Iceland is a Schengen state in Europe, along with 25 other countries. All of these countries are part of the European Union. Since joining this group, these countries have abolished passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. If the traveller is a holder of a Schengen visa which is granted by any of the Schengen Area member countries, then they are eligible for free movement within the entire Schengen Zone, within the period limitations and validity of the Iceland visa. There are different restrictions that apply to the particular visa issued by the embassy of Iceland, in accordance to the nature of travelling and length of stay in the country. Both Travel Iceland Visa as well as Business Iceland Visa comes under the Schengen short stay visa, which allows visitors to stay for a maximum period of 90 days.
A travel Iceland visa is granted to people who wish to enter the Iceland for tourism, travel and leisure purposes only. Iceland allows visitors to stay in the country for a predetermined amount of time. Visitors holding these visas are not permitted to work or engage in any business activities in the host country during their stay. Thus, in case you are travelling for tourism purposes, you must use the Iceland visa application for travel, which is valid for travel period of less than 90 days.
A business Iceland visa allows the bearer to enter the Iceland and engage in business activities without joining that country’s labour force, temporarily or permanently. Usually, all visitors must show that they are not receiving any income from the country through work or business activities. Business Iceland visa applications will be issued for business purpose only, for a period less than 90 days. If the applicant intends to participate in gainful professional activities, even if the work is not financially rewarded, they will have to apply for a work permit to Iceland.
Applicants must note that Schengen visa application for Iceland must be submitted at the Danish Embassy in New Delhi, India as there is no other Embassy of Iceland in the country.
Documents Required
1.Travel document- The applicant’s passport must be valid for a minimum three months after the intended departure from Iceland. It must have at least two blank pages at the end for the new visa information to be printed. The passport must not be expired, and must be less than 10 years old. The passport should not have any discrepancies or marks on the front data page.
2.Application form- The applicant must submit a fully completed Iceland visa application form. Applicants must note that any incomplete information or false statement in the Iceland visa application could result in delay in processing or rejection of the application. This Iceland visa application form can be downloaded in English or Hindi, but it has to be filled out in the English language only.
3.Photograph- Applicants require one recent original passport-size colour photograph with a white background. The photograph should be fairly recent, that is, not more than six months old.
4.Covering letter- The applicant must submit a covering letter to the centre, with details such as the applicant introducing himself/herself, explaining the purpose of visit, duration & itinerary of the visit in brief.
5.Travel Medical Insurance- You must have valid medical insurance during your stay in Iceland. This must cover all possible expenses for health reasons, death, indispensable medical treatment or acute hospitalisation during your stay, which may cause you to return to India. The minimum policy coverage should be 30,000 Euro and this insurance policy must cover all Schengen countries. The insurance policy must be valid for the entire duration of the applicant’s intended stay in Iceland. The applicant may shorten the validity of the Iceland Visa if their insurance policy does not cover the entire duration of the stay in Iceland.
6.Proof of Means of Transport – Applicants need their flight reservation of return or round ticket. In the event that the applicant wishes to travel to multiple Schengen States, they will have to show proof of flight reservation between the different countries, train itinerary or car rental receipt. Applicants must note that only the booking receipt needs to be submitted, and these tickets do not have to be paid for.
7.Proof of Lodging – The applicant’s hotel reservations, receipt of renting a holiday home or campus residence reservation are required as proof. Proof of sponsorship and private accommodation from the host is required, if the applicant intends to stay with a family member or a friend in Iceland. In the event that the applicant intends to travel to several Schengen States, they must show proof of lodging in each of them.
8.Proof of Financial means- The applicant’s original bank statement showing their transactions in the last three months, duly stamped and signed by the bank authority, or Indian income tax return statement acknowledging returns for the last two assessment years are required for the Iceland visa application form. In the event that the applicant’s trip to Iceland is sponsored, a signed sponsorship letter and a signed copy of the sponsor’s passport should accompany the bank statement.
