COVID-19 test certificate required before departure for vaccinated travellers

As of 27 July, all vaccinated persons and those that can present a certificate of a prior COVID-19 infection must present a negative PCR or antigen (rapid) test that is no more than 72 hours old before departure to Iceland. This decision by the Minister of Health is based on recommendations from the Chief Epidemiologist.

Furthermore, residents of Iceland and others that have widespread social ties in the country are encouraged to get tested as soon as possible after arriving in Iceland, even though they are asymptomatic.

As stated in the Chief Epidemiologist's memorandum to the Minister, discussed by the Cabinet today, COVID-19 infections have risen considerably in Iceland recently. Most infections are of the Delta variant. According to research, fully vaccinated individuals can get infected by COVID-19 and can infect others. The Chief Epidemiologist believes that unchanged measures will increase the risk of the virus spreading and therefore action must be taken to halt the spread and avoid domestic restrictions on gatherings.

The Minister of Health has therefore decided to revise the health measures at the border. The new measures will take effect at midnight (GMT 00:00) 27 July 2021.

Unvaccinated individuals will continue to be required to present negative PCR test results no more than 72 hours old and undergo double PCR screening with a five-day quarantine in between.

Children born in 2005 or later will continue to be exempted from all border measures.