General Schengen Information for Travellers

The entry into force and scope of the Schengen acquis
Iceland together with the other Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden – introduced visa and border check procedures pursuant to the Schengen Agreement on 25 March 2001. The Schengen territory comprises the aforementioned countries and all Member States of the European Union, except for the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Effects of the Schengen acquis
Border checks on travellers have been abolished in all traffic between Schengen States. As from 25 March 2001, border checks have therefore been abolished also in traffic between Iceland and the other Nordic countries and in traffic between these countries and the previous signatories to the Schengen Agreement.

In passenger traffic crossing the external borders of the Schengen territory, all Member States apply a uniform procedure of border checks.
For the purposes of the Schengen Agreement, traffic crossing the external borders means traffic which crosses the land border or the sea border between a country which is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement and a country outside the Agreement. Traffic crossing the external borders also means flight traffic arriving from a country outside the Schengen Agreement to an airport of a Schengen State.

Visa requirements
The signatories to the Schengen Agreement have harmonised their visa requirements so that they have a common list of those countries whose nationals are subject to a visa requirement and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement.

Visas
A visa is a permit, issued for travelling purposes, to enter the Schengen territory and stay there during a short period.

Nationals of a country subject to a visa requirement must have a visa when travelling to the territory of one or more Schengen States. The conditions for issuing visas have been mainly harmonised, so that applicants for visas have to fulfil the same requirements and present the same evidence in missions of all Schengen States. Minor national exceptions may occur in respect of, for instance, invitations, the assessment of the applicant's opportunities for subsistence etc.

The visa entitles its holder to stay in one or more Schengen States continuously or in several periods during the validity of the visa, however no longer than 90 days, during the six months following his or her entry into the Schengen territory. Similarly the visa may entitle its holder to enter the territory once, twice or more times.

It is important to remember that a visa issued by one Schengen State entitles its holder to travel and stay in the territories of all Schengen States.

The Schengen State issuing the visa
Visas are primarily issued by embassies or consulates of the main destination country.

If, for instance, a business or holiday journey or a family visit is destined for another Schengen State, visa on behalf of Iceland cannot be issued, even if the applicant travelled to the destination country through the Icelandic territory.

If there is no main destination country, an embassy or consulate of the first destination country can also issue a visa.

One Schengen State can now issue visas on behalf of the others, the procedure for issuance will become different. For example, visas can no longer be issued by "
Consuls". Consequently questions of how to obtain a visa should be addressed to the competent authorities in each country. Iceland has for practical reasons decided not to issue visas for the time being. Agreements are concluded with other Nordic States and some other Schengen States to issue visas on behalf of Iceland.

Conditions for issuing visas
For the consideration of a visa application, the following documents must be presented:

• a completed application for visa and 2 photographs;
• an approved, valid travel document, in practice a passport. The passport must remain valid for at least 3 months after the intended journey has ended;
• documents showing the purpose of and the preconditions for the intended stay (e.g. an invitation, which is not, however, a condition for issuing a visa);
• sufficient funds for subsistence, considering the duration of the intended stay and a return journey to the country of departure or a possible continuation of the journey to a third country, or a document proving that the applicant can lawfully acquire such sufficient funds (e.g. cash, a credit card, tickets, a commitment of the inviter to bear the costs for the applicant's stay, and similar evidence may be needed).

However, the applicant has no absolute right to get a visa merely on the basis that he or she has filed an application and is basically eligible for a visa. It is up to the authority issuing visas to consider whether to issue a visa or not. An applicant's right to a visa can be restricted, or the application can be completely rejected. Thus, a visa an be issued in accord with the application, with a shorter validity than that applied for, as a single-entry visa instead of a multiple-entry visa applied for, or containing a refusal of the applicant's right to enter the territory of one or more Schengen States, or the visa can be refused completely.

Grounds for rejecting a visa application
There are a number of technical and statutory grounds for rejecting an application for visa.

The application may be rejected on technical grounds, for instance when the applicant's passport will expire before 3 months will have passed after the intended journey, when it does not contain any blank pages for affixing the visa sticker, when the passport is damaged, when there is reasonable cause to suspect that some details in it have been changed, and on other similar grounds.

The application can also be rejected, if it itself or the required accompanying documents are deficient and the applicant does not supplement them even if requested to do so.

The application is always rejected, if the applicant is to be refused entry into the Schengen territory according to the Schengen Information System and also if he or she has committed serious or repeated crime during earlier stays.

The application is also rejected, if the authorities considering it notice that the applicant has provided false information, and also if, on the basis of the applicant's earlier activities, it can be suspected that he or she might endanger public order and security or Iceland's relations with foreign states.

Further, the application is rejected when there is reasonable cause to suspect that the applicant might acquire income by dishonest means or sell sex services.

Entry into a Schengen country
When entering a Schengen country a traveller subject to a visa requirement must present a valid travel document and a visa. Moreover, this person must present the documents specified as conditions for entry and sufficient funds for his or her subsistence and return journey or continued journey. A valid ticket for the return or continued journey reduces the amount of required funds. Further, the person must not be subject to a refusal of entry into the Schengen territory. The person's entry may also be refused, if it can be suspected that he or she might endanger public order and security, public health or Iceland's relations with foreign states. The person's entry may also be refused, if there is reasonable cause to suspect that he or she might acquire income by dishonest means or sell sex services.

These grounds are the same as those which may cause an application for visa to be rejected. Thus, it can be said that a traveller must fulfil the same conditions both when applying for a visa and when entering a Schengen country.

Transitional measures
The Schengen acquis entered into force on 25 March 2001. As from that date, border checks in traffic between Schengen States have been abolished, visas issued by other Schengen States entitle travellers to enter Iceland, and some missions of other Schengen States have started issueing uniform Schengen visas, which permit entry into other Member States.

Icelandic visas issued prior to the entry into force of the Schengen acquis are national visas, which do not permit entry into other states, even if they are valid for a longer period. Such visas permit entry into Iceland only.

Effects for travellers
From a traveller's point of view, the expansion of the Schengen territory can be considered positive development. A visa issued by one embassy or consulate entitles its holder to travel around in an area comprising the whole territory of the European Union and additionally Norway and Iceland. This area does not, however, include the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The traveller can save both time and money, when he or she needs only one visa for travelling in the whole Schengen territory.

Further, it should be borne in mind that a residence permit issued by one Schengen State entitles its holder to enter territories of other Schengen States without a visa. However, the general conditions for entry (cf. Entry into a Schengen country) must be fulfilled even in such cases. A residence permit entitles its holder to stay a maximum period of 90 days during no more than six months. In this case, the residence permit functions as if its holder had a visa entitling to a stay of 90 days.

=>> Further information:

Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Rauðarárstígur 25
150 Reykajvík
e-mail: postur@utn.stjr.is
utanrikisraduneytid.is

Ministry for Justice
Arnarhvoli
150 Reykjavík
e-mail: postur@dkm.stjr.is
domsmalaraduneyti.is/

Directorate of Immigration
Borgartúni 30
105 Reykjavík
e-mail: utl@utl.is
www.utl.is/