Iceland
Why fishing gear carries two duties in Iceland
Fishing gear EPR in Iceland is really two obligations wearing one coat, and missing the second one is the classic trap. In a fishing-heavy economy the rules bite harder than the small product range suggests.
The first duty is old news. Synthetic fishing gear has carried Iceland's ordinary recycling fee (úrvinnslugjald) under the 2002 act for years, collected like an excise.
The second is newer. From 1 January 2023 the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, taken on through the EEA, makes producers cover litter clean-up costs and report the gear they place on the market each year. Two duties, two different bodies.
Where your fishing gear falls in Iceland
Say you ship trawl nets, ropes and floats made partly from synthetic fibre into Iceland. If the gear contains plastic, both duties attach to you as the producer or importer of record.
The recycling fee reaches gear made from synthetic materials under Act 162/2002. The reporting and litter-cost duty reaches fishing gear containing plastic under the Single-Use Plastics rules. Most modern gear sits in both.
Whoever first places the gear on the Icelandic market is the producer here, whether a domestic manufacturer or the importer bringing it in.
Where fishing gear producers register in Iceland
There is no single sign-up. The recycling fee runs through customs and the tax authority (Skatturinn), the same channel as Iceland's other fee streams, so an importer settles it at clearance and a domestic producer files a bi-monthly return.
The annual market-data report is separate and sits with the Environment Agency (Umhverfis- og orkustofnun), which oversees the Single-Use Plastics reporting. The wider picture is on the EPR in Iceland hub, and the fund side runs through Úrvinnslusjóður.
One unusual door is worth knowing. Act 162/2002 Art. 8(3) lets fishing-gear producers set up a customised take-back arrangement instead of paying the standard fee.
Reporting and paying for fishing gear in Iceland
The cost comes in three layers. First, the recycling fee itself, a statutory per-category rate under Act 162/2002, collected on two-month periods with payment due the 28th of the second month after each period.
Second, the litter layer. Since 1 January 2023 Úrvinnslusjóður also funds the clean-up of gear that ends up as marine litter, financed through the producers of that gear.
Third, there is no eco-modulation and no competitive scheme fee to negotiate. You pay the statutory rate, with nothing tiered by design.
The exact date of the annual gear report appears in a Nordic policy report rather than a primary Icelandic source, so treat the yearly filing to the Environment Agency as a duty to confirm rather than a fixed calendar date.
Distance sellers and Iceland
If you sell into Iceland with no local establishment, there is no separate representative to appoint for fishing gear. The recycling fee falls on the Icelandic importer of record, so compliance rides on that importer rather than on a fishing-gear authorised representative.
What changes next is modest. The Single-Use Plastics duties are already in force through the EEA, and the EU sets fishing-gear collection targets at national level, so no new headline date is bearing down. For a neighbouring stream, see single-use plastics EPR in Iceland.
Frequently asked questions about Icelandic fishing gear EPR
Short answers to what producers ask about fishing gear here.
Who has to register for fishing gear EPR in Iceland?
Whoever first places synthetic or plastic-containing fishing gear on the Icelandic market, as a domestic producer or the importer of record. The recycling fee runs through customs and the tax authority, while the annual market-data report sits with the Environment Agency.
How much does fishing gear EPR cost in Iceland?
There are two cost layers and no published single figure. You pay the statutory recycling fee under Act 162/2002, collected on two-month periods, and since 2023 producers also fund litter clean-up costs for gear. There is no eco-modulation and no competitive scheme fee.
What happens if I sell without registering?
The recycling fee is enforced as a tax levy, so late or missed payment carries surcharges of 1 percent per started day, capped at 10 percent, plus interest. The separate annual gear report is overseen by the Environment Agency.
Which register covers fishing gear in Iceland?
The recycling fee runs through customs and Skatturinn, with the fund managed by Úrvinnslusjóður. The annual market-data report on gear placed on the market goes to the Environment Agency, so two bodies are involved rather than one register.
Can I handle Iceland fishing gear EPR from abroad?
Yes, in practice. The recycling fee falls on the Icelandic importer of record, so a foreign seller with no local establishment complies through that importer rather than appointing a separate representative.
