Schengen

On March 25th 2001, Iceland became a participant in the Shengen co-operation, along with fourteen other European States.

Objectives of the Schengen co-operation

• To secure free movement of individuals over the borders of the participant States.
• To strengthen the fight against international crime by enhancing police co-operation between the participant States.

Which changes does Schengen call for at Leifur Eiriksson Air Terminal?

The participation of Iceland in Schengen has necessitated certain changes at Leifur Eiriksson Air Terminal in Keflavik. The terminal has been extended and new arrangements have been made to facilitate border control, as passengers who are flying within the Schengen area are separated from those flying to/from a non-Schengen State. The level of services provided at Leifur Eiriksson Air Terminal will be unaffected. Basic service will be available in the extended terminal, i.e. a restaurant and a duty free store. Passengers travelling within the Schengen area and from Iceland to a non-Schengen State will find a variety of duty free stores and restaurants in the main part of the terminal.

How does Schengen affect passengers travelling to/through Iceland?

Passengers, who are travelling within the Schengen area, will be separated from those travelling to or from a non-Schengen State.

• There will be no personal border control for passengers travelling between Schengen States.
• Passengers travelling to Iceland from a non-Schengen State, or through Iceland to a Schengen State:
  • Citizens of Member States of the European Union and citizens of Iceland and Norway are subject to personal border control upon arrival in Iceland (identity and travel document check). Please have your passport or other valid travel document ready upon arrival to the border control area of the terminal.
  • Citizens of other States are subject to personal border control upon arrival in Iceland (identity check, travel documents, including visa or residence permit if needed, return ticket, means of subsistence and reason for travelling). Please have your relevant documentation ready upon arrival to the border control area of the terminal.
• Passengers in transit/transfers to the United Kingdom or Ireland from a non-Schengen State will not be subject to personal border control in Leifur Eiriksson Air Terminal. The UK and Ireland are not full participants in the Schengen co-operation and thus border control will take place upon arrival in the States.

A specific area has been allocated for these passengers on the ground floor of the terminal, providing service and shopping facilities. Passengers are kindly asked not to present themselves at the border control area. The same applies to those travelling from these States to States outside the Schengen area.

Passengers travelling to the UK and Ireland from Iceland will be subject to exit control.

Standardised visa will replace existing arrangement.

The standardised Schengen visa will be valid for travelling to all the Schengen States. Thus, a special visa for visiting Iceland will not be necessary.

Icelandic embassies no longer issue visas. On the occasions when Iceland is the main destination, it is possible to apply for visa in the embassies of other Schengen States, in over 100 places in the world, which issue visas on behalf of Iceland.

Schengen does not change the rules concerning custom control on the borders of the Schengen area! Individuals travelling to Iceland from a Schengen country must follow the same rules as before concerning the importation of dutiable articles and undergo conventional customs control when entering the country. Rules about duty free shopping remain unchanged.

For more information on Schengen, please visit www.eurovisa.info