Iceland now open to vaccinated tourists

Have you bought your ticket yet, Frank? ;-)

Any idea what a "valid vaccination certificates" looks like? Seriously though, it looks like the ice is beginning to crack and those of us with more eclectic appetites will have destinations to visit. Thanks Frank II

Dick.....No.

1) I'm not fully vaccinated yet. One shot to go.

2) I've been to Iceland three times. I would only go back during "Northern Lights" season.

But I am keeping my options open for the summer. My fingers are crossed that more countries open by July.

James--that's a good question. There's an article in today's USA Today about vaccination certificates issued by the U.S. Most don't want it done by the government. One tip....its suggested that people take the card they get when vaccinated and have it laminated.

The coronary virus LOL!!

I have a valid vaccination certificate/card. Got both shots by middle of January. I am so ready to travel abroad. I'm getting a little tired of going to Disney :)

The Icelandic government has announced that all those who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be allowed to travel to Iceland without being subject to border measures, such as testing and quarantine. Until now, this exemption has only applied to those presenting certificates from the EU/EEA Area but will now apply equally to everyone who can provide proof of a full vaccination with a vaccine that has been certified for use by the European Medical Agency as well as requirements defined by the Chief Epidemiologist of Iceland and Icelandic regulations. Certificates from the the World Health Organization (WHO) (the International Certificate of Vaccination or the Carte Jaune/Yellow Card) are also accepted for vaccines the WHO has validated.

(https://www.government.is/news/article/2021/03/16/Exemption-from-border-measures-for-vaccinated-individuals-to-be-extended-to-non-Schengen-countries/)

Am I just incredibly dense, or is it murky as to what document(s) is(are) considered 'proof of vaccination"?

So excited about this! I have heard from several people, including a lady in Iceland, so this just made my day! I already emailed the car rental company with our new dates, and will do flights tomorrow!

James--that's a good question. There's an article in today's USA Today about vaccination certificates issued by the U.S. Most don't want it done by the government. One tip....its suggested that people take the card they get when vaccinated and have it laminated.

I didn't laminate it, but I did get three notarized copies. Terrified of losing it.

Time to quit reading the news and go to the government websites for clarity. They want US tourists so I presume they will work out the details.

EDIT

Which I just did. The CDC card will not work. Guess I am not going to Iceland anytime soon. :-(

https://www.landlaeknir.is/um-embaettid/greinar/grein/item44162/Certificate-of-vaccination-against-COVID-19-accepted-at-the-border
A vaccine certificate is required to include the following:

Be in the Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English or French. A document in another language can be valid if accompanied by a certified stamped translation in one of the languages required.
First name and last name (as in travel documents).
Date of birth.
Nationality.
Passport number (or travel document number).
Name of disease vaccinated against (COVID-19)
When vaccinations were performed (dates)
Vaccination must be complete; see below the required doses for full vaccination for each vaccine.
Information on issuer of the certificate (supervising clinician/administering centre), with signature if the International Certificate of Vaccination.
Vaccine administered.
Manufacturer and batch/lot no. of vaccine.

• Am I just incredibly dense, or is it murky as to what document(s) is(are) considered 'proof of vaccination"?*

No. Not dense and it is murky. Not something I’d put any money on just yet.

“Am I just incredibly dense, or is it murky as to what document(s)
is(are) considered 'proof of vaccination”

You’re not dense and it’s beyond murky!

Only because you didnt take 3 minutes to look it up.

I read it and it is murky.

The following data elements listed by James E do not appear on my vaccination card (which I think is the format issued by the CDC), nor is there a designated place thereon for them to be recorded:

Date of birth
Nationality
Passport number
Signature representing issuer of the certificate

An issue that may affect only me is that the batch number of my first vaccination has one illegible character; it could be a "2", a "7" or a "T". I'm not looking forward to trying to get that figured out, which I fear will be necessary at some point.

Good tip to laminate COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card. I have laminated other cards in the past. That said, it has 2 additional spaces for “other.” Booster next year? Mine has a sticker under Product name/Manufacturer & Lot number vs. hand written making it legible.

Edit Additionally I have taken a photo of CDC card to store digitally, photo copy, stored the card with my passport & the vaccine info will be in my permanent medical record at healthcare provider. I will not laminate my card.

My CDC card has everything except: passport number, nationality. So the CDC card can’t be a vaccine certificate.

The yellow WHO card requires that you have been vaccinated by a WHO approved vaccine: AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Covidshield, Janssen. Moderna is not on the WHO list, at least at this time, at least in this article. It is on the WHO website, however.

Acraven. One number of mine is not legible either but it is a 9. Hubby had the same batch at the same time.
We laminated ours.

Be sure to note the prescribed schedule for the 2 dose vaccines.

Details regarding vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency: (Name of vaccine, authorization holder/manufacturer; number and interval between doses for vaccination to be complete)
Comirnaty; Pfizer-BioNTech; 2 doses at least with 19–42 days apart
COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna; Moderna Biotech Spain; 2 doses at least 28 days apart
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca; 2 doses at least with 4–12 weeks apart.
COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Janssen-Cilag International NV); 1 dose.

