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Passport control

Information about passport control and travelling within the Schengen area.

Passport control and Schengen area

Passengers travelling within the Schengen Area can do so without presenting a passport at border controls. However, they must carry a valid identity document (ID) to be able to prove their personal identity upon request. Therefore, it is important to carry passports at all times. Please also bear in mind that airlines may request to see your passport before you embark a flight.

Passengers travelling outside Schengen via the terminal, i.e. to the UK, Ireland or North America, must go through passport control on departure and arrival in Iceland.

Further information on Schengen

Change of regulation regarding routine check from October 7th 2017

Regulation (EU) 2017/458 was implemented in external border control at Keflavik Airport as of 7 October 2017. The main change is that all travellers crossing the external border are subject to routine checks of their travel documents against certain databases of stolen, lost or invalid travel documents, including Icelandic and foreign databases (Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Documents database). All passengers must also be checked against the Schengen Information System database. These changes can be expected to lengthen the average processing time for passengers crossing the border.

Regulation (EU) 399/2016 was implemented in border control 1. November 2017, leading to the following changes:

  1. Third-country nationals (foreign nationals who are not nationals of an EU/EEA/EFTA member state) intending to stay in the Schengen Area must present a travel document, which must be issued within the last 10 years to be considered valid.
  2. The validity of the travel document of any third-country national must extend at least three months beyond the date of departure.

Expired passport

For further information on how to apply for a new passport please visit the website of the District Commissioner's Office - Apply for new passport.