Short Answer? Yes, as early as March 26th, 2021 for non-essential travelers, but only under certain circumstances. 

Updated as recently as March 16, 2021, a new travel policy has been put in place by the Government of Iceland that reopens borders for a wider selection of travelers outside the country. Iceland still has it in place that travelers will need to present a negative PCR result at the border (or prior to departure, depending on scenario) but there are exceptions to this requirement. Due to the increase of global access to vaccinations and COVID-19 cases in general, Iceland has deemed it safe for a greater group of tourists to enter the country on two conditions explored below:

Vaccinations

Beyond the lockdowns that were previously in place restricting global travel to the country in general, more recently Iceland only allowed tourists with proof of vaccinations to enter if they were from Schengen (certain European countries) countries.  As of the country's most recent update, any person who has proper paperwork to legally travel internationally and has paperwork with proof/certificates of their COVID-19 vaccinations can enter the country. This applies to any vaccine that has met the requirements and certifications set by the European Medical Agency and fit the requirements put in place by the Chief Epidemiologist of Iceland and Icelandic regulations. Similarly, certificates provided from the World Health Organization are also accepted for vaccines validated by the WHO itself.  Vaccines that are approved include: Comirnaty, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen with others currently still in the testing phase.

Prior Infection

While the main focus of this update from the Icelandic Government concerns vaccinated individuals and having entry to the country, travelers who can show proof of prior infection are also able to now visit Iceland again. Similar to the aforementioned vaccinations situation, this exception was previously only in place for individuals from Schengen countries. As mentioned above, this update has opened that door to all legal travelers with previous COVID-19 infection from around the world.  Chief Epidemiologist Thorolfur Gudnason has even gone as far as stating that "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 this disease, either by vaccination or by prior infection."

Everyone Else

As stated above, for those who do not fit into the categories of either already having been vaccinated or previously contracted COVID-19 (with proof), and are not from the Schengen area, their travel to Iceland is still restricted.  Non-essential travelers can only enter the country with these two exceptions or in very specific, government-determined cases.

So, is Iceland Open to tourists? If you want to visit the Land of Fire and Ice, you need to get your COVID-19 vaccination as soon as possible.  If you're interested in exploring your options for Iceland tours, check out our Iceland Active Adventures and Iceland Northern Lights Tours.