Iceland may now be the end of the rainbow for eager travellers who can provide proof of vaccination or previous infection to avoid border testing and quarantine protocols to enter the country. Notably, the new exemption policy, which went into effect March 18, includes citizens from non-Schengen countries, including Canada.

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 and meets Icelandic regulations. Certificates from the World Health Organization are also accepted for vaccines the WHO has validated.

The exemption also applies to those who can provide valid proof of prior infection in accordance with the requirements defined by Iceland’s Chief Epidemiologist.

Non-vaccinated visitors are still required to provide a negative PCR test result upon arrival and undergo another mandatory PCR test at the border followed by a five-day quarantine and a second in-country test.

“The world has been through a lot in the past 12 months, and we are all hoping for a slow and safe return to normalcy. This also includes the resumption of the opportunity to travel, which is valuable to culture, trade, and enterprise. The decision to apply border exemptions for vaccinated individuals to countries outside the EU/EEA area is a logical extension of our current policy,” said Iceland’s president Katrín Jakobsdóttir.

Iceland has maintained a policy of exempting EU/EEA citizens with prior infection, as well as those who are fully vaccinated, from all border measures.

Chief epidemiologist Thórólfur Gudnason added, “Our experience and data so far indicate very strongly that there is very little risk of infection stemming from individuals who have acquired immunity against the disease, either by vaccination or by prior infection. When people are protected against the same disease, with the same vaccines that are produced by the same companies, there is no medical reason to discriminate on the basis of the location where the jab is administered. Our experience shows that the risk of infection from vaccinated individuals is very small or negligible.”

Iceland has also announced that as of May 1 it will use the ECDC risk assessment colour code at the border. From that time travellers from low-risk areas (green and yellow) will be exempt from quarantine measures if they present a negative PCR result at the border.

Iceland reports that currently 30 individuals are in isolation with an infection and 24 are in quarantine due to suspected exposure. No one is hospitalized due to COVID-19.

Other countries that will admit vaccinated travellers without testing include Belize, Estonia, Georgia and Poland.