My 2 dose moderna does not pass muster for Iceland. ( 1st dose on Feb 1; 2nd dose on Feb 26)

Looks like 'vaccine passports' and 'proof of vaccination', etc., will be a challenge akin to wrestling a squid and octopus simultaneously. Happy Travels

Was just watching All Things Iceland podcast (highly recommend btw); saw the lifting of restrictions for USA citizens visiting.
Alas, as USA citizens, our employer (healthcare system) does not allow overseas travel.

Will have to wait until post volcano or our employer lifts restrictions.
Sigh.

Edit:
If you don’t already do so, and ever intend to visit Iceland, two amazing sources of info are the following two podcasts that helps us in our Icelandic trip planning:
All Things Iceland (Jewels Chambers, American expat) also found on YouTube and
This Week in Iceland ( a weekly podcast in English detailing important news events in Iceland).

The rules regarding entering Iceland just changed today. There was no early warning. Since they stated they are looking for American tourists to enter, they must know, or will soo know, that in the U.S. we do not receive the kind of documentation they are currently requiring.

So, something will have to be done to allow Americans in. Be patient, it will be worked out. (The same hold true for other countries.) We do get that CDC card that has our name and date of birth (we enter it). Perhaps that along with a passport with matching names and date of birth will work. Who knows. But it will all work out.

And Moderna is on the list of approved vaccines to enter Iceland.

Edit....the only things missing on our CDC cards are passport number, nationality and name of vaccinating center. (It's signed by the person giving the vaccine.) All other information is on the card.

My CDC card is as Frank described -- name, DOB, vaccine brand, dates, lot numbers. No reason a vaccinator would have recorded my nationality or passport number, they were running people through the process as fast as they could. I can't imagine that it wouldn't be enough, along with my passport of course.

Northern Hemisphere Explorer--Have you been to Iceland before or are you planning your first trip:) Another great source is Iceland With A View. We have been before so are familiar with it, but Jeannie has some great suggestions that we are using for our next trip this summer.

The CDC card my wife received (along with everyone else there, I observed), didn't have a provider's name, just the initials of the facility. The name and other personal identification info was blank with instructions to fill in herself. But as I heard a CDC person describe it on a webinar, it was intended to be like "an appointment reminder card", not proof of vaccination.

So presumably no kids under 16 allowed into Iceland?

Iceland clearly wants vaccinated adult US tourists this summer. They won't let paperwork deprive them of many millions of tourist dollars. The state and health departments will figure it out. It's not rocket science.

The change will be to match vaccine cards with name, DOB, etc.

The U.S. government does not want a database of names and information on who has been vaccinated. Their goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible. They fear that some people will refuse the vaccine if they think the government is keeping records of who has been vaccinated.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2021/03/15/covid-19-vaccine-passports-free-private-secure-white-house-coronavirus/4703360001/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatodaycomtravel-topstories

At the same time, many states are not keeping records on who is being vaccinated. I'm not sure if they are requiring the vaccination centers to keep that information.

However, since numerous countries want U.S. tourist dollars, they will find a way to get the information. I wouldn't be surprised if a choice was a website or an app where you upload your information, including possibly a photo of your vaccination card. That might be matched against your passport making sure your name and d.o.b. are the same.

Could it be fudged? Yes. But a recent study showed that 80% of those who say they want to travel in 2021 want to be or have already been vaccinated.

https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Travelers-more-willing-to-get-Covid-vaccine

It's not rocket science.

Well that could be the problem. Science has 'laws' of how the things of the universe operate.

Devising a vaccine passport is more a political exercise than 'science'

I just took the plunge and booked our tickets. A bit cheaper than our tickets were last year. Totally refundable, so I am comfortable with this.

Way to go mikliz97! Can’t get any better than refundable booking & air fare less expensive than last year!! ;J

Janis--True! I checked flights last night and it was $700 higher than this morning, so I am very pleased with what we paid.

My wife and I will be fully vaccinated by April.
Can young children travel to Iceland with a negative Covid test and no quarantine?

Mikliz97,
Yes, we spent fall 2019 in Reykjavik, for business and tourism.
Hope you have a good visit there!
NHE

Iceland has modified it's "certificate" requirements. The only think some CDC certificates don't have is where the shot was administered. The pharmacist giving me my shot took up the entire area signing so there is no room for me to put where it was given.

I also have to wonder if they will accept a handwritten certificate for much of the information.

Frank: Iceland wants tourism dollars. The vast majority of American vaccination cards have handwriting and do not list the location of the vaccine.

Assuming Icelandic travel officials are intelligent and want tourism revenue, my guess is they'll figure it out. To not do so is nonsensical and, frankly, dumb.

My experience with Icelanders is they are a pragmatic people.

There is another way, Mike. They could set up a website where the passenger enters their vaccine information as well as passport information. That link will show up when your passport is scanned at Iceland immigration. Passengers could also print out the document. It might be more in line with what the EU is giving its people after vaccination. We'll have to wait and see.

