Due to the spread of Covid-19, the Icelandic government has implemented the travel restrictions imposed for the Schengen Area and the European Union. As of 20 March 2020, Foreign Nationals - except EU/EEA, EFTA or UK nationals - are not allowed to enter Iceland. These restrictions are valid until July 1 2020.

To whom do the travel restrictions apply?

The travel restrictions apply to all Foreign Nationals, other than EU/EEA, EFTA or UK Nationals, irrespective of whether they require a visa to travel to the Schengen Area or not.

To whom do the travel restrictions not apply?

The travel restrictions do not apply to:

• EU citizens
• Citizens of the EFTA States
• UK citizens
• Individuals with a valid residence permit in Iceland or any of the Schengen Member States
• Family members of Icelandic or other EU/EFTA citizens, in particular spouses, cohabiting partners, direct descendants and dependent direct relatives in the ascending line.
  
  

Exemptions

The travel restrictions do not apply to essential travel, including passengers in airport transit, health and care workers on professional travel, transportation crews (airlines and freighters), individuals requiring international protection, individuals traveling because of acute family incidents, diplomats, international organization staff, members of armed forces traveling to Iceland for duty, or humanitarian aid workers, students or individuals who need to travel for jobs that are considered to be economically significant and cannot be carried out later or abroad.

Foreign Nationals covered by the travel restriction, who need to travel to a Schengen Member State through Iceland in any of the above-mentioned purposes, are advised to contact the Member State they are traveling to for a written confirmation of their permission to enter the respective state’s territory. Without such a confirmation, such Foreign Nationals cannot be authorized to enter the Schengen Area in Iceland.

If Iceland is the main destination, it is recommended that Foreign Nationals covered by the travel restriction contact Iceland's nearest embassy or the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Services (Tel. +354 545 0112 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) for information on how to be given an exemption from the travel restrictions.

Please note that if you intend to travel to Iceland with a stopover in another state, it is very important to carefully examine whether any travel restrictions have been introduced in the respective state that might affect your travel to Iceland.

As a preliminary measure to battle the spread of the COVID-19 virus, Norway, Lithuania, Netherlands, Denmark, France, Sweden and Finland have now stopped issuing visas temporarily. In the places those countries represent Iceland the issuing of visas to Iceland will likewise be shut down temporarily. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may case.

Given that the government has declared an emergency level for COVID-19, those who need to seek services from the Directorate of Immigration are encouraged to contact the agency via email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) or by telephone as service at the front desk will be limited during the ban on public gatherings.

The Directorate of Immigration is often busy and these measures are taken to ensure that there are not too many at the front desk at the same time and that those who are there can maintain two meters distance according to the recommendation of the Directorate of Health.

The front desk will only accept applications and payments and will be open for photo shooting. The Directorate of Immigration therefore encourages people to send applications and documents by regular post. If applications are mailed, a proof of payment (bank receipt) must accompany the application, otherwise it will be returned. A drop box for applications and other documents will also be available at the Directorate's front desk.

Information on processing fees and payment instructions can be found on the website's processing fee site. 

We also encourage people to visit the Official COVID-19 information website of the Directorate of Health, which contains information on Iceland's response to COVID-19, measures to reduce its spread and who to contact if you are in Iceland and think you are ill due to Covid-19.

Registration for Icelandic test for applicants for Icelandic citizenship starts March 10th on www.mimir.is.

Next tests will take place in:

• Akureyri, Tuesday May 19th 2020, at 13.00
• Egilsstaðir*, Wednesday May 20th 2020, at 13.00
• Ísafjörður*, Friday May 22nd 2020, at 13.00
• Reykjavík, Monday 25th - Friday 29th 2020, at 9.00 and 13.00

*Please note that in Egilsstaðir and Ísafjörður tests are only held in spring time.

Last day to register is May 4th 2020.