When planning your trip to the land of fire and ice, it is essential to be aware of the Iceland entry requirements that govern your visit. This includes navigating the passport, visa, vaccination, customs, and currency requirements that travelers need to meet before being allowed entry. The failure to meet any of these requirements may lead to travel delays or even being denied entry to the country.

To ensure you meet the Iceland entrance requirements, I have provided an outline of all the requirements in this article for your careful review. Furthermore, I also created a handy checklist that I linked to below that you can use to track the criteria as you meet them.

Download the Iceland Entrance Requirements Checklist

Iceland Passport Requirements

One of the most important Iceland entrance requirements you must consider when planning your trip is the country’s passport requirements. To be allowed into Iceland, your passport must have at least three months of remaining validity beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen area. To be safe, six months is recommended beyond the three-month requirement. If you don’t meet this requirement, you must renew your passport before traveling.

Iceland VISA Requirements

In addition to your passport, one of the most important Iceland entry requirements you must consider is the tourist VISA requirement. Depending on which country you are from, you may or may not need to apply for a tourist VISA to visit Iceland. The following sections outline the Icelandic tourist VISA requirements and how to apply.

Iceland is in the EU’s Schengen Area

The European Union’s Schengen Area consists of 25 EU member states and four non-EU countries that are members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). The EFTA member states include Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. While Cyprus is an EU member state, it is not yet a part of the Schengen Area. That said, it does share many of the same travel VISA policies. In addition, the country of Ireland has opted out of the Schengen Area and operates its own VISA policies.

One of the main purposes of the Schengen Area is to allow the free movement of EU citizens between the member states. This makes travel between member states much easier for travelers who are citizens of these countries. For travelers from other countries outside the European Union, it means a single visa policy that applies to all the member countries in the Schengen Area. This means that the EU’s Schengen Area VISA policies apply to travel to Iceland.

VISA-Exempt Schengen Area Countries

Other Visa-Exempt Countries

In addition to the other countries in the Schengen Area, travelers from other countries may be exempt from having to obtain a VISA to visit Iceland. If you are a passport holder from one of the countries listed below, you will not need to obtain a VISA before visiting Iceland if you plan on staying for less than 90-days.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Starting at the end of 2026, the new European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) process will begin. This new authorization for visa-exempt travelers entering the Schengen Area is designed to enhance border security by pre-screening travelers before they arrive in the Schengen Area. If you are planning to visit Iceland at the end of 2026 or later, you will need to apply for the ETIAS authorization before traveling.

Airport Transit Visa (ATV) Required

Generally, travelers passing through countries in the Schengen Area and Cyprus who remain in the airport’s international transit area don’t need to acquire a visa for layovers of up to one day. However, starting in 2must010, passport holders from the following 12 countries must hold an Airport Transit Visa (ATV) when traveling through any airport in the Schengen Area or Cyprus, even if they remain airside.

All Other Travelers

If you are a passport holder of a country that isn’t visa-exempt, you will need to apply for a travel visa before visiting Iceland. Unless marked otherwise, visas are valid for any country in the Schengen Area. For detailed instructions on how to apply for a Schengen Area visa, please refer to the EU Migration and Home Affairs website. To assist you in preparing, I have included some general notes on the Schengen Area visa process below for you to review.

• Any member state of the Schengen Area has the authority to issue Schengen visas.
• Travelers are required to submit their applications to the embassy or consulate of the destination country they plan to visit.
• When travelers plan to visit several countries within the Schengen Area, they are required to submit their application to the embassy or consulate of their primary destination.
• If the primary destination is unclear, the traveler should submit their visa application at the embassy of the Schengen member state where they will first enter.
• Applications for a Schengen visa cannot be submitted earlier than six months before the intended date of entry into the Schengen Area.
• Embassies of all nations may necessitate that applicants submit biometric data, including ten fingerprints and a digital photograph, during the visa application process for inclusion in the Visa Information System (VIS).
• Biometric identifiers are not gathered from individuals who are under 12 years old.
• Individuals seeking a Schengen visa for the first time are required to submit their applications in person and will undergo an interview conducted by consular officials.
• If the visa application is deemed acceptable and there are no complications, a decision should be made within 15 calendar days from the date the application was submitted.
• Schengen visas can be granted for single, double, or multiple entries, with a maximum validity of five years.

Iceland Immunization Requirements

Important Note: I am not a medical doctor and don’t have medical experience. The information provided in this section is a summary of information that I got from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States for travel to Iceland. I am providing you with this information to help bring awareness of the necessary vaccinations to you. Still, consultation with my guide should not replace a discussion about your travels with your doctor or a travel medical clinic.

Although there are no specific vaccination mandates for entry into Iceland, it is advisable to consider certain standard vaccinations for travel. This recommendation applies in addition to the routine vaccinations suggested for everyone, regardless of travel plans. For further guidance on the recommended vaccinations prior to your trip to Iceland, please consult the tables provided below.