After administering & documenting vaccine records for decades my sense is that the Product Name/Manufacturer & Lot Number, date would be required as proof. My CDC card does document “Healthcare Professional or Clinic Site.” My Vaccinator documented the initials of Medical facility & location as well. Time will tell what will be needed. Perhaps an APP to download info. for travel? Who knows.

Can young children travel to Iceland with a negative Covid test and no
quarantine?

You can read the rules here: https://www.covid.is/

If travel to Iceland is still a possibility in July, I will keep travel there as a back-up plan instead of Europe.
I just reviewed my CDC card. It has all of the requested information except for a signature from the institution. Since I was vaccinated by my employer (Hospital) it will be easy for me to get a signature. I will be watching the situation to see if others successfully use their CDC card as a certificate. Another option for me would be to ask my employer to make a certificate listing all of the information on my CDC card and adding a signature; this would be easy for them to do.

My son will be eligible to sign up for a vaccine starting March 29. I think I will ask him to ask his injector to sign the card each time.

I will be watching. I am hoping that anyone from the forum that gets more specific information will post it here.

I bought my ticket for end of May. It was $400 (direct from Boston). The points guys posted today about an influencer who went to Iceland yesterday and he got in just fine with his little CDC card and just that. They want US tourists so I would be surprised if they stop accepting the CDC card.

who went to Iceland yesterday and he got in just fine with his little CDC card and just that.

Hopefully that border agent is on duty all the time.

kjt1003, excellent.

Frank, well said.

Joe, pretty funny!

NHE--Nice! We were there in October of 2015 and have been itching to get back ever since. We would move there in a heartbeat if we could.

Frank--Our CDC cards do have the location printed on the card for the 1st vaccine. For the second one though, we need to fill that in. My husband got his 2nd one at the same location, but I am scheduled at a different location, so am hoping they have a little stamp or something. I go on Monday, so if they don't stamp it, I will ask for them to at least sign it.

BigMike--I agree, they want the tourism dollars and will find a way to make the CDC cards work.

kjt1003--That is encouraging, and yes, hopefully all agents will be like that.

The border agent is Ólafur Jónsson, he works the day shift every day but Wednesday and Thursday. I have his number if anyone needs it.

Does anyone know if you can get a certificate from WHO if you have had a vaccine that is approved by them? I have the CDC card.
Airfares are already rising and hotels are almost sold out so it seems tourists are going or at least planning on going in the near future :)

creesepv, the International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, approved by WHO, is distributed in the US by CDC (CDC Form 731) also known as the Yellow Card. I have mine in my hand. Its not issued, its a personal record item that you keep and maintain. Its usually available from Health Departments, your employer if they require immunizations, and you can even buy them online, from Amazon for example. They've been around for decades, and is used as a record of all vaccinations (mine has my flu shots, shingles vaccines, tetanus, etc). I always ask the provider to fill it out, as they don't automatically do it. A valuable piece of paper for record keeping, but not one I've seen any COVID vaccine sites giving them out. You might even have a hard time getting a site to recognize and fill it out. But noting it doesnt have all the data that they're describing in these discussions - only has date, type and dose, and signature.

Don't laminate the CDC card, at least according to someone working at the vaccination facility. The guy said the ink could smear or blot and become illegible. I have two cards: A laminated state vaccination card, and the CDC card, which is white, not yellow.

James E: good stuff

Yes BMWBGV, I am talking about the WHO-approved Yellow Card, not the white card you get at the vaccine sites. I thought that was what creepsev was asking about. Look it up: CDC 731. Its been a standard international vaccination record for many years. That's the Yellow Card mentioned in the post from joe32 upthread:

Certificates from the the World Health Organization (WHO) (the International Certificate of Vaccination or the Carte Jaune/Yellow Card) are also accepted for vaccines the WHO has validated.

The white card has no WHO approval. Thats the crux of the whole issue - no internationally recognized certificate. Iceland and any other country can choose whatever they want to accept, I'm just pointing out the complications and assumptions being made.

I just realized that except for the information about the vaccine itself, the rest of the CDC card is filled out by hand. Every vaccination center has their own procedure.

Just to add to the mix- A rare volcanic eruption occurred near Reykjavik, Iceland, on Friday Eve. Small by volcano standards Nothing like the eruption 11 years ago of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano! Nice video in the nytimes.com People said the lava was stunning. ;)

Passport number and nationality are not required, according to the web site of the Iceland Directorate of Health. Maybe those 2 matters were removed after some people here included them in the certificate requirements. Given that, it looks like my CDC card will qualify.

Stan, thank you. Well, heck, how do I get a WHO yellow card? I'm guessing Iceland will not accept the CDC card alone?

The Minister of Justice in the link looks like an Icelandic woman out of central casting.

BMBGWV, well its certainly a messy situation, as it seems like no one in charge of things holistically, expected that these cards would be needed for anything other than personal record keeping. That is, CDC (and WHO) couldn't have anticipated that they needed to support access to international travel when they designed their record keeping system.

