Kennitala

To be able to live and survive in Iceland the first thing you have to do upon arrival is to get registered at the Hagstofa Íslands (Statistical Bureau). After you have found the right building, because the address the university had sent you was wrong. There you fill in a form and 2 days later you are in possession of this magical 10 digit number. It is put together by your birthdate and a 4 digit number at the end. This number is your golden gate into Icelandic society. Without it you cannot register anywhere, you cannot open an account, you cannot buy a car... nothing!
So, one you have this you can throw away your passport. All you need now is your kennitala. When you register at university. All they need is this number and they know where you are from, your Rekjavik address. If you open a bank account, all they want is your kennitala and they know your details, that you are an exchange student etc. I call it the "Big brother is watching you system". Amazing and sometimes even a bit scary... With my new job it was the same. All my boss needed was my kennitala and I'm in :o) different cultures - different systems...