Visa to Iceland

The Schengen area is a group of 29 European countries that have agreed to abolish passport control and other types of border control at their mutual borders. This allows for free movement of people across the Schengen member states. The Schengen area was established to enhance cooperation and facilitate travel among its member states.

The Schengen Agreement was originally signed in 1985, and has since evolved, with various countries joining over the years.

Key Features of the Schengen area:

1. Member Countries: The Schengen area includes countries like Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the Nordic countries, etc. Notably, it does not include the UK and the EU member states Ireland and Cyprus.
2. Free Movement: Citizens and residents of Schengen countries can travel between these nations without undergoing passport checks at borders.
3. Common Visa Policy: A Schengen visa allows travelers to visit multiple countries within the area without needing separate visas for each country.
4. Enhanced Security Cooperation: While border controls are minimized, Schengen member states cooperate on security matters, sharing information and coordinating efforts to manage immigration and combat crime.
5. External Borders: Countries that are part of the Schengen area maintain strict controls at their external borders to prevent illegal entry from non-member states.

A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows individuals to travel freely within the Schengen area, which consists of 29 European countries that have abolished passport control at their mutual borders. This visa enables holders to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period for tourism, business, or family visits.

Please note that mere possession of a Schengen visa does not mean that the holder has an automatic right to enter the Schengen area (i.e. the territory of the countries that issue Schengen visa).

At the external border, the visa holder may be requested to provide documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay and that they have sufficient means of subsistence. This applies both for the period of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third state into which they are certain to be admitted or are able to acquire such means lawfully.

Please note that the reference amount regarding means of subsistence is 8000 ISK per day and 4000 if the cost is borne by a third party (homestay).

Applicants shall pay a visa fee of EUR 90 or as instructed by the embassy in local currency.

Other types of fees:

• Children aged between 6 and 12 shall pay EUR 45 or as instructed by the embassy in local currency.

The visa fee shall be waived for the following categories:

• Children under 6 years of age, calculated from the date of lodging the application.
• School pupils, students, postgraduate students, and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training. Information sheet for VFS Global – General Work Procedure May 2024
• Researchers (as defined in point (2) of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2016/801 of the European Parliament and of the Council), travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research or participating in a scientific seminar or conference.
• Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less, participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations.
• Holders of diplomatic and service passports.

Please be aware that you will be requested to pay service fee to the external service provider. Service fee shall not exceed half of the amount of the visa fee. Exact service fees can be found by following the links under “Where can I submit my application” below on this page.

A Schengen airport transit visa (ATV) is a type of visa that allows travelers to pass through the international transit areas of airports in the Schengen area without entering the country itself. This visa is specifically for individuals who have a layover in a Schengen country while traveling to a non-Schengen destination.

Key Features of a Schengen Airport Transit Visa:

1. Purpose: It is intended for travelers who need to change planes at a Schengen airport but do not plan to leave the airport's international transit zone.
2. Eligibility: Not all travelers need this visa; it generally applies to those from countries that require a visa to enter the Schengen area. Citizens of certain countries may transit without a visa.
3. Validity: The visa is usually valid for a limited time, only allowing transit through the airport.
4. Application Process: Travelers need to apply for the visa at the consulate or embassy of the Schengen country where they will have their layover. They must provide relevant travel documents, such as flight itineraries and proof of onward travel.
5. Restrictions: With this visa, travelers cannot leave the airport or enter the Schengen area; it is strictly for transiting through the airport.

It is essential for travelers to check the specific requirements and regulations based on their nationality and travel plans before applying for a Schengen airport transit visa.

Please see further information, e.g. who is stipulated to obtain an ATV and who is exempt from having an ATV here.

Please note that if you apply for an ATV and later it´s discovered that an ATV is not needed, the visa fee will not be refunded.

What is admissibility and when is an application admissible?

An admissible application is when an application is complete enough to be accepted by the competent authority to examine the application.

An application shall be deemed admissible if:

• The application has been lodged within the following period:
  • Applications shall be lodged no more than six months before the intended day of arrival to the Schengen area, and no later than 15 calendar days before the intended day of arrival.
• The application contains the following items:
  • A valid application form (signed by the applicant or legal guardian in case of minors).
  • A valid travel document:
    • The validity of the travel document shall extend at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Member States.
    • It shall contain at least two blank pages.
    • It shall have been issued within the previous 10 years.
    • Present a passport photograph.
• The biometric data of the applicant has been collected.
• The visa fee has been paid.

Applicants’ fingerprints and photo are commonly referred to as biometric data. In principle, the biometric data shall be collected every 59 months, starting from the date of the first collection.

Applicants need to appear in person for the collection of biometric data: ten fingerprints and a photograph are collected from persons applying for a visa.

Before the capturing of the photo, applicants may be asked to remove glasses or adjust head coverings if they hide facial features.

Certain categories of applicants are exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints, including:

• Children under the age of 12,
• Persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible,
• Heads of State and members of national governments, and members of their official delegations when invited for an official purpose,
• Sovereigns and other senior members of a royal family, when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organizations for an official purpose.

The introduction of biometric data is part of the Schengen Visa Information System (VIS). For more information about VIS, fingerprints, data protection and legal background, please click here.

Applications must be lodged at the offices of the external service provider. VFS Global is Iceland’s official external service provider. Follow the links below to see how you can book an appointment to apply for a visa:

• All applicants applying from China, click here.
• All applicants applying from India, click here.
• All applicants applying from Malaysia, click here.
• All applicants applying from United Kingdom, click here.
• All applicants applying from United States, click here.