I don't mean to beat this dead horse, but more anecdotal info: I worked yesterday as a volunteer at a mass vaccination site - over 7,000 people vaccinated. The white cards everyone was handed did not have any vaccinators' name, initials, or any patient info (like ID number). Just a pre-printed card with the date, location and type/batch of vaccine. My wife received her white card at a different event, where the "signature" were the initials of the facility, which would of course be unrecognizable to anyone. So how any country could accept that as proof of vaccination is their choice. But the point being that not everyone in the US is likely even getting a complete, white card.

So, at the event, I had to ask several of the state and county people running the site if they were adding the vaccine info and signing the CDC yellow cards. I got answers mostly a stern no, "just the white card", and no one of the people in charge actually knew what the yellow card was. That's in contrast to my local pharmacist who told me she would gladly fill out and sign the yellow card if I got the shot from her, as she did for my flu and shingles shots.

So make of that what you will. I had a yellow card from each of two former employers, because I had required immunizations for my job. So I still have them. My county health department said you can get one from your care provider. The care provider said get it from the health department. So there. I bought a few through Amazon for family, but as you see its a mess.

The best we can hope for is that countries will choose accept the white card, yellow if you have it, and maybe it will all go away. Still waiting to find out if we will need regular boosters.

In the U.S., we get the white Covid-19 card from the CDC. What information is filled out on the card depends on where you get your vaccination.

Some places write down the location, some don't. Some places have a signature of the person administering the vaccine, some dont. In the U.S., we don't have ID numbers.

Our name, and date of birth is entered by hand. Some by the people giving the card, others expect us to do it.

But the one thing our cards do have is a sticker with information about the dose we are given....name of vaccine, batch number and expiration date. The date of vaccine is entered--by hand--next to it.

More than likely, if a country wants American tourists, they will accept this card. They can't expect millions of Americans to return to where they got the shot to get all new cards.

European countries are just beginning to open up. Their guidelines NOW are based on the EU. They need time to figure out what information is available from visitors outside the EU? It's not just the U.S. It's Canada, China, Japan, etc. Are they going to ban tens of millions of tourists because the name of where they got the vaccine isn't available? Or the card wasn't signed by the person giving it?

The easy way is to take whatever record is given and make sure the name and DOB matches the passport. The additional information will show the name of the vaccine, batch number, expiration date and the date the vaccine was given. If it's a CDC card the shot was given in the U.S. Does it really matter if it was given at a CVS in Boise or a drive through clinic at a sports stadium in Des Moines?

The other option is to have people fill out a form to present with the CDC card giving information not on the card.

I know some people here will say these cards can be counterfeited. True. But there is no perfect way to do this. It's too late to go back and tell everyone they have to return to get new info.

But the one thing our cards do have is a sticker with information
about the dose we are given....name of vaccine, batch number and
expiration date.

Frank II not mine or thousands of others ....

Until a document acceptable in many countries or most countries is created and adopted by many or most countries I think that we will find that different cards or documents from different countries or regions will have different information.

For example on my UK government issued appointment card with my record of my first jab and space for my second, the only things there that are written are: my first and second name, an abbreviated name of the manufacturer of the vaccine, the batch number, and the date but not the time that the vaccine was given. No identification number for me, no date of birth, no address, name or anything else to identify the location of the vaccination. There is no place for the patient to write any other information.

I am sure that in time, given a little patience, these things will become clear.

James E...what information came with your card?

Name
DOB
Patient ID Number
Pfizer and the dates of each shot
An abbreviation for the provider UH-MON (or might be UH-WON .... scribbled in ink)

Thats it.

Every provider gives different info...

Mine has name, dob, (no id number to give), name of vaccine, batch number, expiration date, date of vaccine and signature of person giving it.

It will be interesting to see what they give for the second dose. I'm also going to ask them if they have any type of document they can print out. (Mine's from a pharmacy so no "mychart" available.)

This is an interesting article of what to do if you lose your Covid-19 card (for Americans).

https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/verify/what-do-you-do-if-you-lose-vaccine-record-card-covid-19-vaccination-record-card-lost-what-to-do-replacement-covid-vaccine-card-fact-check/65-ef0143b3-5967-4161-8186-c0b26c505dac

The CDC does not have this information nor is there a federal database. Your state health department might be able to help but you should first reach out to whomever administered your shot.

If for some reason you need a new card:

https://covidvaccine.mo.gov/vaccinators/pfizer/covid-19-shot-card.pdf

Frank, thank you for the link for the new vaccine card. My husband took a photo of his right right after getting his 2nd shot, but then promptly lost the card that same day. So I printed the blank card and we can fill that in. Our cards had everything printed on them except for our names and birthdates, but did have the date, batch/lot#, location and the QR code. We will take a copy of his photo as well as the one I just printed out and we will fill that in ourselves.

Israel's Ministry of Health issues a vaccine certificate as a pdf one week after the 2nd shot (so far all here are Pfizer or Moderna), meant to be for local use, not int'l. It has: full name, passport no., identity no., date of birth, validity dates (period of 6 months), dates of shots, detail of the vaccine mfgr., lot number, and the name of the HMO, a QR barcode and the logo of the ministry.

