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Iceland travel insurance

Iceland travel insurance

Traveling to Iceland is a dream for many adventurers, offering stunning landscapes, from glaciers and volcanoes to geothermal hot springs and the magical Northern Lights. Whether you're planning to hike through volcanic terrain, drive along icy roads, or simply explore the cultural heart of Reykjavík, there's something for everyone in Iceland.

If you're ready to start comparing quotes, just select "get a quote". If not, you can read on to find out more about what wonders Iceland has to offer!

Alvaro Iturmendi - Confused.com travel insurance expert

Reviewed by Alvaro Iturmendi Travel insurance expert 8 min read | Published 06/09/2024

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Important information

All insurance products exclude cover for known events. These are global events that can be dangerous and/or disrupt travel arrangements. An example of this is the Covid-19 pandemic. This exclusion is valid if the event was declared a ‘known event’ when you bought your travel insurance.

If you travel against Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice, you won’t be covered by any travel insurance you buy. The same applies if you fail to meet the destination’s entry requirements.

There are 32 active volcanoes in Iceland, on average there's an eruption every 5 years. A series of recent eruptions has occured on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland - further volcanic activity is expected*.

It's vital you check your travel insurance documents before travelling, typically a standard policy does not cover natural disasters like volcanoes. Volcanic activity is common in Iceland, so there's a heightened risk of travel disruption. You could consider extra cover that can protect you from flight delays and cancellations, for example.

*Correct as of September 2024

Do I need travel insurance to travel to Iceland?

It isn't a legal requirement, but it's always a good idea to consider travel insurance for Iceland. Having a policy can cover medical treatment, baggage, and cancellation if you need to cancel your trip due to medical reasons, for example.

As Iceland has a fair few volcanoes, it might be worth looking for extra cover to cover natural disasters. A standard policy won't protect you from natural disasters such as a volcanic eruption - so you can't claim for volcanic ash grounding your flight.

Choose the right type of policy for your trip to Iceland

Single-trip travel insurance

If your only trip abroad this year is Iceland, single-trip travel insurance could be the policy for you. It'll cover you for one trip only, but might be more cost effective if you're only going away once.

Annual multi-trip insurance

If you have multiple trips planned to Iceland or anywhere else, then annual travel insurance could work best for you. You can go on several trips within 12 months with this type of policy, and it's usually cheaper than multiple single trip policies.

Backpackers travel insurance

Planning a trip through multiple countries? Backpackers travel insurance is worth considering. This insurance can cover an individual or a group for one trip lasting up to 18 months.

What our travel insurance expert says

"Iceland is known for its natural beauty and fantastic range of activities you can do, but unexpected events, such as weather-related delays are fairly common. When planning your trip to Iceland, it's important to consider a travel insurance policy that covers medical emergencies, cancellations, or trip interruptions.

"Things to consider as part of your policy are medical coverage and repatration. A lot of Iceland is remote, so if you need an emergency evacuations, it may be expensive. The cost of medical treatment is also high, so having appropriate cover in place through travel insurance could save you a lot of money."

Alvaro Iturmendi Travel insurance expert

What does travel insurance for Iceland cover?

Policies can vary, but here's typically what's covered and not covered on a travel insurance policy for Iceland:

What's covered:

Cancellation cover

If anything happens during your trip, travel insurance can cover the cost of getting home, or finding alternative accommodation. For example, if your hotel suddenly has to close. It can also protect you if a medical condition or bereavement leads to you cancelling your holiday.

Lost luggage

It's not a nice prospect, but travel insurance can cover costs if your belongings are lost, stolen or damaged.

Medical expenses and repatriation

A Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) entitles you to state level medical care if you need it. But further medical treatment or repatriation costs might not be covered by it. That's where your travel insurance can help.

Travel disruption

If something happens to your flight such as staff shortages delaying your flight or cancelling it entirely. Your travel insurance can cover your extra expenses.

What isn't covered?

Natural disasters

Certain travel disruptions are covered. But this isn't the case if a volcano erupts and an ash cloud prevents you from flying to Iceland. Have a look at your policy documents to check which disruptions are covered.

High risk activities

If you're planning activities such as rock climbing, paragliding or any other extreme sport in Iceland, you need to tell your insurer. They might offer you specialist cover, or it might not be covered at all.

