Immigration and entry rules
We don't want to see your vacation time spent at an airport in a foreign country resolving some travel documentation mishaps. So please, take a moment and review these customs and immigration related issues.
This page gives a basic overview of travel documentation. For details on changing entry requirements for your destination due to COVID-19, please see the COVID-19 entry requirements page.
Travel to Iceland from the UK
Please note that from January 1, 2021, there are changes to entry requirements for British citizens entering Iceland.
Requirements for non-immigrants traveling to the USA - Tourist or Business Travel:
- Passport plus valid visa or ESTA
- Passport valid at least 6 months beyond intended stay in the USA - except for citizens of countries in the so-called 'Six-Month Club,' who need only have a passport valid for their intended period of stay.
- Tickets and documentation for return or onward travel
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) enables citizens of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
Visa Waiver Program travelers are required to apply for and receive an approved travel authorization via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), operated by Homeland Security.
TSA Precheck is now available with Icelandair.
Please contact our Service Center to be able to add your KTN or TSA number to your booking.
For more information visit the Transportation Security Administration’s website here: https://www.tsa.gov/precheck.
- A valid passport is required for entry into Canada.
- Tickets and documentation for return or onward travel is required.
Citizens of certain countries and territories need a visa to visit or transit Canada. Others will need an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), which can be applied for online.
Requirements for US and Canadian citizens traveling to a European country in the Schengen zone - Tourist or Business Travel:
- Passport - valid for at least 90 days beyond your planned date of departure
- Passport issued within the past 10 years
- Tickets and documentation for return or onward travel
- No visa required for stay up to three months (a maximum of 90 days cumulative stay during any 180-day period in the combined Schengen countries)
The Schengen co-operation currently has 26 members. All EU states are members, except Ireland, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria. EEA members Iceland, Switzerland and Norway are also members of Schengen.
- If you travel to the Schengen Area from Ireland, Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria you pass through an immigration checkpoint and have to show your passport or national identity card.
Requirements for US and Canadian citizens travelling to a European country not part of the Schengen treaty - Tourist or Business Travel:
- Passport - valid for at least 90 days beyond your planned date of departure
- Tickets and documentation for return or onward travel
- No visa required for stay up to 180 days
Those seeking work or planning to study in Europe should contact their nearest embassy or consulate.
Requirements for European citizens travelling to a European country in the Schengen zone - Tourist or Business Travel:
- If you’re a citizen of a Schengen country you are free to travel to other Schengen countries without the need for border checks.
- Authorities can carry out police checks at internal borders and in border areas, provided that such checks are not equivalent to border checks.
- If you are an EU national, you don't need to show your national ID card or passport when you are travelling from one border-free Schengen EU country to another.
- Even if you don't need a national ID card or passport it is still highly recommended to take a passport or ID card with you, so you can prove your identity if needed.
Since 1965, the Nordic countries (consisting of Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Islands) have had an agreement that passport control at international borders be abolished.
This means that citizens of these countries are entitled to travel between the Nordic countries without presenting a passport or national ID card.
We allow Nordic citizens on Icelandair flights to travel without their passport but, if necessary, they must be able to identify themselves and prove their nationality (for example, with an identity card).