Since we have agreements already with a couple of countries for vaccinated tourists, Cyprus beginning in a few days and Greece from April 15, I guess there will be some provision made for that.

The yellow cards you all are describing sounds really easy to forge. I wonder how authorities will deal with that. We already had several instances of people arriving here from NYC with forged negative Covid tests, some of whom were Covid positive when tested on arrival.

Iceland's not on my list, but I'm ready to go to Greece in a heartbeat.

As of now the U.S. requires a negative COVID test for entry. One person who recently traveled to "Europe" said it cost $500 for her and her husband to get the test. Ouch. It might be wise for Americans to check out where they can get this test prior to returning home.

"As of now the U.S. requires a negative COVID test for entry."

If we go anywhere, it's likely to not be until May, and I'm hoping this rule will be relaxed by then. If not, and I do go to Iceland, the first thing I would do upon arrival, if not before., is find out the logistics for getting a test before leaving.

OK, let’s say somebody who’s been fully vaccinated books a flight on Icelandair, maybe even arranged for lodging and paid up front, shows up at their US airport adequately early with all documentation, checks in, makes it through security screening, boards the plane, lands at Keflavik Airpirt several hours later, and ... Ólafur Jónsson called in sick with a fever and dry cough, so he’s not reviewing border arrivals that day, and his colleague doesn’t accept the vaccine record, for whatever reason. The vaccinated person isn’t getting an immediate welcome into Iceland. Maybe any vaccine documentation will be waved through immediately, but as the thread above suggests, there’s a fair amount of doubt at this point. A definitive confirmation of acceptable documentation would be reassuring, before making a trip. Does the arriving tourist file an appeal, or get put in isolation, then summarily placed on the next return flight (assuming that space exists), and billed for a last-minute fare?

Or does the airline need to verify the passenger’s acceptability before allowing them to take the flight to Iceland? Maybe Iceland's going to be a big test for other destinations to come.

Robert, I think that's essential planning prior to travel.

Cyn, at some point before travelling on Icelandair in July I'll call them to verify exactly what I need, and double-check the official rules online to see if everything matches up. Also, others will be travelling before then so I'll check with their experiences.

Even in perfect conditions things can go awry.

Apparently The Points Guy made the trip recently and everything went smoothly with his CDC card. There was a link to the story on Trip Advisor, but you could probably find it easier on your own.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/23/tech/covid-vaccines-dark-web/index.html

Meanwhile, vaccine certificates — or proof of vaccination cards — are
created and printed to order; the buyer provides the name and dates
they want on the certificate and the vendor replies with what Check
Point said resembles an authentic card.

The counterfeit products are being marketed to people who need to
board planes, cross borders, start a new job or other activities that
may require someone to give proof of vaccination.

The CDC card can be easily forged. How can (will) countries like Iceland authenticate these certificates?
If you enter such a country with a valid certificate, will you be concerned that there maybe visitors holding forged certificates?

People travel with false passports, false visas, false identity cards, etc. There is no such thing as perfection.

The problem with having a vaccine database is that many Americans don't want the government knowing their business. Add the HIPAA laws and no one can be forced to tell the government about their health. The current administration is against a federal database of people who have been vaccinated because they are worried people won't get the vaccine. They are leaving it up to the states.

Icelandic officials weighed the risks vs rewards and made what they believe is a pragmatic decision.

How soon will we be inundated with posts for the sale of forged vax cards?

Let me know what can't be counterfeited.

FWIW!If I can find what I saw about Iceland on a news feed about a jump in Covid cases, I’ll post it. It’s about the recent cases of Covid jumping up by 80+ percent recently. I think it was 89% but not sure.

How soon will we be inundated with posts for the sale of forged vax
cards?

You don't have to. You can buy blank ones on line from the government printer. They are all filled out by hand anyway.... My guess is that it will be a plague of fake cards. Probably of the magnitude of 1 in a million.

FWIW!If I can find what I saw about Iceland on a news feed about a jump in Covid cases, I’ll post it. It’s about the recent cases of Covid jumping up by 80+ percent recently. I think it was 89% but not sure.

What I found-- https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=iceland+covid+cases - -

shows the 7 day daily average went from 1-2 new cases per day from Feb 1 thru Mar 16 and is now 10 new cases per day.

Percentage increase is dramatic, but raw number is still quite low

The current administration is against a federal database of people who have been vaccinated because they are worried people won't get the vaccine.

They're worried for good reason. Many Americans would probably skip the vaccine if that was the case. There are plenty of anti-vaxxers as it is; no reason to give them one more excuse.

It seems like there's still some confusion about entry into Iceland for Americans. Despite what appeared to be a clear announcement by the Iceland government that vaccinated Americans (and others) can enter as of March 18, the government later said that this didn't negate the requirement that the travel be "essential." Instead, that requirement would be relaxed for vaccinated persons from outside Schengen/EU/EEA on March 26. Then yesterday, the government said that this relaxation was being put off until April 6 (https://www.government.is/news/article/2021/03/25/Regulation-exempting-vaccinated-non-Schengen-travellers-from-travel-restrictions-to-come-into-force-on-6-April/), basically to let the government get its act together re vaccines at the border.
This all begs the question of how The Points Guy (and maybe others) entered Iceland earlier this week.

