Iceland is the most northern and surprisingly picturesque island state of Europe. Glaciers, fjords, geysers, northern lights attract travelers from all over the world. This year, Russian citizens require a visa to Iceland. What is the specifics of this document? How can a failure be prevented?
Briefly about Iceland
Iceland is located in northern Europe north of Great Britain and west of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The country has a high standard of living, a stable economy and developed infrastructure. The industrial sector is also relatively developed here.
This state is not a member of the European Union. An application for EU membership was submitted to the European Commission for consideration in 2009, but still has not received approval. However, this circumstance does not prevent Iceland from being a member of the Schengen zone. The agreement was signed in 1996.
Do Russians need a visa to Iceland
Since Iceland is a Schengen country, a visa is required to visit it. The following categories of travelers are an exception:
- Holders of valid official and diplomatic passports of the Russian Federation, if they are sent on a business trip lasting no more than 90 days for 6 months.
- Holders of valid Schengen visas.
- Persons holding a national D type entry permit of any Schengen country in their passport.
- Owners of a European residence permit.
Also, a visa is not needed for those traveling in transit through Iceland. The maximum visa-free stay is 24 hours.
Existing visa categories
What visa is required for Iceland for Russians? It depends on the purpose of visiting the country.
Today, the country's authorities provide Russian citizens with two types of entry permits - C and D. C allow you to travel around the ice country for up to 90 days in one half-year if the goals of your stay are business, a visit to friends or relatives, sports, scientific, cultural events, study or transit. D are intended for training, work only in Iceland and are valid for exactly 3 months.
Where to go
How to get a visa to Iceland? To do this, you will need to submit an appropriate package of documents to the consular department of the Icelandic Embassy. However, they are not received by the department itself, but by the VFS Global visa centers. Currently they work in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok. Reception hours are from 9am to 4pm. It is important to note that filing an application is not possible without prior appointment.
Visa application procedure
The procedure for obtaining a visa to Iceland for Russians in 2018 is quite simple. First, the applicant collects all the necessary documents and signs up for their submission to one of the visa centers. After that, he makes a visit to this organization, takes fingerprints there and takes a digital photograph. Then he repeatedly comes to the visa center to receive an envelope with a passport, in which an entry permit will be affixed.
Regardless of which visa the applicant needs in Iceland, he must be fingerprinted. They will be stored in a single database for 5 years. However, fingerprinting is not necessary for children under 12 years of age and persons who cannot be fingerprinted.
The consul reserves the right to demand additional papers or call the applicant for an interview.
Key Documents
Here is what you need to prepare from the documents for a visa to Iceland:
- application form of the established form (must be completed and signed in advance);
- 2 color photographs;
- passport for traveling abroad, in which there are 2 or more blank pages, valid for at least 90 days from the date of the planned departure from Iceland;
- Photocopies of all pages of national and foreign identity cards;
- medical insurance of international standard, which will indicate the amount of at least 30 thousand euros;
- financial guarantees;
- round-trip tickets;
- papers confirming the place of planned residence for the period of the trip,
- personal data processing agreement;
- check for paid consular fee.
In addition, depending on what kind of visa to Iceland for the Russians need, additional papers should be provided. But first, let's talk a bit about what photos should be.
Photo Requirements
A visa photo for Iceland must be made in accordance with the following standards:
- The size in width is 3.5 centimeters, and in height - 4.5.
- The longitudinal line from the chin to the crown of the head is 29–34 millimeters.
- The maximum “age” of the image is six months.
- Allow only full face.
- The applicant's eyes are directed directly at the camera lens.
- The face should occupy 70–80% of the total photograph area.
- Image - color, background - light or white, dark, colorful and patterned is unacceptable.
- The presence of glasses and other objects on the face is also unacceptable. The exception is cases when they are required by the applicant for medical reasons.
- Photographs where applicants pose in masks or national headscarves that impede identification will also not be accepted.
Additional papers for a business trip
In this case, you need to prepare a letter, which should contain the following information:
- information about the inviting company;
- full name and personal data of the applicant;
- nature of the business relationship;
- motives for the visit;
- departure and arrival dates;
- travel program;
- financial security issue.
Typically, the organization fully incurs the costs associated with the trip. But otherwise, you need to additionally attach to the application:
- Hotel reservation;
- a bank statement confirming that there is enough money on the account for the trip (at the rate of at least 50 euros per day);
- round-trip tickets.
Instead of an extract from the bank, you can attach a letter from the employer with the position and salary of the applicant. At the same time, the organization must guarantee for him the preservation of the workplace during the trip. If the applicant is an entrepreneur, he must prepare a certificate of registration of the individual entrepreneur or organization, TIN, as well as an extract from the tax service on income for the last 3 months.
Visiting family and friends
To travel for this purpose you will need:
- Invitation letter and application in the established form.
