Check if you need a visa to travel to Iceland

According to the Schengen rules, transit means only

Example, in transit:

A person travelling from New York to London with a stopover in Iceland needs Airport Transit Visa, in accordance to the conditions stated below, to transit through Iceland. Such passengers (also those who do not require Airport Transit Visa) should ensure that their luggage is checked through to the final destination.

Example, not in transit:

A person travelling from New York to Iceland and onwards to Berlin (or any other airport in the Schengen area) is not considered to be in transit for the purpose of Schengen rules. Such persons will be entering the Schengen area in Iceland and therefore need a Schengen Visa before arriving in Iceland.

Countries that require Airport Transit Visa

Citizens of the following states need an Airport Transit Visa to transit through an Icelandic airport, irrespective of whether they change airplanes in Iceland or not:

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, The People's Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.

Exemptions from the requirement to hold an Airport Transit Visa

• Holders of a valid uniform visa, national long-stay visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen Member State.

• Third-country nationals holding a valid residence permit issued

  • by a Member State which does not take part in the adoption of Regulation 1155/2019 or

  • by a Member State which does not yet apply the
    provisions of the Schengen acquis in full,

  • or third-country nationals holding one of the valid residence permits listed in Annex V (viðauki 5) issued by Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the United States of America guaranteeing the holder's unconditional
    readmission,

  • or holding a valid residence permit for one or more
    of the overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba).

• Third-country nationals holding a valid visa

  • for a Member State which does not take part in the adoption of Regulation 1155/2019, or

  • for a Member State which does not yet apply the provisions of the Schengen acquis in full, or

  • for Canada, Japan or the United States of America,

  • or holders of a valid visa for one or more of the
    overseas countries and territories of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba), when travelling to the issuing country or to any other third country, or when, having used the visa, returning from the issuing country.

• Family members of citizens of the Union as referred to in
  Article 1(2)(a).

• Holders of diplomatic passports.

• Flight crew members who are nationals of a contracting Party to the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Please note that holders of refugee travel documents from the USA and Canada are exempted from the requirement for a visa in some Schengen member states, but not all.

Holders of such documents need a Schengen visa when travelling through Iceland (even if they do not leave the airport), if their country of citizenship is on the list of countries whose citizens need a visa to visit Iceland.

The information provided on this page is in accordance with Article 3 and Annexes 4 and 5 of Regulation No. 795/2022 regarding visa.