Transformation in the Justice System
The Judicial Services Portal is a transformative system that has streamlined and digitized communication and data exchange between parties and institutions across Iceland’s justice system. Paper documents once physically carried between offices are now largely a thing of the past.
Insert quote here about the impact of the portal, possibly from Gulla
The Judicial Services Portal has been in development since 2020 through close collaboration between Kolibri and the Ministry of Justice. Its most significant milestone to date has recently gone live. The latest release introduces what are known as digital service of process, including digital delivery of indictments, electronic court summons, and the publication of court rulings on Ísland.is.
In the past, police officers were required to manually review indictments and judgments, enter data into multiple systems, and distribute case materials to designated process servers. Those servers would then physically track down individuals in order to deliver indictments, summonses, or judgments in person. In some cases, they even had to locate individuals simply to verify that service had been completed. These time-consuming field operations frequently led to delays and postponed court proceedings.
Significant Time Savings
The preparation, data entry, and physical delivery of documents could take up to 10 hours per case. With the introduction of digital service of process, nearly all of that manual work has been eliminated. The police alone are estimated to save close to 700 working hours per month.
But the efficiency gains extend well beyond law enforcement. The Office of the Prosecutor General and the courts also benefit substantially. Service and receipt of indictments and judgments are now fully automated, eliminating the need to scan documents, label files, and manually store them in case management systems. As a result, administrative workload and duplicate data entry have been significantly reduced, while overall case processing efficiency has improved.
Combined, these improvements are estimated to save around 50 working hours per month for the Office of the Prosecutor General and the courts. Altogether, digital service of process is expected to save up to 9,000 working hours annually across the police, prosecution authorities, and the judiciary.
A Self-Service Solution on Ísland.is
Digital service of process also functions as a self-service solution for individuals (the accused), who must be served with indictments, court summonses, or judgments once a case concludes. All notifications are delivered directly to the individual’s secure inbox on Ísland.is.
Through their personal Ísland.is account, individuals can access all case-related information and respond when required. Everything is centralized in a single authenticated digital environment.
Parts of the system went live in 2024, with additional functionality released at the end of 2025. Adoption and user experience have exceeded expectations. The time between indictment and court hearing has been significantly reduced, and delays caused by unsuccessful service attempts have become far less common.
Further improvements are expected in 2026, as an even larger share of indictments, summonses, and judgments will be delivered digitally through Ísland.is.
Because these processes are now fully digital, police authorities can track every service attempt nationwide in real time, providing far greater oversight of case status. The Office of the Prosecutor General also receives immediate confirmation once service has been completed.
Overall, the system has significantly shortened case processing times and delivered measurable efficiency gains for both citizens and institutions within the justice system—marking a clear operational improvement for Icelandic society.