How to Apply for an Iceland Schengen Visa for UK Residents

Iceland is a Schengen country of sharp contrasts. A small Nordic nation in the North Atlantic Ocean, where fire and ice co-exist. Where dark winters are offset by the summer’s midnight sun. A country where insular existence has spurred a rich and vibrant culture.

There’s a reason so many travellers are donning their ski jackets and bearing the cold. Tourists are drawn to Iceland because of its stunning natural beauty. The landscape is nothing short of mystical. The scenery promises an endless series of snow-covered volcanoes, mountains, and ice fields. With a rugged, “other-worldly” terrain, the Nordic icy views are like nothing you’ll see in the rest of the world.

Entry rules in response to Coronavirus

Who needs a visa to travel to Iceland?

Travelling to Iceland for EU/EEA Citizens

Iceland is a Schengen country, which allows for free movement between the 26 EU and EFTA states (Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland). A uniform Schengen visa issued by one of the Schengen states is valid for travel within the whole Schengen area. The Schengen visa should be applied at an Embassy representing the state where the main destination is within the Schengen area.

You need a visa to Iceland for business, personal or tourism purposes if you are:

• Not a citizen of a Nordic country
• Not a citizen of an EU/EAA country
• A citizen of a country listed on this page

Travelling to Iceland Post-Brexit for UK Citizens

The rules for travelling or working in European countries changed on 1 January 2021:

• you can travel to countries in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa as a tourist, to visit family or friends, to attend business meetings, cultural or sports events, or for short-term studies or training
• if you are travelling to Iceland and other Schengen countries without a visa, make sure your whole visit is within the 90-day limit. Visits to Schengen countries within the previous 180 days before you travel count towards your 90 days
• for long-stay visits, to work or study, for business or for other reasons, you will need to meet the Icelandic government’s entry requirements.
• if you stay in Iceland with a residence permit or long-stay visa, this does not count towards your 90-day visa-free limit

At Icelandic border control, you may need to use separate lanes from EU, EEA and Swiss citizens when queueing. Your passport may be stamped on entry and exit. You may also need to:

• show a return or onward ticket
• show you have enough money for your stay

There are separate requirements for those who are residents of Iceland. If you are resident in Iceland, you should carry proof of residence as well as your valid passport when you travel. You should also check your passport’s validity when you travel and renew it if you don’t have enough time on it. Your passport must be:

• valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave Iceland or any other Schengen country
• less than 10 years old

Travelling to Iceland Post Brexit for Other Third Country Citizens

Citizens of the following countries residing in the UK and planning to visit Iceland are required to get an Icelandic Schengen visa in order to be able to enter Iceland.

How to Apply for a Visa to Iceland in the UK

If you are a British citizen, you do not need a visa for Iceland. However, citizens of these countries residing in the UK and planning to visit Iceland are required to get an Icelandic visa in order to be allowed in the country.

In order to apply for an Iceland visa in the United Kingdom, you must be able to prove that you have a legal right to remain in the UK. If not, you should apply for your visa from your home country. The main requirement is that you must have a UK residence permit valid for at least 90 more days following your departure date from Iceland or any other Schengen Area. You can extend your visa for 3 more months from within the UK if you have a 3 month UK visa in order to be eligible to apply for an Icelandic Schengen visa.

In the United Kingdom, Schengen visas for Iceland are arranged through the Embassy of Denmark. You should apply for an Iceland Schengen visa via the Danish Embassy/Consulate/VAC in the UK if:

• Iceland is the only Schengen country you plan on visiting
• Iceland is your main destination (the country you will be staying the longest in)
• Iceland is the first Schengen country you are visiting since you will be spending an equal amount of days in each Schengen country you plan visiting

In case you plan on staying in Iceland for more than 90 days you must apply for an Iceland residency permit, and not an Iceland Schengen visa.

Please, note that if you are not a resident in the United Kingdom you should apply at the Embassy/Consulate/VAC of Iceland in your country of residence.

Easy Steps to Apply for Icelandic Schengen Visa from the UK

The embassy has outsourced visa applications to VFS Global in the UK, so you can submit your application to one of the VFS offices located in London, Manchester, or Edinburgh. Although you will submit your application to VFS Global, it is the embassy that processes it and makes the final decision about your visa.

You may have to wait several weeks for an appointment at VFS Global, so you should apply well in advance. You may apply up to 3 months ahead of your departure date.

Here are a few steps to help you apply for your Iceland Schengen visa.

Step 1: Make an appointment

Depending on the type of visa you are applying for, you may or may not need to make an appointment.

