Iceland Travel Guide
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Guide
Iceland has no land border, so the border is an airport or a ferry dock. It is part of Schengen, and citizens of the EU and EEA, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, and most other developed countries can stay 90 days without a visa. The EU Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at Iceland's borders since 10 April 2026, so a first arrival means fingerprints and a photo, at no cost. Guides say your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from Schengen.
ETIAS, the pre-travel authorization the EU has been planning, is not in effect. The Q4 2026 target was removed from the official ETIAS website in July 2026, and 2027 is now considered the most likely launch year, so do not assume you need it, and do not pay a site that says you do.
Border crossings
- Keflavík, where the flights land
Iceland's main international gateway, and the place a non-EU visitor is registered into the EES. From there, flights to Akureyri or elsewhere in Iceland are domestic.
- The Norröna ferry to Seyðisfjörður
Smyril Line's MS Norröna sails Hirtshals in Denmark to Tórshavn in the Faroe Islands and on to Seyðisfjörður. Hirtshals to Tórshavn takes 30 hours in the summer schedule and 38 in winter, and the onward leg takes another 15. In June to August it leaves Hirtshals on Tuesday mornings and arrives on Thursday mornings, carrying up to 1,482 passengers and 800 cars.
Transit routes
- Passports are compulsory on the ferry
Smyril Line says a valid passport is required when leaving or entering the Schengen area, and that travelers without an EU passport should say so when booking.
- Allow two days, not one
The summer sailing takes about two days end to end, so this is a journey to plan around, not a cheap way to save a flight.
Entry point notes
- The EES is free
There is no cost to register, and later trips are verified against the stored biometric data.
- Only the first Schengen entry registers you
If you fly in through another Schengen country first, that is where the biometric step is done, not at Keflavík.
- Check whether you actually need a visa
The visa exempt list is long, but it is not universal, so look up your own passport on an official source before you book.