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Transit through Iceland to Zurich

Hello everyone, I am heading to Switzerland from August 4-16 and am excited to see what Switzerland has to offer! My flights are with Iceland Air and I just saw that Iceland has rules coming into effect July 27th that say that even if you are vaccinated you must have a negative test to enter the country.

I saw a similar thread to this about travel through London however, I was wondering if anyone knows what the rules are traveling through Iceland are? This website ( https://www.covid.is/sub-categories/connecting-passengers ) makes it sound as though passengers connecting through Iceland are not required to have a negative test, however Icelandair says on their website that there will be checks for covid tests before taking off.

I called Iceland Air and that was no help....

Posted by
8261 posts

While I can’t speak to COVID poilicy, I can speak to the layout of the airport there before COVID. People who are transferring generally just walk from one gate to the next without going through immigration to enter Iceland. When headed to the UK, there was a passport check upon transfer, but there was no “being admitted” to Iceland.

If this is a source of stress to you, maybe get a COVID test to have just in case.

Posted by
31 posts

After further research, it sounds like there is no need for a negative test in Iceland at the moment.

"Connecting passengers who do not go beyond the respective border-crossing point neither have to quarantine nor undergo testing. Connecting passengers who go beyond the border-crossing but stay in Iceland for less than 48 hours are allowed to quarantine instead of undergoing a test according to this provision."

Posted by
4324 posts

Most airports incorporate the concept of transit passengers who never technically enter the country and are just "passing through."

However, you must confirm this with the proper authorities from Iceland AND Iceland Air. If you can't get answers on the intergoogles, call US offices of same. This is really important to know before you begin your journey.

Posted by
6178 posts

People who are transferring generally just walk from one gate to the
next without going through immigration to enter Iceland. When headed
to the UK, there was a passport check upon transfer, but there was no
“being admitted” to Iceland.

Iceland is part of the Schengen area so those travelling to other Schengen countries (such as Switzerland) go through immigration when they arrive in Reykjavik. Those travelling to the UK do not.

Posted by
26 posts

@dylan.hamilton.19 I hope you have an excellent and easy journey!

Please let us know how things went! I'm also flying Icelandair to Zurich and would love to know if you really needed the test.

Posted by
31 posts

Hey there everyone! So you do need a negative covid test to transit through Iceland. Antigen or PCR in the last 72hrs works for what theyre looking for. Im going to make a post about this “expierence” im having with Iceland Air however.