Delta is restarting and adding new flights from the USA to Iceland starting in May.

Delta to Restart Iceland Flights as Vaccination Push Opens Doors ["https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-26/delta-to-restart-iceland-flights-as-vaccination-push-opens-doors"]

My health records, accessible online at my provider's website, include a page listing Immunizations. Listed are lots of influenza vaccinations, pneumococcal vaccines, DT (diphtheria-tetanus?) from back in 1986, H1N1 in 2010, TDAP, Shingles, etc. Last and most important is my two recent doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. So I would bring a copy of that (and could call it up online from my cellphone or other internet connection) in addition to the CDC "COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card"

The CDC card includes dates for my COVID vaccinations, locations, vaccine type and lot number, etc. as well as my provider's Patient Number. Mostly filled in by hand, of course. But there is the complication that my name is a bit garbled, written with two different pens, and containing two first names and an extra middle initial! It's sort of my fault, since I confuse the record keeping by stubbornly using my first initial and middle name. At least the COVID-19 Vaccination card includes the same Patient Number as my health record page even if the names are shown slightly differently, and I can bring along copies of both to tie together my identity and vaccination record.

This illustrates the imperfection of our present, non-standardized record-keeping of COVID vaccination information. I can only hope that if Iceland, for example, "wants" tourists, they will find ways to document vaccination. But if the destination country - or the officer at the airport desk - decides that they don't "want" tourists, there are plenty of ways to reject you. This is all of interest since, Delta has just announced they will be restarting daily service from my local airport, MSP, to Iceland the end of May, and this could be an attractive first post-COVID foreign trip. By the time flights start, I would expect that Delta would have a good read on what's required to get its travelers in and out of Iceland.

-Ben

Frank--I looked at the Delta flights before booking on Iceland Air. I would have loved to have used Delta as we have enough miles for all 5 of us, but they do not have nonstops from Seattle. That was a deal breaker for us.

But if the destination country - or the officer at the airport desk - decides that they don't "want" tourists, there are plenty of ways to reject you.

If a destination country doesn't want you, the airline won't let you board the plane. If an immigration agent decides he doesn't want tourists, you can appeal to his supervisor.

The airlines will know what documents are necessary to enter a country. They won't let you board the plane unless you have all the proper documentation. You see, if you are rejected for having improper documents, the airline gets fined and has to fly you back to your departure airport.

Fortunately for us, Guðmundur Atladótti (not his real name) will be working during our arrival. It doesn't hurt to check, but you have to know somebody.

Getting into Iceland may be easier than getting back to the US. I believe currently, you still need a negative covid test 3 days prior to getting on a plane back to the US. In Iceland the only locations to do so are in Reykjavik and Selfoss. Does anyone know the cost of the test or exactly where to get this done? Also, is 2 days prior to the flight to the US ok or it has to be 3?
Thanks

I believe it's 3 days "or less."

Saw this pop up about new shutdown in Iceland until April 9.

https://www.icelandreview.com/ask-ir/whats-the-status-of-covid-19-in-iceland/

although rental car rates and hotels higher there than in Iceland.

Tom, I dont doubt you, but I am amazed by it. All but getting to Iceland is freeking expensive.

We're still very optimistic about July. I've noticed some of the day tours we're taking from Reykjavik are starting to fill up, so we booked ours with a 10 percent down payment that is easily cancelled if necessary.

I got burned a couple of times waiting to book a day tour upon arrival at a destination because it was full. I hope I've chosen a good middle option here.

Tom and James E.: We're flying from Dulles (Washington DC) with five nights in Reykjavik with breakfast, airport shuttles, day tours each day for $2900 total for two. This includes reserved seats and luggage. Blue Lagoon included. Icelandair has some pretty good deals, or at least they did back in December when everyone told me I was wasting my time and money.

A colleague told me the COVID test to return to the states was fast and easy and there were several fellow travelers doing the same. There are a lot of Americans there and they've figured it out.

BigMike--We have our August trip booked and the car rental we kept from last year, just changed the date so no price increase for us on that thankfully. The deals that Iceland Air has had were really good and we booked another trip for February. That trip is airfare for two from Seattle, plus 5 nights in a hotel plus excursions for a total of $1664, fully refundable.

mikliz97, could I ask you how much total for your trip, including car rental?

I had trouble deciding whether to take day tours or rent a car, but no doubt Iceland is an easy place to drive in the summer.

I have planned a trip to Iceland for June 30-July 15.
I have Delta tickets to Europe that I will change to Iceland.
Because of all of the uncertainty, I have booked a self-drive 14 night trip through Hidden Iceland. This way, I don't have to make all of the hotel reservations myself on the ring road and I will have help if something goes wrong.
They agree to refund 90% of the trip for cancellation including Covid complications. Then, the 10% can be applied to a future trip.

The trip includes: 14 nights accommodations with breakfast, 4WD vehicle, dry suit snorkeling tour at Silfra (intercontinental tectonic plates), zodiac boat tour of glacier lagoon, whale watching at Husvik, Ring road plus the Westfjords, day to day life museum with guide, glacier hike, and more (that is what I remember off the top of my head). It is $4K per person plus flights. Certainly more expensive than doing it on one's own, but with good service and lower risk.

Now I am watching the Covid cases in Iceland and elsewhere more closely. Fingers crossed!

Tom,
My travel agent said that the Covid test upon arrival is usually back within 3-5 hours.

Mike--Sure! So the car rental is for our summer trip, different than the $1600 trip I just booked for February. For February, I think we are going to ditch the hotel for several nights and do a 3d/2n excursion away from Reykjavik. I have a few that I am looking at, but won't book right away. For our August trip, the car rental was just a hair over $2k. We have 5 adults, so booked the Toyota Land Cruiser as I wanted all of us to be comfortable. Airfare from Seattle on Iceland Air was $4200 for all of us. We could have used Delta miles, but I wanted nonstop and this was the only way to do that from Seattle. Our lodging came to about $3700 for 9 nights. Not a cheap trip, but we also did not skimp on lodging. Nothing overly extravagant, although I was seriously temped by the Torfhus! The Northern Light Inn is our splurge and that is our last night. That will suffice this time and maybe Torfhus when there are not so many of us.

vandrabud, sounds great. What an adventure you have awaiting you.

We're arriving in Reykjavik July 12 and departing July 18.

Tom: Solid deal there. We will bid to upgrade from coach, but since the flight is "only" 5.5 hours we'll gut it out. Our plane has a 2-4-2 configuration, so with the two of us on the aisle it's not so bad. I'm not a big fan of the 3-5-3 in coach, unless we get lucky with an open seat on the aisle.

mikliz, I'm hoping to hire you as our travel agent. Fingers crossed some COVID variant or a volcano doesn't throw a wrench into the gears.

Mike, sure, haha! Yes, hoping the best plaid plans pan out:)

Tom, you're raining on my parade. Maybe I'll bid higher for an upgrade to business class if it's not too dear.

Tom, thank you.

More on vaccine proof:
Certificates of vaccination accepted at the border in Iceland for exemption of border measures due to COVID-19

Requirement for testing and quarantine after travel:

Current rules require all travellers arriving in Iceland from risk areas for COVID-19 Opnast í nýjum glugga to present a certificate of negative PCR-test and undergo screening at the border. Those without exemption undergo screening again 5 days later and quarantine in between tests. If the second test is negative then quarantine is lifted. Currently, all countries and territories except Greenland are defined as risk areas.
All arriving travellers need to pre-register at covid.is Opnast í nýjum glugga. This applies to adults and children.
All arriving passengers must undergo at least one COVID-19 screening, wherever they are coming from and at any age, including those with a vaccination certificate or a certificate of previous infection.
While awaiting screening results instructions for quarantine must be followed.
Children born 2005 and later are exempt from presenting a certficate of a negative PCR-test upon arrival. All children need to undergo one screening test at the border. Testing for children can be from the nasopharynx, throat or mouth. Children are not exempt if they have had previous COVID-19 or are vaccinated. If the parent/guardian goes into quarantine the child quarantines as well but quarantine of the child is lifted with the adult, without a second screening test. If the parent/guardian presents a certificate for exemption of quarantine, the quarantine is lifted when a negative test result is received after arrival.
See details at covid.is Opnast í nýjum glugga.
The following certificates are accepted at the borders for exemption of presenting a negative PCR-test and quarantine:

Confirmation of previous COVID-19 infection that fulfil certain requirements:
See requirements here Opnast í nýjum glugga.
Certificates of vaccination against COVID-19 that fulfil the requirements set forth by the Chief Epidemiologist. These requirements are stated below in this document.

Certificates of vaccination with a vaccine authorized by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), that are listed here (this list is updated as needed). Certificates that fulfil the criteria are accepted from all countries:
Comirnaty; Pfizer-BioNTech
COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna
Vaxzevria; COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca
COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen
Certificates from the the World Health Organization (WHO) (the International Certificate of Vaccination or the Carte Jaune/Yellow Card) is also accepted for vaccines the WHO has validated Opnast í nýjum glugga from all countries. The following is a list of vaccines validated by the WHO (this list is updated as needed):
Tozinameran-COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine (Comirnaty®) Pfizer/BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH.
COVID-19 Vaccine (ChAdOx1-S) AstraZeneca/SK Bio (SK Bioscience Co. Ltd).
COVID-19 (ChAdOx1-S) Vaccine AstraZeneca (Covishield™ Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd).
COVID-19 Vaccine (Ad26.COV2-S) Janssen-Cilag International NV.
Certificates may be in paper or electronic format. Border control will evaluate whether a certificate is valid and will consult a representative of the Chief Epidemiologist (health care worker) as needed. The final decision of whether a certificate is valid is at the discretion of the Chief Epidemiologist. If a passenger presents a document that is deemed invalid, i.e. if any of the necessary requirements are missing, the passenger must, as other arrival passengers, undergo double testing with quarantine in between tests and stay in a designed quarantine facility if applicable.

