Iceland Announces Restriction-Free Entry for Vaccinated Third Country Nationals

The Government of Iceland has announced that all persons who have been vaccinated against Coronavirus will be permitted to enter Iceland without undergoing any border measures, such as testing and self-isolation.

Starting on March 18, 2021, citizens of third countries, including the UK and USA, will be exempt from the measures as well.

So far, the exemption rules have only been applied to persons who presented certificates from European Union and European Economic Area, but from now on, the rules will be applied equally to everyone providing evidence of complete vaccination, with a vaccine that has been certified by the European Medical Agency under the Chief Epidemiologist of Iceland and Icelandic regulations.

The accepted certificates on the Icelandic border are as follows:

• Vaccination certificates issued by the European Union of the European Economic Area
• Certificate provided from the World Health Organisation (WHO), given that the WHO has examined and authorized the vaccine mentioned in the certificate
• A certificate that shows the prior presence of COVID-19 that conforms with the requirements defined by the Chief Epidemiologist

“The world has been through a lot in the past twelve months, and we are all hoping for a slow and safe return to normalcy. This also includes the resumption of the opportunity to travel, which is valuable to culture, trade, and enterprise. The decision to apply border exemptions for vaccinated individuals to countries outside the EU/EEA area is a logical extension of our current policy,” the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir said.

In a press release published on March 16, 2021, the government informed that Iceland had kept the exception guidelines for EU/EEA citizens that were previously infected and for those who are fully vaccinated, AtoZSerwisPlus.com reports.

“Our experience and data so far indicate very strongly that there is very little risk of infection stemming from individuals who have acquired immunity against the disease, either by vaccination or by prior infection,” Chief Epidemiologist Thórólfur Gudnason explained.

Furthermore, Chief Epidemiologist added that when individuals are protected against the same disease by using the same vaccines produced by the same companies, there is no valid reason to differentiate based on jab administration location.

Through the same press release, the government pointed out that since February 19, all persons must submit a negative PCR test, not older than 72 hours, followed by a five-day self-isolation period and a second test.

Additionally, Iceland has announced that starting from May 1, the country will use the ECDC risk assessment color code at its borders. All persons traveling from low-risk areas vaccinated individuals, and those who were previously infected will be exempt from the measures.

Up to this date, Iceland has registered 6,087 COVID-19 cases, 29 people have died, 6,028 have been recovered, and currently, it has 30 active cases.