Applications must be lodged at VFS Global. Applicants must apply for a visa in the country where the applicant legally resides. Also, the applications must be submitted to the Schengen member state that is considered the main destination.

How to determine the main destination:

• You should always apply for a visa with the Schengen member state you intend to visit.
• If you intend to visit more than one member state:
  • You must apply with the member state you plan to stay in the longest.
  • When staying in two or more member states for the same amount of time, you must apply with the member state you intend to first visit.

Identify your purpose of visit, check application and other additional fees, and see what documents to bring by following the links below:

• Applying from China, click here.
• Applying from India, click here.
• Applying from Malaysia, click here.
• Applying from United Kingdom, click here.
• Applying from United States, click here.

Applications shall be decided within 15 calendar days of the date when the application is deemed admissible.

This period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, notably when further scrutiny of the application is needed.

Please note that certain third country nationals might be subject to prior consultation as stipulated in article 22 of the visa code.

Applicants who have been refused a visa shall be informed by an official refusal letter and shall have the right to appeal in accordance with the national law of the concerned Member State.
Appeals shall be conducted against the Member State that has taken the final decision on the application and in accordance with the national law of that Member State.
Each Member State shall indicate the references to the national law and the procedure relating to the right of appeal, including the competent authority with which an appeal may be lodged, as well as the time limit for lodging such an appeal.
You will find this information in the form for notifying and motivating refusal that you will be given for such purpose.

Refusals by Icelandic authorities can be appealed to the Immigration Appeals Borad.

Please refer your complaints to [email protected]

How to invite business partner(s), friend(s) or family member(s) to Iceland?

If an Icelandic citizen, a permanent resident in Iceland or a company in Iceland wishes to invite a person who needs a Schengen visa to enter Iceland, the inviting party needs to write an invitation letter as a part of the visa application.

The contents of the invitation letter must include:

• Information about the applicant, name, date of birth, passport number.
• Name of the applicant’s employer and information about the relationship between the employer and the inviting company (for a business visa).
• The intended duration in the Schengen area, number of days in Iceland and any other Schengen countries, if applicable.
• The intended purpose of the trip.
• The dates of entry to and exit from the Schengen area.
• Information about the inviter, the name and details of a contact person and the relationship between the inviter and the applicant.
• Information about the party that will be responsible for the costs of the trip and accommodation during the applicant’s stay in Iceland. Will the applicant bear all the costs, in part or the inviter?
• An inviter can strengthen the invitation letter by e.g. attaching documents such as photographs that demonstrate a relationship between the applicant and the inviting party.

If an inviting party declares that it will provide its guest(s) with the means of substance while staying in Iceland, then the inviting party would need to hand in a personal/company bank account statement in order to demonstrate that it possesses sufficient funds to provide for its visitor.

Follow this link to find standard invitation letter and letter of guarantee from the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration. Please note that the standard letter as only for individual use when inviting friends and family members to visit.

Iceland has made representation agreements with 9 other Schengen Member States to oversee Schengen visa matters on behalf of Iceland. These agreements allow individual from around 100 countries around the globe to apply for visa to visit Iceland.

A representing country has refused my application, what can I do?

If a Schengen visa application is refused by one of the representing states, the appeal shall be sent to the applicable authority handling appeals in the respective state that handled the application. The refusal letter shall include information about the appeal procedure. 

Can Iceland overrule a decision made by representing states?

Icelandic authorities can not interfere with decisions made by representing states. In accordance with the Visa Code, the representing Member State is responsible for the entire visa procedure without the involvement of the represented Member State. All the Schengen Member States base their assessment on the same regulation set by the European Commission, the Visa Code.

Please see information about visa extensions here.

Family members of EU/EEA/Swiss (hereafter referred to as “EU”) citizens are subject to visa facilitation under Directive 2004/38/EC of the right to free movement of citizens of the EEA.

To be eligible for such facilitation, applicants must provide evidence that they fall under the facilitation requirements. Also, applicants must exhibit that he/she will either be traveling with the EU citizen they derive their rights from or joining the EU citizen. Please note that family members of Icelandic citizens do not fall under this facilitation unless the Icelander has registered domicile in another EU/EEA country.

Who benefits from this facilitation?

• The spouse of the EU citizen.
• The partner with whom the EU citizen has contracted a registered partnership.
• Direct descendants, both of the EU citizen and of the spouse partner listed above, who are under the age of 21.
• The dependent direct relatives in the ascending line (parents and grandparents), both of the EU citizen and of the spouse partner listed above.
• Primary cares of an EU minor citizen

Burden of proof:

• Photocopy of the EU citizen’s passport he derives his rights from.
• Family ties to the EU citizen (e.g. a marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc.)
• Evidence relating to dependency, serious health grounds, durability of partnerships.

Family members of EU citizens enjoy the following exemptions from the general requirements.

Travel document:

• The travel document does not have to be valid for three months after the intended date of departure from the Schengen area.
• The travel document does not have to contain a certain number of free pages.
• The travel document does not have to contain the latest security features.

Family members of EU citizens are exempt from submitting the following supporting documents:

• Documents indicating the purpose of the journey (cover letter).
• Proof of hotel accommodation.
• Proof of means of subsistence (financial support).
• Information enabling an assessment of their intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa.
• Proof of sponsorship.
• Proof of a valid travel medical insurance.

Visa fee:

• Family members of EU citizens do not need to pay a visa fee. They are however required to pay service fee as applicable to the legal instrument between Iceland and VFS Global.