A vaccine certificate is required to include the following:

Be in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English or French

Remainder =======
A vaccine certificate is required to include the following:

Be in Icelandic, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, English or French. A document in another language can be valid if the original document accompanied by a certified stamped translation in one of the languages required.
First name and last name (as in travel documents).
Date of birth.
Name of disease vaccinated against (COVID-19)
Where and when vaccination(s) was/were performed (date(s)).
Vaccination must be complete; see below the required doses for full vaccination for each vaccine.
Issuer of the certificate (supervising clinician/administering centre), with signature and stamp if the International Certificate of Vaccination.
Vaccine or vaccines administered.
Manufacturer and batch/lot no. of vaccine for each dose.
Details regarding vaccines authorized by the European Medicines Agency: (Name of vaccine, authorization holder/manufacturer; number and interval between doses for vaccination to be complete)

Comirnaty; COVID-19 mRNA vaccine; Pfizer/BioNTech Manufacturing GmbH; 2 doses at least 19 days apart.
COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna; Moderna Biotech Spain S.L.; 2 doses at least 28 days apart.
Vaxzevria; COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca (ChAdOx1-S); AstraZeneca AB; 2 doses at least 4 weeks apart.
COVID-19 Vaccine Janssen (Ad26.COV2-S); Janssen-Cilag International NV; 1 dose.
If different vaccines are used for the first and second dose, the minimum interval for the first vaccine administered must be observed for the vaccination to be considered complete.
Please note that although these certificates are accepted at the Icelandic border for exemption of border measures on arrival due to COVID-19 the same does not necessarily apply in general in other countries/territories.

Doesn't seem fair to the Swahilis, the Afghans, or the Ethiopians.

Anyway, here's a short version from Icelandair:

Is there arrival testing and quarantine? Yes. If you hold an appropriate certificate, you are required to undergo one COVID-19 test upon arrival. The test is free of charge. You must wait for the result of this test (usually received within 5-6 hours but may take up to 24 hours) at your accommodation. You do not need to quarantine for 5-6 days and take a second test. Note: this testing requirement is temporary and will be reviewed by May 1.

So if your room isn't ready does the hotel place you in a holding cell?

Seems the Points Guy is wrong: You’ll need proof of vaccination or prior infection to show the border agent upon arrival in Iceland and when checking into your hotel. Having these documents also lets you skip the mandatory testing and quarantine imposed on other travelers.

When I got my second dose, I had the pharmacy give me a printout of their records. Besides what's on my CDC card, the printout has the name of the pharmacy, address, my name, DOB, name of vaccine, date of dosage, a bunch of other information and it's signed by the pharmacist. My CDC card has all the other information.

As the printout only filled the top half of the sheet of paper, I photocopied my CDC card onto it so I can present it as one.

Let me know what can't be counterfeited.

Retinal scans and other biometrics. When I was in Iceland years ago, they used retinal scans for guests to access different areas of a gym/ spa that I went to (https://www.worldclass.is/english/). It was pretty cool.
https://findbiometrics.com/icelandic-gym-chain-iris-access-401043/

Agnes, this is a family-friendly website!

Seems the Points Guy is wrong: You’ll need proof of vaccination or prior infection to show the border agent upon arrival in Iceland and when checking into your hotel. Having these documents also lets you skip the mandatory testing and quarantine imposed on other travelers.

I believe the latter part was accurate for a very short period of time. Then the "testing on arrival" for all was implemented.

As of April 9, everyone entering Iceland must take a covid test. (Even if you have a vaccination certificate.) This is scheduled for review by May 1.

https://www.covid.is/categories/travel-to-and-within-iceland

Thanks, Frank II. I wonder how long it takes to get the results and what you're supposed to do in the meantime.

During quarantine, you are allowed to take short walks. So, you could walk around the area of your hotel, look in shop windows. You can make a note of any shop you want to return to later when you can go in.

And don't forget to pre-register with Iceland before your trip.

Of course, all rules are subject to change.

Well, I'd imagine the test results would need to occur soon, or travelers would be faced with an almost comical situation of walking around their hotel late into the night. Nobody is going to do that.

Other travelers have said they got their test results the same evening, but that's still a wasted day that will deter some tourists.

Of course this rule is only in effect through April until being reevaluated, so those looking at summer need not fret.

The tour operator I am working with told me that the average test takes 3-5 hours to be resulted.

Thanks, vandabrud. The situation should be better by summer.

If tourists are faced with quarantine in their hotel rooms for very long, they're going to back out, and Iceland seems to be apprehensive about this possibility. When travelers see "quarantine," no matter how long, they're going to have second thoughts.

It may be in Iceland's best interests to lower the wait time for preregistered tourists to something like 6 hours, so people can make plans beyond being confined to a hotel room, which is the worst thing you could do on arrival day.

We just booked a 7 day Iceland tour with Nordic Visitor and the agent indicated that our CDC vaccination card was acceptable for entry into Iceland.