Infection prevention regulations will tighten significantly at Iceland’s borders tomorrow, April 1. Travellers from defined high-risk areas will be placed in quarantine hotels and children born in the year 2005 or later, previously exempt from testing, will now be required to undergo both testing and quarantine upon arrival to the country. Further changes take effect on April 6 that will allow vaccinated travellers from outside Europe to enter Iceland and eschew quarantine.
The Main Changes to Iceland’s Border Regulations
Iceland is currently closed to all third-country nationals (those outside the EEA/EFTA area with the exception of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican). All those arriving in the country are required to present a negative PCR test before departure, then undergo a COVID-19 test upon arrival, five days of quarantine, and a follow-up test. On April 1, the following changes take place to those regulations:
- Travellers arriving from defined high-risk areas will be required to complete their quarantine in designated government-run hotels. From April 11, travellers will be charged ISK 10,000 ($79/€67) per room per night for their stay at such hotels, which includes the cost of food. The price is fixed regardless of the number of guests per room.
- All children born 2005 and later will be required to undergo testing at the border.
A country is defined as high-risk when the 14-day COVID-19 case notification rate exceeds 500 per 100,000 people. This applies to all countries labelled dark red by the ECDC as well as those labelled grey (information not available). If one or more areas within the country are designated dark red, the country as a whole is defined as dark red. A list of countries currently labelled dark red or grey is available on the website of the Directorate of Health.
All Vaccinated Travellers Permitted Entry from April 6
Currently, travellers from within the EEA/EFTA with a certificate of vaccination are exempt from quarantine upon arrival to Iceland but will be required to undergo a single COVID-19 test at the border. The same applies to travellers with proof of a prior COVID-19 infection issued by an EEA/EFTA country.
As of April 6, third-country nationals (those from outside the EEA/EFTA) will also be permitted to enter Iceland if they present a valid certificate of vaccination or proof of prior infection.
More detailed information on visiting Iceland, including certificate requirements, is available in English and other languages on the Icelandic government’s official COVID-19 website.