In addition if the applicant is employed:
If the applicant is self-employed or an owner of a company:
If the applicant is retired:
9.Minor Applicant
10.Passport Copy- All Iceland visa applications must enclose a full colour photocopy of the valid passport of the applicant. All the pages of the previously held passport must be photocopied and attached to the document. In the event that the applicant holds any valid visas for Schengen States, USA, UK, Canada or Australia that was issued in last three years in an old or cancelled passport, then a colour photocopy of the visa pages and passport data pages must be submitted. If applying for a Tourist Schengen Short Stay Iceland Visa:
1.If the applicant is being sponsored, an invitation letter with the address and phone number from the family or company that is sponsoring is required.
2.Bank statement of the last 6 months
3.Passport copies of the applicant
4.A certificate from the travel agency confirming the booking of an organised trip of the applicant (if any)
5.Any other appropriate document indicating the travel plans of the applicant, including period and reason of visit.
6.If applicant is married and cannot provide evidence of marital status in the passport, a marriage certificate must be submitted. If required, the applicant may also submit a copy of their ration card.
Business Visa
If applying for a Iceland Visa for Business Purposes:
1.Invitation letter from the company in Iceland applicant will be visiting and their complete address along with the dates of the visit
2.A certificate from your employer allowing the business travel and stating the details about the trip.
3.Both invitation letter as well as letter from employer must confirm the following details:
4.Proof of previous trade relations between the two companies, if such events have occurred.
5.Bank statement of the last 6 months of the company
6.The coverage of applicant’s expenses during their stay in Iceland must be proved by either the employer or the host company who is hosting the applicant, on the letter or invitation.
Note:
Cost
Iceland Visa Fees
The cost for a Short Stay Schengen Iceland Visa for travel and business purposes is:
Applicants shall be charged a service cost of INR 1490/- (Inclusive of all Tax) that must be paid in cash at the Visa Application Centre. Applicants are also offered the choice of paying through multiple modes of payment (such as credit cards, debit cards etc.) at an additional charge.
The current exchange rate dictates the Iceland Visa fee in Indian Rupees and it is subject to change without notice, as per fluctuations in economy. All visa fees are non-refundable, regardless of whether the Iceland Visa is granted or not.
Note: In most cases, the visa will be processed within 15 working days. However, in some rare events, this period may be extended to a maximum of 60 days if the Embassy finds any discrepancies or missing information in your application. The earliest you can file a visa application is three months before the beginning of your planned trip. The latest you can file for a visa application is at most 15 working days before your intended travel to Iceland. Please note that the recommended time to file for a visa application is at least three weeks before the start of your trip.
How To Apply
Step 1: Visit the URL https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/application_form_english.pdf to access the online Iceland Visa application form.
Step 2: You will be shown a PDF file of the form. Download this, and take a print out.
Step 3: Complete the application form by filling in the following details:
Step 4: After filling in the application form, the applicant must attach their colour passport sized photograph to it. Then the applicant must locate the nearest Danish Embassy to their location (in New Delhi, India), and book a visa appointment. After booking the appointment, they must visit the Embassy at the scheduled time with all the supporting documents, visa processing fees, and a completed application form.
Step 5: At the visa application centre, the service centre personnel will take your picture (for all applicants). A biometrical process will then take your fingerprints. All travellers applying for a Schengen short stay visa must appear in person at the centre to have their fingerprints recorded and to have their photograph taken. The Visa Information System (VIS) will then register this information. Although this registration procedure only takes a few minutes, it identifies you with certainty as the only legal holder of the Iceland visa. Identity theft and fraud are prevented by this method. Note that children below the age of 12 years do not need to get their fingerprints recorded.
Step 7: After the staff checks the veracity of Iceland visa application, they will record your application information in the system. You will then have to pay the visa processing fees at this point. They will then give you an acknowledgement receipt which can be used to track the status of your application. This receipt must be held on to for collection of visa.
After Submission
Iceland Visa Tracking
After your Iceland Visa application has been approved, you will be contacted by the Embassy on the phone number or email address you have registered. You may then collect your passport from the collection centre at the Embassy. You must collect your passport yourself. Please make sure to bring the acknowledgement receipt which was issued to you on the day of your application form submission, during collection of passport. The documents or passport of the applicant will not be handed over to third parties, except if the following people go to collect it:
In the event that any of the above individuals go to collect the applicant’s passport, they need to carry any of the following documents: