Travellers need to pay for COVID-19 test themselves

Iceland is opening up again to visitors.

Island seljalandsfoss taylor leopold
All internatioanl Mynd: Taylor Leopold / Unsplash

All those who arrive in Iceland after the 15th of June have the option of doing a COVID-19 test instead of starting a two-week quarantine the day they arrive.

Visitor can present a new Covid-19 test when they arrive or otherwise do one at the Keflavík International Airport. Tests will also be available at the harbour in Seydisfjordur and it will be free of charge for the first two weeks.

After that short period visitors need to pay 15.000 Icelandic krona (100EUR/115USD) for each test. Children will be exempt from the procedure.

“The intention is to safeguard the progress we have made so far when travellers start returning to Iceland” says Chief Epidemiologist Thorolfur Gudnason. “Throughout the pandemic, we have aimed for moderate but targeted measures based on the best available information. Primary schools have remained open and no lockdowns have been imposed. Now that there are almost no cases in Iceland, we see this as a normal next step as the world is slowly opening up to travel again.”

All travellers will still be strongly encouraged to follow precautionary guidelines, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, and to respect regulations in place, including the ban on social gatherings of more than 200 people.