Visa requirements for Icelandic citizens

Visa requirements for Icelandic citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Iceland by the authorities of other states.

As a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), Icelandic citizens enjoy freedom of movement to live and work in other EFTA countries in accordance with the EFTA convention. Moreover, by virtue of Iceland's membership of the European Economic Area (EEA), Icelandic citizens also enjoy freedom of movement within all EEA member states. The Citizens' Rights Directive defines the right of free movement for citizens of the EEA, and all EFTA and EU citizens are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries, solely on the strength of their identity cards.

In order to travel to another country an Icelandic citizen requires a passport, except within the Nordic Passport Union where no identity card is formally required. However, identification such as an Icelandic driving licence is useful. A passport is also not required for holders of the Icelandic identity card for travel to EFTA or EU countries, as well as certain other countries.

As of 2026, Icelandic citizens have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 179 countries and territories, ranking the Icelandic passport 10th in the world according to the Henley Passport Index.

Visa requirements map

Visa requirements

Territories and disputed areas

Visa requirements for Icelandic citizens for visits to various territories, disputed areas and restricted zones:

Europe

• — Visa required.
• Mount Athos — Special permit required (4 days: 25 euro for Orthodox visitors, 35 euro for non-Orthodox visitors, 18 euro for students). There is a visitors' quota: maximum 100 Orthodox and 10 non-Orthodox per day and women are not allowed.
• Brest and Grodno — Visa not required for 10 days.
• — Visa free access for 3 months. Passport required.
• UN Buffer Zone in Cyprus — Access Permit is required for travelling inside the zone, except Civil Use Areas.
• — Visa not required.
• Jan Mayen — permit issued by the local police required for staying for less than 24 hours and permit issued by the Norwegian police for staying for more than 24 hours.
• — visa free for 90 days.
• — Visa free. Multiple entry visa to Russia and three-day prior notification are required to enter South Ossetia.
• — Visa free. Registration required after 24h.

Africa

• — special permit required.
• (outside Asmara) — visa covers Asmara only; to travel in the rest of the country, a Travel Permit for Foreigners is required (20 Eritrean nakfa).
• — eVisa for 3 months within any year period.
• — Visitor's Pass granted on arrival valid for 4/10/21/60/90 days for 12/14/16/20/25 pound sterling.
• — Permission to land required for 15/30 pounds sterling (yacht/ship passenger) for Tristan da Cunha Island or 20 pounds sterling for Gough Island, Inaccessible Island or Nightingale Islands.
• (Western Sahara controlled territory) — undefined visa regime.
• — visa required (30 days for 30 US dollars, payable on arrival).

Asia

• — Visa not required for 90 days.
• — Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for all of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Restricted Area Permit (RAP) required for all of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep and parts of Sikkim. Some of these requirements are occasionally lifted for a year.
• — Visa not required for 90 days.
• outside Pyongyang – People are not allowed to leave the capital city, tourists can only leave the capital with a governmental tourist guide (no independent moving)
• — Visa not required. Arrival by sea to Gaza Strip not allowed.
• — Visa not required for 90 days.
• Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Province — OIVR permit required (15+5 Tajikistani Somoni) and another special permit (free of charge) is required for Lake Sarez.
• Tibet Autonomous Region — Tibet Travel Permit required (10 US Dollars).
• Korean Demilitarized Zone — restricted zone.
• UNDOF Zone and Ghajar — restricted zones.

Caribbean and North Atlantic

• — Visa not required for 3 months.
• — Visa not required for 30 days.
• — Visa not required.
• Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba — Visa not required for 3 months.
• — Visa not required.
• — Visa not required for 6 months.
• — Visa not required for 3 months.
• — Visa not required for 6 months.
• — Visa not required under the Visa Waiver Program, for 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years. ESTA required.
• — Visa not required for 3 months.
• — Visa not required for 90 days.
• — Visa not required under the Visa Waiver Program, for 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years. ESTA required.

Oceania

• — Electronic authorization for 30 days.
• Ashmore and Cartier Islands — special authorisation required.
• Clipperton Island — special permit required.
• — Visa free access for 31 days.
• — Visa not required under the Visa Waiver Program, for 90 days on arrival from overseas for 2 years. ESTA required.
• — Visa on arrival valid for 30 days is issued free of charge.
• — 14 days visa free and landing fee 35 USD or tax of 5 USD if not going ashore.
• — Entry permit required.
• United States Minor Outlying Islands — special permits required for Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll and Wake Island.

South America

• Galápagos — Online pre-registration is required. Transit Control Card must also be obtained at the airport prior to departure.

South Atlantic and Antarctica

• — A visitor permit is normally issued as a stamp in the passport on arrival, The maximum validity period is 1 month.
• — Pre-arrival permit from the Commissioner required (72 hours/1 month for 110/160 pounds sterling).
• Antarctica and adjacent islands — special permits required for , , , Australian Antarctic Territory, Chilean Antarctic Territory, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Peter I Island, Queen Maud Land, Ross Dependency.
• — Certain countries will deny access to holders of Israeli visas or passport stamps of Israel, because of the Arab League boycott of Israel.

Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zambia require all incoming passengers to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination. Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area.

Passport validity

Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.

Consular protection of Icelandic citizens abroad

When in a country with no Icelandic representation, Icelandic citizens may seek assistance from public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries. This is afforded by the Helsinki Treaty which states that public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries shall assist citizens of another Nordic country if that country is not represented in the territory concerned.

See also

• Icelandic passport
• Visa requirements for EFTA nationals
• Visa policy of the Schengen Area

References and Notes

References

Notes

External links

• Council regulation No 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement
• Council regulation No 1932/2006 of 21 December 2006 amending Regulation (EC) No 539/2001 listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement