Passport & Visas
Travel Document Requirements
Foreign nationals who visit Iceland must carry valid travel documents or identity cards that are accepted for border crossing.
In order to be valid, a travel document or identity card, of non-EEA/EFTA citizens, must:
- be valid at least 3 months beyond the departure date and
- have been issued in the last 10 years.
Travel documents of EEA/EFTA citizens only need to be valid beyond their stay in Iceland.
Visas
Iceland joined the Schengen states on March 25, 2001, an agreement of 26 states to abolish checks at their common borders on the movement of persons and facilitate the transport and movement of goods at those borders.
All persons requiring visas, not holding a valid Schengen visa in their travel document, must apply for a visa at the applicable embassy/consulate before traveling to the Schengen area. Embassies/consulates representing Iceland handle applications, see here.
Visas may be granted for business trips, tourism, private reasons (family and friends), official visits, short-term studies, and for political, scientific, cultural, sports, or religious events.
The Entry/Exit System
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is Europe’s new border management system for registering non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay, each time they cross the external borders of 29 European countries. Starting from 12 October 2025, Iceland will progressively roll out the system at its external borders over a period of six months. Once the progressive rollout is complete, the EES will be fully operational at all external border crossing points.