Step 2: Complete your application

Step 3: Prepare your documents

The following list of documents are required in order to obtain a visa to Iceland in the UK:

• A valid passport or Travel document. Please make sure:
  • Your passport has been issued within the previous 10 years,
  • Your passport has 2 full blank pages, one for the visa stamp and an additional spare page,
  • Your passport will be valid for at least three (3) months after the date you exit the Schengen Area.
  • Saudi nationals must produce their ID card with translation into English in addition to their passport.
• A valid UK residence permit or another form of Identity Card. The UK residency permit must be endorsed in the actual passport (or on a new biometric ID card)
• One application form filled out completely and signed by the applicant.
• One photo, which must be glued to the application form. Applications with stapled photographs will be rejected.
• Biometric data (this requirement only applies if you haven’t provided biometric data within the last 59 months):
  • Fingerprints (Note: Children under the age of 12 are exempted from providing fingerprints)
  • A copy of the passport bio page where the photo is included.
• A cover letter explaining the purpose of the visit to the Schengen area
• Proof of travel arrangements:
  • Round trip flight/travel reservations or other proof of intended transport
  • Complete itinerary of your visit to Iceland (if the several Schengen States will be visited or if the trip covers the several Schengen States and non-Schengen countries).
• Travel Insurance stating that you are covered in case of a medical emergency and repatriation not just in Iceland but in the whole Schengen zone (minimum coverage of € 30,000).
  • Holders of diplomatic passports and family members of EU/EEA citizens are exempted from providing proof of travel medical insurance
• Proof of accommodation in Iceland:
  • Evidence of a hotel booking or rental agreement, or
  • Invitation from your Iceland host (family member, friend) with a copy of their passport
• Proof of financial subsistence :
  • £60.00 per person per day if you are staying in a hotel.
  • £40.00 per person per day if you are staying in a hostel or similar.
  • £20.00 per person per day if you are staying with family or friends (even when your host has confirmed that he/she will be covering your expenses) plus funds for a return ticket to your country of residence.
  • Original recent Bank Statement  (covering the last 3 calendar months. The last transaction must be no more than 1 month old)
  • Traveller’s Cheques

Note: Cash is not considered proof of financial subsistence.

Note: Photocopies of the original documents should also be submitted and documents should not be more than one month old.

The documents listed above are documents required in all cases, regardless of the purpose of your visit to Iceland.

Iceland Visa Requirements Based on Employment Status

Depending on your employment status, here is a list of additional documents that are required for your visa application:

For employees:

• Employment contract
• Current bank statement of the latest 6 months
• Leave permission from the employer
• Income Tax Return (ITR) form or Certificate of Income Tax deducted at the source of salary

For the self-employed:

• A copy of your business license
• Company bank statement of the latest 6 months
• Income Tax Return (ITR)

For foreign students in the UK:

• Proof of enrollment
• No-objection certificate from school or university

For retirees:

• Pension statement of the latest 6 months

If unemployed and married to an EU citizen:

• A recent (less than 3 months old) Confirmation of Employment letter from their spouse’s employer stating the position held within the company as well as the starting date,
• Spouse’s valid passport
• An officially translated marriage certificate. The translation must be in English or Danish and must be certified as a true copy by the Embassy of the country where the marriage took place or by the Legalization Bureau of the Foreign Office in the UK

Iceland Visa Requirements Regarding the Purpose of Travel

You will need to submit several additional documents, which prove the purpose of your trip to Iceland. Find the required documents for the most common purposes of travel to Iceland listed below.

Required documents for a Visa for Official Visit:

• The official invitation copy
• Evidence about the purpose of journey (meetings, consolations, negotiations etc.)

Required documents for a Medical Visa:

• A medical report from a doctor in your country of origin
• A medical attestation from the hospital in Iceland
• Proof of completed financial arrangements

Required documents for a Study Visa:

• Acceptance letter from the educational Institution.
• No objection letter from the educational institution where you are currently enrolled.

Required documents for a Visa for Cultural, Sports and Film Crews:

• Invitation letter from the relevant body in Iceland with details upon the nature of events or activities that are to be held in Iceland.
• Entry tickets to the event.
• Enrollment conditions.
• Detailed program of the event in Iceland.

Step 4: Attend your appointment

The visa interview is a meeting between you and the consular officer/interviewer. During this interview, the consular officer will ask you several questions about you and your intended trip. You will also be submitting the required documents throughout the meeting, to the interviewer.

You should pay attention to several things before and after the interview. First, show up on time at the appointment centre. Wear something comfortable, but presentable. Try to keep calm.

During the interview, answer each question that the interviewers ask. Do not provide extra unnecessary information to the interviewer.  Smile time after time. At the end of the interview, thank the consular officer for their time.

Typical questions include:

• Have you ever travelled to the EU before?
• Are you meeting anyone in Iceland?
• What are you going to do in Iceland?
• Can you show me your bank statements?
• How will you pay for your trip?

Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to ace your visa interview!

Iceland Visa Fee

Since Iceland is a Schengen state, visa fees are the same as any other Schengen visa. These are the costs of an Iceland Schengen Visa when applying from the UK:

Schengen Visa Category (by age)	Fee in UK Pound	Fee in Euro
Adult	73 £	80 €
Child between 6-12 years of age	36.5 £	40 €
Child younger than 6 years of age	Free	Free

You will need to pay the fee either online if you are applying through a third-party company or in person during the interview.

Payments can be made in cash and by credit or debit card.

Step 5: Receive your visa

Visa application decision

There are two possible outcomes for your Iceland Schengen visa application:

• Approved – Once your visa is approved, it will be stamped in your passport. Make sure to carefully check the visa sticker to make sure everything is correct and exactly how you need it.
• Rejected – If your visa has been rejected, it would have been for a specific reason. You have the right to appeal.

Temporary Iceland Visa Extension

The duration you are allowed to stay in Iceland is stated in your Schengen visa sticker. It is important not to overstay during your trip to Iceland or the rest of the Schengen Zone or you risk facing penalties like a fine, deportation, being banned from travelling back to the Schengen Zone, and having difficulties in your future Schengen applications.

However, there are also cases when people do not get any penalties for overstaying. For example, a child or a person that cannot travel without a caretaker because of an illness or disability or an unforeseen event that prevents you from leaving the country, like COVID-19.

An extension to an Iceland Schengen visa is only possible in exceptional cases where new facts and special reasons arise after entry into Iceland. i.e. if you show proof that you cannot leave Iceland because of force majeure or humanitarian reasons preventing you from leaving.

According to the Schengen visa policy, acceptable reasons to extend a Schengen short-stay visa are only the following:

Late Entry

You can base your visa extension application on this reason, only if you have a single-entry short-stay visa.  However, this is your best case to extend your visa. You can apply for this visa extension if you have entered Schengen after your visa became valid. i.e. if your visa became valid on August 1, but you entered Schengen on August 15, you can apply for a two-week visa extension, and you are very likely to get it.

Humanitarian Reasons

The Schengen visa policy has made it possible to extend a short-stay Schengen visa to prevent or overcome hardship for third-country nationals. You will be granted a short-stay visa extension based on humanitarian reasons if you need to stay in one of the member states to continue receiving medical treatment, to take part in the funeral after the sudden death of a family member, to give support to a person close to you who is going through some kind of hardship, etc.

Force Majeure

If something unexpected has occurred all of the sudden in your home country before your visa expiration, as a conflict or war, or even violent protests across the country, extreme weather conditions, no flight connections because of consecutive earthquakes or other reasons, then you have a good chance to get a Schengen short-stay visa extension. You will be granted an extension of a few weeks, or until the situation in your home country changes. If the situation does not change, you will have to apply once again for a short-stay visa renewal, to remain in Schengen.

Important Personal Reasons

Risky, but you should still give it a try if you have no other chance. If you have some unfinished business in one of the Schengen Member States, an unplanned wedding (of yours or your relative), etc., then you may apply for the extension. The immigration authorities will then decide whether you should be granted a visa extension or not.

After you collect these documents, schedule an interview appointment online at the immigration authorities (or their equal). In some of the member states, you may not have to schedule an interview, however, try to check out if this applies to the country you are currently residing, or not.

If you need to schedule an interview, do it, and on the day of the interview show there on time with all of the required documents. The interview is crucial to get a visa extension, in the countries that apply it, since during it the interviewer will decide if you need to extend your visa and the reasons you have presented are true, or you are just trying to remain a little longer in the country.

First Visa Extension Fee

If this is the first time you are applying for a Schengen short-stay visa extension, then you will not have to pay any fee if your application is based on the following reasons:

• humanitarian reasons
• majeure reasons

Whereas, you will have to pay a fee of 30 euros, if you have based your application in one of the following reasons:

• important personal reasons
• due to late entry

Second Visa Extension Fee

If you have already extended your visa once, but you need to extend it once again, for whatever reasons, then you will have to pay a fee. The cost of the second Schengen visa extension fee depends on the age of the applicant as follows:

• Minors need to pay a fee of 30 euros
• Adults have to pay a fee of 60 euros

Do not forget, that just as when applying for a regular Schengen visa, if your application is rejected, you will not get your money back.

Contact details for the Embassy of Denmark in London

Address: 55 Sloane Street, London, SW1X 9SR

Telephone: 020 7333 0200

Fax: 020 7333 0270

Email: lonamb@um.dk

Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm; Fridays, 9.00 am – 4.00 pm

Iceland Schengen Visa Frequently Asked Questions