Can you record a phone call in Iceland?
Tell the other person at the start of the call that you will record it. You need to tell them, not get their agreement. Iceland's Electronic Communications Act sets this rule for anyone on a call, unless the other person clearly already knows.
- Phone calls
- Article 91 of the Electronic Communications Act (lög um fjarskipti, no. 70/2022) says a party to a call who wants to record it must tell the other person at the start. Telling them is enough: the law does not require their agreement. No notice is needed when the other person can clearly be assumed to know. Public bodies may record incoming calls where needed for national or public security.
- Business calls
- The same notice rule applies to businesses. Recordings must also be handled under data protection law (Act 90/2018 and the GDPR), so a business needs a lawful basis, a clear purpose and a retention limit. Do not rely on the "already knows" exception: the telecom regulator reads it narrowly.
- What counts as consent
- Say at the start of the call that you intend to record it. The Act requires notice, not agreement, so the other person can decide whether to continue. No separate notice is needed when they unquestionably already know. An automated message they never hear does not count.
- Penalties
- Breaches can bring administrative fines (up to 4% of turnover for companies, ISK 10,000 to 10 million for individuals). Intentional breaches: fines, or up to 2 years in prison if serious or repeated, 3 years if for gain.
Say this at the start
Telling everyone and asking is the safe habit everywhere.
- English
Before we start: I record my calls so I can keep accurate notes. Is that OK with you?
- Icelandic
Áður en við byrjum: ég tek upp símtölin mín svo ég geti skrifað nákvæma minnispunkta. Er það í lagi?
Worth knowing
- This is a notice rule: the other person must be told, but need not agree. It is listed as all-party because secret recording is not allowed. Act 70/2022 replaced Act 81/2003, which had a matching rule, on 1 September 2022.
- Lawyers face a stricter rule: the regulator's 2023 decision notes that Icelandic lawyers' ethics rules (article 7) bar them from recording calls without the consent of those involved.
Sources
Checked on 14 October 2026. A plain summary of the law, not legal advice.
- Lög um fjarskipti nr. 70/2022 (Electronic Communications Act), Stjórnartíðindistatute
- Lög um fjarskipti nr. 70/2022, official PDF, Stjórnartíðindistatute
- Fjarskiptastofa (telecom regulator) decision 5/2023: duty to announce call recordingregulator
- Persónuvernd ruling 2021101915 (2023): call recordings and sharing them with the policeregulator
Other countries
More free tools
Questions
Is Iceland a one-party consent country?
No. Tell the other person at the start of the call that you will record it. You need to tell them, not get their agreement. Iceland's Electronic Communications Act sets this rule for anyone on a call, unless the other person clearly already knows.
Can a business record calls in Iceland?
The same notice rule applies to businesses. Recordings must also be handled under data protection law (Act 90/2018 and the GDPR), so a business needs a lawful basis, a clear purpose and a retention limit. Do not rely on the "already knows" exception: the telecom regulator reads it narrowly.
What counts as consent in Iceland?
Say at the start of the call that you intend to record it. The Act requires notice, not agreement, so the other person can decide whether to continue. No separate notice is needed when they unquestionably already know. An automated message they never hear does not count.
What happens if you record a call illegally in Iceland?
Breaches can bring administrative fines (up to 4% of turnover for companies, ISK 10,000 to 10 million for individuals). Intentional breaches: fines, or up to 2 years in prison if serious or repeated, 3 years if for gain.
Hang up. The notes are done.
Superscribe records your business calls on the number you already have and writes the note when you hang up. You say one line at the start, and it does the rest.
