Organization : Directorate of Immigration
Type of Facility : Application For Visa
Country: Iceland
Website : http://www.utl.is/index.php/en/visas
Application For Visa :
Visa :
Iceland joined the Schengen states on March 25, 2001, an agreement of 26 states to abolish checks at their common borders on the movement of persons and facilitate the transport and movement of goods at those borders.
Related / Similar Status :
Digital Application For Icelandic Citizenship
UTL Directorate of Immigration Iceland Application For Asylum
All persons requiring visas, not holding a valid Schengen visa in their travel document, must apply for a visa at the applicable embassy/consulate before travelling to the Schengen area. Embassies/consulates representing Iceland handle applications, see here.
Visas may be granted for business trips, tourism, private reasons (family and friends), official visits, short term studies and for political, scientific, cultural, sports or religious events.
Who does not need a visa:
Nationals of the following countries are exempted from the obligation to carry a visa on arrival in Iceland for a stay of up to three months in all within the Schengen area. The total stay within the Schengen Area must not exceed three months in any period of six months.
The validity of the passport or recognized ID card must be at least three months beyond the proposed stay, except for citizens of EEA/EFTA countries. Those documents only need to be valid beyond the stay in Iceland.
In addition, holders of diplomatic passports, official passports or service passports issued by Turkey are exempt from the obligation of obtaining a visa. Holders of diplomatic passports and service passports issued by South Africa and Diplomatic and official passports issued by Pakistan are exempt from the obligation of obtaining a visa. Holders of diplomatic passports issued by Russia are exempt.
Nationals of the following countries need an Airport transit visa when transiting/passing through an airport in Iceland:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, The People’s Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka. This does not apply however, if the above mentioned nationals have a residence permit in a Schengen country or specific types of permits issued in Great Britain, Ireland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, United States, Canada, Japan, Monaco, San Marino or Switzerland and the permits are valid three months longer than intended transiting/passing through an airport in Iceland. For further details on types of permits see appendix 4 in the regulation on visas.
Recognized refugees and stateless persons residing in an EU country and holding travel documents issued by that country.
Students who need a visa to travel to Iceland, but reside in an EU country which applies EU decision 94/795/JHA of November 30, 1994, when on a field trip accompanied by a teacher from their school.
A foreigner holding a residence permit issued by a Schengen state does not need a visa.
Application – basic requirements:
As a rule, applicants shall appear in person when lodging an application.
The applicant shall submit the following documentation:
** Application form, completed and signed by the applicant. If the applicant is a minor, the parents/legal guardians have to sign the form.
** A passport size photograph (35X45 mm).
** Travel document. The travel document must be valid at least three months beyond the proposed stay. The document cannot be over 10 years old and must have at least two blank pages.
** Proof of financial support. Either submit applicants bank statement or a guarantee form from the reference person in Iceland “Guarantee form for visits” along with the reference persons bank statement or paystubs.
** Documentation showing applicants ties to home country, e.g. verification from applicants employer of employment upon return or confirmation from applicants school of continued studies upon return.
** Medical Insurance. The insurance coverage must be at least 30.000 Euros.
** Documentation confirming the purpose of travel:
** Letter of invitation from the reference person (host) in Iceland, if the purpose of the trip is a visit to friends or family. For a family visit, documentation of the family relationship is required.
** For a business trip, confirmation/invitation from a company in Iceland.
** For tourists, hotel booking and tour booking, as applicable.
** If the intention is to attend a meeting or seminar, confirmation/invitation from the applicable conference organizer/institution.
When lodging an application, the applicant shall allow the collection of his fingerprints and pay the visa fee.
Please note that these are only the basic requirements. Please check the website of the applicable embassy/consulate, where you intend to lodge your application, as there you will find the complete list of requirements and the application procedure.
Where you can apply for a visa:
Embassies and Consulates issuing visas on behalf of Iceland.
Except for the Embassies in Beijing and Moscow, Icelandic embassies and consulates do not issue visas.
If you intend to apply for a visa for travel to Iceland in one of the following countries, you should contact an embassy or consulate in the respective country. Please note that many embassies use service providers for receiving applications. Applications are submitted at Visa Application centers, but visas are issued by the embassies. Information is on the website of the applicable embassy. In most cases the embassies and consulates are authorised to issue visas without consulting the Directorate. In some instances, the applications are forwarded to the Directorate, which will then decide on the granting of a visa. If all required documentation is supplied and it is deemed that no further documentation is required, the processing time for a visa is approximately 2 weeks.