Regulation for Non-Schengen Travelers to Take Effect Later than Planned

A regulation exempting vaccinated non-Schengen travelers from travel restrictions will take effect in Iceland April 6, instead of today, as previously announced, mbl.is reports.

This was announced in a statement, posted on the government website yesterday. The regulation will allow travelers from non-Schengen countries, who meet the criteria, to travel to Iceland for non-essential reasons.

The postponement is made to provide time for a careful review of the procedures for evaluating and accepting required certificates of vaccination for COVID-19 or of prior infection. This way, authorities want to ensure that the implementation of the new rules be as smooth as possible, while minimizing the risk of transmission.

Chief Epidemiologist Þórólfur Guðnason has provided the Ministry of Health with recommendations regarding the requirements for the acceptance of documentation. Those are currently under review by the ministry.

Iceland already exempts those who travel legally to Iceland and can provide proof of previous infection or vaccination from border measures, which include the provision of a PCR test before travel, testing at the border, and a five-day quarantine, followed by a second test. 

“Significant restrictions on non-essential travel from outside the EU/EEA area will remain in place for those who do not provide sufficient proof of vaccination or prior infection,” the statement reads.

For more detail, see the government website.