Prostitution Prostitution laws in IcelandÍsland
Iceland follows the Nordic model. Under Article 206 of the General Penal Code, paying or promising payment for prostitution is punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison, and up to two years where the person is under 18. Basing one's livelihood on the prostitution of others, mediating it or deriving income from it, for example by renting out premises, carries up to four years, and offering, arranging or seeking paid sex in a public advertisement is an offence. In practice first purchase offences are closed with a police fine of ISK 200,000; a draft bill published in September 2026 would abolish fines so every case goes to court.
Legal model
Buying criminalised (Nordic model). Buying sex is an offence; selling it is not (the "Nordic" or "Equality" model).
Selling sex was removed from the Penal Code in 2007 and buying it became an offence in 2009 (Article 206). Third-party involvement, renting premises and public advertisements offering or seeking paid sex are also offences. A 2026 government bill would remove fines as a sanction for buyers.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Legal | Selling sex is not an offence. Article 206 was rewritten by Act No. 61/2007, in force on 4 April 2007, and no longer contains the earlier offence of engaging in prostitution as a means of livelihood.[1] |
| Buying sexual services | Illegal Criminal offence | Paying, or promising payment or other consideration, for prostitution is punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison, and by up to two years where the person selling is under 18. Under the Prosecutor General's guidance, a first offence is usually closed with a police fine of ISK 200,000.[1][2][3] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Deriving income from the prostitution of others, for example by renting out premises, or basing one's livelihood on it, is punishable by up to four years' imprisonment (a fine or up to one year in mitigating circumstances). This covers running a brothel.[1] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Using deception, encouragement or mediation to get others to have sex for payment, or to derive income from their prostitution, carries up to four years. Arranging for someone to move to or from Iceland to support themselves through prostitution is punished the same way.[1] |
| Advertising sexual services | Illegal Criminal offence | Offering, arranging or seeking sexual intercourse for payment in a public advertisement is punishable by a fine or up to six months in prison. The offence applies to sellers, buyers and intermediaries alike.[1] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Selling sex is not an offence. Article 206 was rewritten by Act No. 61/2007, in force on 4 April 2007, and no longer contains the earlier offence of engaging in prostitution as a means of livelihood.[1]
A person who sells sex can still commit the separate offence of offering paid sex in a public advertisement (see advertising).
Note. Article text read in the government's English translation; the Icelandic consolidated text on althingi.is could not be opened from our environment.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Paying, or promising payment or other consideration, for prostitution is punishable by a fine or up to one year in prison, and by up to two years where the person selling is under 18. Under the Prosecutor General's guidance, a first offence is usually closed with a police fine of ISK 200,000.[1][2][3]
The purchase offence was inserted by Act No. 54/2009. The Vísir report on the September 2026 draft bill quotes the bill's explanatory notes as citing instructions of the Prosecutor General no. 1/2025, under which a first offence may be fined and the fine should be ISK 200,000.
Note. The ISK 200,000 figure comes from the draft bill as reported by Vísir; we did not open the Prosecutor General's instruction itself.
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Deriving income from the prostitution of others, for example by renting out premises, or basing one's livelihood on it, is punishable by up to four years' imprisonment (a fine or up to one year in mitigating circumstances). This covers running a brothel.[1]
Note. Paragraph numbering follows the government's English translation.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Using deception, encouragement or mediation to get others to have sex for payment, or to derive income from their prostitution, carries up to four years. Arranging for someone to move to or from Iceland to support themselves through prostitution is punished the same way.[1]
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
Offering, arranging or seeking sexual intercourse for payment in a public advertisement is punishable by a fine or up to six months in prison. The offence applies to sellers, buyers and intermediaries alike.[1]
A website operator that earns money from such advertisements may also fall under the sixth paragraph of Article 206 (mediation or deriving income from the prostitution of others).
Confidence: medium. The advertising offence itself is clear in the text. Its application to online ad platforms is our reading of the statute; we did not find case law on it.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| The General Penal Code 1940 No. 19 (12 February) [official English translation] General Penal Code No. 19/1940 Art. 206 | Article 206 contains the purchase offence, the procuring and premises offences and the public-advertisement offence.[1] | 12 August 1940 |
Pending and under review
Consultation · updated 2 October 2026
Draft bill amending the purchase provision of the General Penal Code (S-177/2026)
The Ministry of Justice published a draft bill on 18 September 2026, after announcing the plan in July. It would abolish fines for buying sex, so cases could no longer be closed with a police fine and would go to court; raise the maximum penalty for buying sex from a child from two to four years; make it irrelevant whether a third party paid; and cover negligence as to a child's age. Consultation closed on 2 October 2026 with 11 comments.[2][3][4][5]
Next: Introduction of the bill in the Althingi
Timeline
- 4 April 2007Act No. 61/2007 took effect, rewriting Article 206: selling sex is no longer an offence and the procuring and advertising offences take their current form.[1]
- 2009Act No. 54/2009 made paying for prostitution an offence.[1]
- 7 July 2026The Ministry of Justice put plans to abolish fines for buying sex out to consultation.[4][5]
- 18 September 2026Draft bill published for consultation; it would abolish fines for buying sex and double the maximum penalty for buying sex from a child.[2][3]
Sources
- The General Penal Code 1940 No. 19 (12 February) [official English translation]. Government of Iceland, Ministry of Justice. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Drög að frumvarpi til breytinga á vændiskaupaákvæði almennra hegningarlaga (mál nr. S-177/2026) (Draft bill amending the purchase-of-prostitution provision of the General Penal Code). Dómsmálaráðuneytið (Samráðsgátt), 18 September 2026. government · accessed 30 October 2026
- Vill þyngja hámarksrefsingu fyrir að kaupa vændi af barni (Wants to raise the maximum penalty for buying sex from a child). Vísir, 20 September 2026. news · accessed 30 October 2026
- Áform um breytingar á vændisákvæði sett í samráðsgátt (Plans to amend the prostitution provision put out to consultation). Stjórnarráð Íslands, 7 July 2026. government · accessed 30 October 2026
- Vill afnema sektir við vændiskaupum (Wants to abolish fines for buying sex). Vísir, 7 July 2026. news · accessed 30 October 2026