Will Schengen Travel Restrictions Be Extended till July 1?

Preparations are in full swing for the opening of Iceland’s borders June 15, but until now, it has not been very clear how the opening of the borders will affect tourists from outside the Schengen area. 

At a press conference yesterday, officials explained that travel restrictions imposed for the Schengen area until June 15 may be extended through the end of June. Following the press conference, this clarification was posted on the government’s website:

“Iceland will continue to implement the travel restrictions imposed for the Schengen Area, which are currently due to remain in place until 15 June 2020. These restrictions may be extended until 1 July, but this remains to be decided by Schengen member states. While these restrictions are in place, foreign nationals, other than EU/EEA, EFTA or UK nationals, are generally not allowed to enter Iceland.”

The post refers to a list of the restrictions, posted May 14. You can view them in detail here. Among other things, they state, “The scope of travel restrictions remains unchanged. Foreigners, who are neither EU/EEA nor EFTA nationals, continue not to be allowed to enter Iceland unless they can demonstrate that their travel is essential.”

Finally, you can view the European Commission’s guidelines to EU member states and Schengen member states here.