citizen who acquired Icelandic citizenship at birth and was resident in Iceland until age 18, upon 2 years residence in Iceland a citizen of a Nordic Council state (other than by naturalization) who has been resident in Iceland for 7 years a former Icelandic citizen who has, since the loss of their Icelandic citizenship, been a citizen of another Nordic Council state. The applicant must be resident in Iceland. Persons not eligible for Icelandic citizenship by declaration may still be eligible for naturalization. Icelandic citizenship by adoption A person adopted by Icelandic citizens normally acquires Icelandic citizenship on that basis if aged under 12. Where the adoption takes place outside Iceland, an application for citizenship is required. Icelandic citizenship by law Each year, a number of people petition Alþingi to acquire Icelandic citizenship by law. This is usually done if a person does not qualify for acquiring citizenship in any other way. One notable example of this process was the controversial chess champion Bobby Fischer. Loss of Icelandic citizenship Icelandic citizenship used to be lost through the acquisition of another citizenship, and it can in some circumstances be lost as a result of residence outside Iceland: Acquisition of another citizenship An Icelandic citizen who naturalized in another country before 1 July 2003 generally lost Icelandic citizenship automatically. The option to resume citizenship by declaration was available until 1 July 2007. Residence overseas An Icelandic citizen born outside Iceland is liable to lose Icelandic citizenship upon turning age 22 unless: he or she has taken up residence in Iceland before that time; or an application is made to retain Icelandic citizenship (renunciation of foreign citizenship is not required); or He or she has resided in a nordic country for at least 7 years. An Icelandic citizen who holds no other nationality cannot lose Icelandic citizenship on this basis. Dual citizenship With effect from 1 July 2003, there are no restrictions on Icelandic citizens holding dual citizenship. Prior to that date, dual citizenship was only permitted in limited circumstances (such as where another citizenship was acquired alongside Icelandic citizenship at birth). Travel freedom of Icelandic citizens Visa requirements for Icelandic citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Iceland. In 2020, Icelandic citizens had visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 180 countries and territories, ranking the Icelandic passport 12th in the world according to the Visa