- A copy of the identity card of a relative or friend.
- Certificate from the applicant’s place of work or study.
- Relationship papers (if any).
Study, sport, culture or science. For transit trip
For these purposes of staying in Iceland, only two additional documents will be required - an invitation letter from the organization and a certificate from the employer or educational institution.
If the purpose of the trip is to visit a third country through the territory of Iceland, applicants must prepare:
- permission to enter the country of destination;
- originals and copies of tickets with fixed dates.
Visa for sailors
In this case, the Embassy of Iceland requests the following documents:
- original and photocopy of the sailor's passport;
- invitation letter from a shipping organization;
- ship role with prescribed position;
- round-trip tickets with fixed dates.
If a child travels
The child will additionally need his copies of the birth certificate and the common passports of his parents. Also, if he travels without parents, a notarized power of attorney should be prepared for his departure abroad. In this case, filling out the questionnaire, collecting papers is exclusively his parents.
D visa
Entry permits of this category are issued only for further registration of a residence permit in Iceland for study or work.
For employment, the basic set of documents is supplemented by a contract with the organization, and for study - papers on enrollment and payment of the course.
How long is a visa issued?
A visa to Iceland for transit gives its holder the right to a five-day stay in the Land of Ice during each entry. Usually, other categories of entry permits are issued for the number of days indicated on the applicant’s application form. However, immigration authorities often make a 15-day “corridor” for travelers, that is, the visa validity period is extended by this period. Issuing multiple permits is a very rare occurrence, but you can stay in Iceland and all Schengen states for no more than 90 days in a 180-day period. Type D visas are valid for over 90 days.
How long is the application considered
As a rule, documents are considered within one to two weeks. But this period may be delayed due to the fact that the filing was carried out in the regions of the Russian Federation, since the transfer of securities takes a certain time. It is also possible to increase the processing time of an application due to a request for additional documentation or the need for a personal conversation.
Issue price
For the visa to Iceland, a consular fee is provided for Russians . Its size is 35 euros. It is payable at the time of filing. Moreover, the fee is paid not in European currency, but in Russian rubles at the current rate of the Central Bank. Visa centers also charge a service fee of 2133 rubles. If the documents are submitted not in Moscow, but in another city, you must pay an additional 450 rubles for sending them to the capital.
The Embassy of Iceland does not charge fees for issuing an entry permit from the following categories of applicants:
- children under 6 years of age;
- close relatives of Russians who legally live in the country;
- members of official delegations;
- members of state governments and parliamentarians;
- students, interns, teachers, the purpose of the visit of which is to undergo training;
- persons with disabilities and their accompanying persons;
- foreigners going to be treated, visit a sick relative or attend a funeral;
- Athletes, their trainers;
- participants of international organizations, competitions.
Why may they refuse
A visa to Iceland is not always issued for Russians. There are a number of circumstances that serve as a reason for refusal, namely:
- falsification of securities;
- insufficient amount of funds to ensure the trip;
- committing an offense during past foreign visits;
- violation of the visa regime of the Schengen zone;
- lack of medical insurance in a set of documents;
- criminal record of the applicant.
If a negative decision is made regarding the applicant, a special stamp is placed in his passport, which has a rectangular shape. Inside the stamp will be affixed two characters - a letter and a number. The letter indicates the type of visa (C or D), and the number indicates the circumstances of the refusal. Consider the refusal codes using type C visas as an example:
- C1 - a ban on obtaining entry permits from 3 to 12 months, you can apply again.
- C2 - a ban of up to 12 months due to the inaccuracy of the information provided or an incomplete set of documents.
- C3 - A visit to the embassy is required.
- C4 - an indefinite ban on staying in the Schengen area.
What to do when rejected
First you need to find out the circumstances in which a negative response was received. Usually, the reason is indicated on the sheet, which is issued together with the passport in one envelope.
Further, the applicant must decide whether he will submit the documents a second time or appeal. Appeals may be made at visa application centers. Moreover, it is more expedient to challenge the decision of the embassy when the applicant is confident that he can prove the accuracy of the trip information.
How to avoid failure
There are several useful recommendations that can be kept to a minimum to deny a visa to Iceland.
If you are denied, try asking the Visa Application Officer why and when you can appeal. A clear answer is unlikely to be given, but you can get advice on what other papers can be conveyed.
In order not to receive refusals, do not violate existing rules. Fines should be paid on time. If a visa was issued by a certain Schengen state, then it is necessary to make a trip to this country.
Do Russian citizens need a visa to Iceland? Definitely yes! You need to apply to the visa centers of this state on the territory of the Russian Federation. To avoid refusal, it is important to carefully read all the requirements for visa applications on the website of the Embassy of Iceland, collect all the necessary papers and indicate reliable information in the application form.