Any pre-existing conditions you haven't declared

You have to declare any medical conditions to your insurer. If you don't, you won't be able to claim for any medical care you need for the illness while you're in Iceland. This is something we'll ask you when you get a quote with us.

Travelling against FCDO advice

Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland. If the FCDO advise against travel to certain parts of Iceland and you ignore the advice, you won't be covered for anything that happens to you.

Incidents involving alcohol or drugs

If you injure yourself or lose belongings because you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, your insurance won't cover this.

How much is Iceland travel insurance?

There are a number of different factors that affect the cost of travel insurance. Pre-existing conditions, the type of policy you choose and your destination are taken into account by insurers. But here's a rough indication of what you can expect to pay for travel insurance to Iceland:

Type of policy	Price
Single trip travel insurance	£2.05¹
Annual multi-trip travel insurance	£10.85²
Backpacker travel insurance	£37.98³

¹Cheapest single-trip policy for 3 days in Iceland, 30 year old with no medical conditions. Confused.com data - August 2024.

²Cheapest annual policy covering Europe, 30 year old with no medical conditions. Confused.com data - August 2024.

³Cheapest backpacker policy for 3 months in Europe, 30 year old with no medical conditions. Confused.com data - August 2024.

Medical care in Iceland

Iceland has a universal healthcare system, it's not totally free - but public contributions are capped. You can expect to receive a good standard of treatment in the country.

Crucially, an agreement at the beginning of 2024 now allows UK citizens to use a GHIC in Iceland. You can also use EHICs that haven't expired to get medical care.

Despite this, you might still need to pay for treatment. This is why it's important to consider travel insurance as it can cover additional costs, repatriation to the UK and treatment that is ruled non-urgent.

Travel insurance for activities while in Iceland

Iceland is known for a range of activities including volcano and glacier tours, whale watching, scuba diving and snorkeling and even caving adventures. As you can imagine, some of these activities present a higher risk to insurers, so you'll need to consider buying activity travel insurance to get the right level of cover for your trip.

Renowned for it's natural beauty, Iceland lives up to its reputation as one of the most scenic countries on the planet. We can't blame for you for chasing the northern lights or whale watching!

Do I need a visa to travel to Iceland?

No. As Iceland is a member of the Schengen Area, you don't need a visa to travel as a British national. You're permitted to travel here for 90 days at a time during a 180 day period. However, you may need a visa if you're planning on staying over 90 days.

Check over your passport before you travel, its date of issue must be less than 10 years before the date you arrive. You also need to make sure that from the end of your stay, you require at least 3 months left on your passport before it expires.

If you're ever in doubt about whether your passport is valid, simply use our passport checker tool to see if your passport is in date.

For further information on travelling to Iceland and the entry requirements, visit the FCDO website.

Tips for travelling to Iceland

Driving in Iceland

Iceland may be home to some of the most scenic roads on the planet. But you'll need to pay attention as you drive on the right and overtake on the left around the country. You'll also need:

A full, valid UK driving licence
A certificate of motor insurance
Your V5 registration document or paperwork for car rental hire

A word of warning, the road network in Iceland can become unusable because of heavy snow during the winter months between October and May. In some cases driving is only possible in a 4x4 vehicle.

Currency

The Icelandic króna is the official currency of Iceland. The numeric value of króna is very high in comparison to pound sterling. So it's best to have a vague idea of the conversion rate before travelling to Iceland.

Languages

Icelandic is spoken in the country, as a North Germanic language it shares similar roots to English. Most people speak English, it's taught as a second language in schools throughout Iceland. But you shouldn't assume everyone can speak it, it's always best to learn key Icelandic phrases before you go.

Time difference

Iceland observes Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) all year round. This means that during winter months there is no time difference to the UK. But during British Summer Time (BST), Iceland is an hour behind in comparison to UK time.

Weather and climate

Iceland is a few degrees cooler than the UK at any given point during the year. That said, cool winds and snowfall can cause the temperature to drop further in winter months.

It's worth bringing up sunlight - Iceland can show you both ends of the extreme. In summer months the sun barely hides away with up to 22 hours of daylight. On the other hand, it's not uncommon to have less than 4 hours of daylight in winter months.