those who sell labor and services that are exempt from VAT and those who sell taxable goods and services for 2.000.000 ISK or less in each twelve-month period from the beginning of their business activity
A foreign company
The same threshold applies; needs a local tax representative

A foreign business selling taxable goods and services in Iceland is liable on the same terms as an Icelandic company and registers when the conditions are met. One selling taxable services without a permanent establishment in Iceland must entrust an agent domiciled in Iceland to act as its representative, collect the VAT and remit it.

Official skatturinn.is read 22 Oct 2026
Quote
Foreign taxable persons selling taxable goods and services in Iceland are liable for VAT according to the same rules and regulations as Icelandic companies and shall be registered for VAT if the conditions for registration are met.
Returns filed
Depends on the business
Official skatturinn.is read 22 Oct 2026
Quote
In general each VAT settlement period is two months
Tax authority
Registration page read 2026-10-22

Payment and banking services

4 services name Iceland on their own list: Paysera, Airwallex, Revolut, N26. Each provider, and what a listing means.

Reference

Its name and code

Kind
Public limited company
Derived our grouping, the same words in every country
Name in law
Hlutafélag (hf.), public limited company (hf.)
ISO 20275 code
E4KB