Transfer visa if I have a 2 hour layover in Reykjavik heading to Ireland

Question

I'm an American. Do I need a transit visa for a 2 hour layover in Reykjavik heading to Ireland?

Answer 1

No, US citizens don't need a visa to transit via Iceland or any other country of the Schengen Area, and you can even stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

See Visa Policy of the Schengen Area for details.

Answer 2

Right now, assuming you are a US citizen you don't need a Visa or other advance authorisation to visit or transit through the Schengen area.

The EU is planning to introduce a scheme called ETIAS, similar to the ESTA in the USA and the ETA in Canada and the UK. When this system comes fully into force, then americans will have to apply for one before making a Visit to, or a landside transit in the Schengen area. According to the official FAQ it will not be needed for airside transits between two external flights.

This scheme has been delayed many times, and it is not clear when it will come into force. The official website simply says "ETIAS is currently not in operation and will not start in the first half of 2025. No action is required from travellers at this point. The European Union will inform about the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch."

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en

https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias/faqs-etias_en

A recent news article linked from the official ETIAS site states that even after ETIAS goes into operation there will be a "transition period" of at least six months, during which ETIAS will not be mandatory, followed by a "grace period" of at least 6 months when travellers will be allowed a single entry without ETIAS.

So if you are travelling this year, it appears you will not need to apply for anything. If you are travelling later on a through ticket you also almost certainly don't need to apply for anything.

If you are travelling further in the future and are "self-connecting" on two different tickets or if you will have more than one layover in the Schengen area you would be well-advised to keep updated on the situation.

Why do multiple layovers matter? Well a flight between two Schengen airports is an "internal" flight, so you will not be able to reach it without entering the Schengen area.

Why does self-connecting matter? There are serveral reasons that attempting a self-connection in a country that you do not have permission to enter is problematic.

1. Some airlines have been known to deny boarding to passengers who can't enter the destination country on their ticket, even if they have another ticket out again from the same terminal.
2. Baggage claim and baggage drop is usually "landside" of immigation. So if you need to claim and re-check baggage you will almost certainly need to transit landside.
3. When things go wrong in a self-connection the airline has no obligation to help you out, being stuck in an airport with no permission to enter the country is not a good situation.