Iceland Welcoming Vaccinated American Visitors

With the current vaccination timeline in the USA, many Americans are thinking about where to travel this summer. Well, it looks like travel to Iceland could be realistic — Iceland will start welcoming Americans who have been vaccinated, as well as those who have recovered from coronavirus.

Iceland finally opening to Americans

Iceland has been closed to Americans for about a year now. While the country isn’t part of the European Union (EU), it is part of the European Economic Area (EEA), and as a result the country has aligned many of its entry requirements with those of the EU.

Iceland has now updated its entry requirements — those who have been fully vaccinated against coronavirus, as well as those who have been infected in the past, can enter Iceland without any coronavirus restrictions, like testing and quarantine.

Until now this exemption has only applied to those from the EU/EEA, while this will now apply to people from across the globe.

As Iceland’s Chief Epidemiologist, Thórólfur Gudnason, describes the decision to open Iceland:

“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. When people are protected against the same disease, with the same vaccines that are produced by the same companies, there is no medical reason to discriminate on the basis of the location where the jab is administered. Our experience shows that the risk of infection from vaccinated individuals is very small or negligible.”

Iceland has largely done a great job managing the pandemic, and the country’s policy seems well thought out as a way of bringing back tourism while minimizing risk.

Iceland is reopening to American visitors

What proof is needed to enter Iceland?

If you’re looking to enter Iceland on account of being vaccinated, you’ll need to provide a certificate of vaccination. This must include the following information:

• Be in the Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English, or French; a document in another language can be valid if the original document accompanied by a certified stamped translation in one of the languages required
• First name and last name (as in travel documents)
• Date of birth
• Name of disease vaccinated against (COVID-19)
• Where and when vaccinations were performed
• Issuer of the certificate (supervising clinician/administering center), with signature and stamp if the International Certificate of Vaccination
• Vaccine administered
• Manufacturer and batch/lot number of vaccine

If you’re looking to enter on account of having recovered from coronavirus you also have to provide proof:

• The certificate should be in the Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, or English language; a document in another language can be valid if accompanied by a certified stamped translation in one of the languages required
• First name and last name (as in travel documents)
• Date of birth
• When test was performed
• Where test was performed
• Name of laboratory/issuer of certificate
• Date of certificate
• Phone number of laboratory or responsible authority
• Type of test performed (PCR-test or antibody test with ELISA/serologic assay)
• Result of test (PCR-test positive for SARS-CoV-2 or antibodies present)

The challenge is proving that visitors are vaccinated

Bottom line

Iceland is reopening its borders to Americans who have either been vaccinated or have recovered from coronavirus. This seems like a logical approach for the country to take — while it doesn’t eliminate all risk, it does greatly limit risk, and that’s what you need if you’re not a country that will only settle for zero cases.

What do you make of Iceland’s approach to reopening?

(Tip of the hat to Paul)