Iceland COVID-19 and Tourism, UPDATED June 10, 2022
Can I visit Iceland? Will I have to take a COVID-19 test? Will I have to quarantine? Do I need to be vaccinated? Can I visit Iceland from the United States or Canada? So many things are changing with Coronavirus in Iceland, but here is the latest and greatest information.
Major update February 24, 2022: Iceland is removing all Covid restrictions effective on February 25, 2022!
Here’s an article about it. That means that arriving in Iceland will be just like it was before Covid was a thing. You won’t have to present a negative Covid test, or proof of vaccination or anything else. (Don’t forget to still bring your passport!)
You may still need to present a negative Covid test to go back home. These rules are not from Iceland, but rather from your home country. But as of June 12, 2022, the US no longer requires a Covid test. Travelers from the US do not need to do anything differently because of Covid. No tests, no proof of vaccination, nothing. But check your country’s rules to see if they require a test to return back home.
We also have a comprehensive post about visiting Iceland from the United States!
[Outdated] Rules for vaccinated travelers visiting Iceland
But starting July 27th 2021, you must present a negative Covid test before boarding your flight to Iceland. This applies to all fully vaccinated travelers, but NOT to children.
Here’s what you need to do to visit Iceland:
- Pre-register at travel.covid.is a day or 2 before your trip
- Bring your vaccination card. You must now be 14 days past your final vaccine dose to be considered fully vaccinated. The most well-known vaccine brand are all acceptable: Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson (which is sometimes also called Janssen.) See the official rules for proof of vaccination here
Updated January 2022: Effective February 1st, 2022, your most recent shot must have been in the last 9 months (270 days.) If not, you’ll need to get a booster. - Bring proof of a negative Covid test. This can be a PCR test or a rapid test, but it cannot be self-administered. This is only for adults (travelers born in 2005 or earlier.)
- Figure out if your country of residence requires a Covid test to return home. The Unites States does require this; see our post about Covid rules in Iceland for United States residents for the details.
You not need to test at the border. You don’t need to quarantine. You do currently need to wear a mask in places where social distancing can’t be maintained. (You will still need a mask on the airplane if you’re coming from some countries, including the United States.)
Your unvaccinated children are allowed to travel with you. As long as the parents they are with are all fully vaccinated, children get the same treatment as those vaccinated parents. Actually, even better, since children don’t need to show a negative Covid test upon arrvival. But this only applies for kids born in 2005 or more recently. If you have a 16-year-old born in 2006, they will need to be fully vaccinated!
Here are the official rules for vaccinated visitors to Iceland.
[Outdated] Rules for unvaccinated travelers visiting Iceland
The rules are much stricter if you are not fully vaccinated. Many unvaccinated travelers from outside of Europe are simply not allowed to enter Iceland at all! You’ll need to look over this very confusing document to figure out if you have an exemption. As of June 24th, 2021, being a resident of the United States now qualifies as an exemption. Canada is also now on the approved list.
Even if you have an exemption, you’ll still need to follow the rules here. That means you need to:
- Pre-resigter as above
- Present a negative PCR test upon arrival. (Not a rapid test!)
- Get tested at the border. I assume this still happens at the airport, but I don’t know. Most travelers won’t be tested at the airport as of July 1st.
- Quarantine for 5 days
- Get tested again
If you need more advice for planning your Iceland vacation, take a look at our travel guide book! Or let us help you plan your 2021 vacation to Iceland!
Good day! I am reaching out to see if you would do a virtual author visit for 10 -12 kindergartners in June. I am not sure if you do author visits or not but it never hurts to ask. Our kindergarten summer school students are going to be “exchange students” in Iceland this summer.
Hi! We do offer author visits! I’ll e-mail you with more information. Thanks!
Eric-
Do you have any reports that the authorities are actually allowing in the third country national (i.e., US/Canada) children of vaccinated parents without having to quarantine? I’ve read everything I can on this topic but it’s still unclear to me that the entry protocols for children that you describe apply to third country national children.
Thanks,
Bill
Hi Bill,
I don’t have any reports either way yet. And like you, I worry that a strict reading of the rules at logreglan.is makes it seem like unvaccinated children would not be exempt from quarantine.
I asked this question of the Icelandic Tourism Folks (islandsstofa.is) and they indicated that unvaccinated children could visit with vaccinated parents, and only quarantine until the results of the first test came back:
“I am not sure why the Police do not have this information on their page but they don’t seem to talk about children and vaccination at all, not for the EU/EEA countries either.” (Lögreglan is the police.)
That gave me enough confidence to say that children get the same treatment as their vaccinated parents.
Ok, thanks!