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I'm heading to Europe this summer, and I'm flying El Cheapo Airlines. However, I have an 8 hour layover in the airport near Reykjavik. Free trip to Iceland? Count me in!

Can I leave and return to the airport freely with a valid United States passport? If not, what arrangements do I need to make with the Icelandic government?

Karlson
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Ohnana
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  • possible duplicate of Do I need a visa to transit in the Schengen area? – Karlson Mar 16 '15 at 14:05
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    @Karlson: Not exactly, because he wants to go sightseeing instead of just transit. It happens that the answer to this one is part of the answer to the standard question, but the questions are different. – hmakholm left over Monica Mar 16 '15 at 14:09
  • Note that it will burn a whole day off your Schengen clock though – Gayot Fow Mar 16 '15 at 15:20
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    The whole trip is 7 days. I think I can make it back in time :P But thanks, that's also something I didn't know about either. – Ohnana Mar 16 '15 at 15:22
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    what time do you land in Keflavik? Depending on the night of the week Reykjavik does not have much to offer in the 'unsociable' hours. – medina Mar 16 '15 at 16:23
  • About the practicality: from experience 8 hours isn't enough. I was, however, meeting US couchsurfers on a coffee and a quick city tour in Reykjavík, who were in a similar situation. So it is possible. But given the time to town (roughly 1 hour) from Keflavík it is a relatively tight schedule. Icelandair offers (AFAIK in cooperation with tourism business) a layover of up several days during a layover. That is worth taking in any case. And opening hours are another issue. During summer the Blue Lagoon may be an option. Though I never liked it and my CSers gave mixed feedback. – 0xC0000022L May 18 '15 at 08:04

1 Answers1

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Iceland is in the Schengen zone and follows the Schengen visa rules, which gives visa-free access to US nationals for short visits.

If your destination in Europe is another Schengen country, you will have to go through Schengen immigration in Keflavik anyway; the onward flight is treated as "domestic" as far as immigration checks are concerned.

If your connecting flight is to a non-Schengen country such as the UK, you have the option of staying in the airport terminal and not go through immigration.

Note that Reykjavik is quite some distance from the airport -- the bus ride is 45 minutes and buses may not depart frequently, so keep transportation time in mind when you decide whether an excursion to the capital will be worthwhile.

hmakholm left over Monica
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  • I was also looking at Reykjanesbær, which seems to be a nice destination as well. I didn't know about the Schengen legislation, so thanks! – Ohnana Mar 16 '15 at 14:12
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    Buses to Reykjavik from Keflavik are quite frequent in summer months and usually follow international arrivals. You wont have to wait too long. – medina Mar 16 '15 at 16:23