ATH: Umsækjendur með íslenska kennitölu skulu nota þjónustugátt Vatnajökulsþjóðgarðs. /

ATT: Applicants with an Icelandic ID number must apply through Vatnajökull National Park's service portal.

UAV (drone) permit application for recreational use within Vatnajökull National Park

General use of UAVs (drones) is not permitted within Vatnajökull National Park. The reasons are: Protection of wildlife within the park; Visitor safety; and the park's objective of quality experience for its visitors. This is in accordance with regulation about Vatnajökull National Park (300/2020).

Park managers can permit the use of drones when guaranteed that such use will not contravene with any of the three reasons stated above. Separate permits are issued if the drone use is a part of scientific research or a commercial filming/advertising project. 

Those who are interested in flying a drone in the national park, have to fill out an application form for a permit. The relevant park manager issues the permit. Note thaf if the application is for locations in more than one region of the park, the permit will be issued by national park managers of the relevant regions and may therefore take longer to process. 

This application form is for all UAV use that is neither a part of a scientific research or a commercial filming/advertising project. Applications must be submitted with at minimum 10 days notice. Vatnajökull National Park can not guarantee that the application will be processed if it arrives later. However, Vatnajökull National Park does not recommend applying with a longer notice than four weeks. Please contact leyfi@vjp.is for further information if needed.

Please notice: Vatnajökull National Park does not issue drone permit for the following areas within the park (except for research or some commercial filming, see application forms below) 

• - Skaftafell (Skaftafellsheiði, Svartifoss, Morsárdalur, Kjós, Skaftafellsfjöll, etc.) – The only exception is in front of Skaftafellsjökull.
• - Jökulsárlón and Fellsfjara - between 15th of April and 15th of July – because of bird protection.
• - Jökulsárgljúfur (Ásbyrgi, Vesturdalur, Hljóðaklettar, Hafragilsfoss, etc.) – because of bird protection, for safety reasons and to ensure the quality experience of visitors. 
• - Askja - to ensure the quality experience of visitors.

At several rest areas and service areas in the highlands, rangers can grant verbal permission for the use of a drone. The assessment of the permit is based on the state of the ecosystem and/or a specific time of day when there is no other tourist traffic (early morning or afternoon/evening). The ranger registers the permit on a special form. This applies to the following areas:

Note must be taken that police and ICE-SAR personnel are exempt from seeking permit when the drone use is part of law enforcement or search & rescue operations. 

APPLY FOR PERMIT

Commercial filming permit

Film-making, the making of advertisements and other such activities:

All film-making, the making of advertisements and other such activities inside the Vatnajökull National Park are subject to permits granted by the relevant national park manager, Regulations No. 300/2020 on the Vatnajökull National Park.

Those who are interested in film-making, the making of advertisements or other such activities in the national park, have to fill out an application form for a permit. The relevant park manager issues the permit. Note thaf if the application is for locations in more than one region of the park, the permit will be issued by national park managers of the relevant regions and may therefore take longer to process. 

Permits must be applied for with at least 30 days notice. Please note that there is a fee for filming permits, see rates and tariffs. Please contact leyfi@vjp.is for further information if needed.

APPLY FOR PERMIT

Research of nature and the natural environment and of cultural remains:

All research of nature and the natural environment and of cultural remains in the Vatnajökull National Park that are not conducted by the National Park authorities or are not part of the implementation of a preservation project are subject to a research permit issued by the relevant National Park Warden, Regulations 300/2020 on the Vatnajökull National Park.

Those who intend to do research inside the National Park also need to apply for the appropriate research permits from other relevant entities, such as permits for sample collection, pursuant to Act No. 60/1992, from the Icelandic Institute of Natural History and Natural History Museum Branches.

Those who are interested in conducting research in the national park, have to fill out an application form for a permit. The relevant park manager issues the permit. Note that if the application is for locations in more than one region of the park, the permit will be issued by national park managers of the relevant regions and may therefore take longer to process. 

Applications must be submitted with at least 30 days notice. Please contact leyfi@vjp.is for further information if needed.

APPLY FOR PERMIT

Special event permit

Sporting events, gatherings (weddings, birthdays, etc.), concerts, and other such activities:

Here you can apply for permission to hold other events than those discussed above. Examples of events can be: sports tournaments, gatherings (weddings, birthdays, family reunions, etc.), concerts, film screenings, etc. Event permits should be applied for as long in advance as the applicant is able to.

Permits are issued by the relevant park manager. Note that if the application is for locations in more than one region of the park, the permit will be issued by national park managers of the relevant regions and may therefore take longer to process.

Please note that Vatnajökull National Park might charge a fee for the permit/event. It depends on the extent of the event, for example if the park needs to have staff present on site during the event, see rates and tariffs. Please contact leyfi@vjp.is for further information if needed.

APPLY FOR PERMIT