Recommended Vaccinations for Iceland

There are several vaccinations that the CDC recommends that you get before traveling to Iceland, which I have outlined for you below. Please pay special attention to the details in this guide section and ensure you discuss all vaccinations with your doctor or travel health clinic.

Routine Vaccinations for Travel

In addition to the vaccinations recommended for travel to Iceland specifically, there are other routine vaccinations you should be current on before traveling anywhere in the world. For an overview of the routine vaccinations recommended by the CDC, please review the chart that I have included below.

Non-Vaccine Preventable Diseases

In addition to the recommended vaccinations, other health precautions should be taken when visiting Iceland to avoid getting sick. While these health precautions aren’t on the list of Iceland entrance requirements, they are important measures that you can take to make sure you don’t get ill while traveling.

AVOID CONTAMINATED WATER

When traveling, one of the easiest ways to get sick is to come into contact with contaminated water. There are illnesses found in Iceland that can be spread by either drinking or swimming in contaminated water. Before you depart for your trip, you will want to be aware of the illnesses below. To avoid getting sick, make sure you stick to drinking bottled water and avoid swimming in stagnant pools.

BE AWARE OF AIRBORNE AND DROPLET ILLNESSES

Out of all the ways that illnesses can be spread, airborne diseases are the hardest to protect yourself against. After all, you don’t have to physically touch or be touched by an infected person or animal, and there isn’t a repellent that you can spray on to avoid catching these illnesses.

This is why it is always important to be observant of those with whom you interact while traveling and make sure you don’t expose yourself to potentially harmful airborne illnesses. According to the CDC, the particular airborne illnesses that you should be aware of while traveling to Iceland are as follows:

Iceland Customs Restrictions

Another important aspect of travel to Iceland that you must be aware of is the country’s customs regulations. Like other countries, there are certain goods that you are restricted or even prohibited from bringing into the country. To ensure you don’t make the costly mistake of having one of these restricted items in your baggage, I have outlined the Iceland entrance requirements for customs regulations for you to review below.

FREE IMPORT

According to the VISAHQ.com website, the following items are considered free-import items when entering Iceland, but with limits (as described below).

• 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of other tobacco products.
• 3 kg of food not exceeding ISK 18.500 in price.
• The following amount of alcohol:
  • 1 liter of spirits and 1 liter of wine.
  • 3 liters of wine.
  • 1 liter of spirits and 6 liters of beer.
  • 1.5 liters of wine and 6 liters of beer.

IMPORTANT NOTES: Travelers must be at least 18 years of age to import tobacco products and at least 20 years of age to import alcohol products into Iceland.

PROHIBITED ITEMS

Before you are allowed into Iceland, you will also need to clear customs to be sure you aren’t carrying any prohibited items with you. For instance, travelers are strictly prohibited from bringing the following items into Iceland:

• Illegal drugs (make sure medications are in the prescription bottle).
• Uncooked meat and meat products.
• Uncooked milk and eggs.
• Any weapons and ammunition – unless granted permission.
• Knives and deadly weapons.
• Pets and other animals – unless granted permission.
• Finely powdered snuff.
• Flowers and plants- unless granted permission.
• Counterfeit money and goods.
• Pornographic material.

CONTROLLED ITEMS

In addition to these prohibited items, the government of Iceland has placed limits on other items that can be brought into the country. If you plan to travel with any of the following items when visiting Iceland, you will want to plan accordingly so that you do not violate the Iceland entrance requirements:

• Importation of firearms and ammunition for hunting or sporting activities necessitates obtaining a special permit from the police authorities before entry into the country.
• Live flowers and plants require a specific phytosanitary certificate from their country of origin, which must be thoroughly validated by the Icelandic Agricultural Research Institute before being permitted entry into the country.
• All dogs, cats, and other live animals must be permitted by the Ministry of Agriculture before being allowed entry into the country.
• Previously utilized angling equipment and riding apparel must be accompanied by proof of disinfection to be allowed entry.
• Various types of communication devices, such as remote controls for toys, cordless telephones, and radio transmitters, require a permit from the Post and Telecom Administration for entry.

Iceland Currency Restrictions

The final aspect of the Iceland entrance requirements that you will want to ensure you comply with is the amount of currency you plan on bringing to the country. Like all countries, there are certain restrictions on currency in Iceland.

According to the US State Department website, the government of Iceland has the following currency limits and regulations in place:

• You are allowed to bring up to 10,000 Euros or its equivalent into Iceland when visiting. Any amount of currency over 10,000 Euros or equivalent must be declared upon entry.
• When departing Iceland after your visit, you are allowed to leave with up to 10,000 Euros or its equivalent without making a declaration. Any amount of currency over 10,000 Euros or equivalent must be declared upon exiting Iceland.

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