Iceland Visa from Dubai: VFS, AED 390 Fee, Documents and Processing Time

The short answer: Emiratis don't need a visa for Iceland: they can stay up to 90 days in any 180. Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals living in the UAE need a Schengen visa. Iceland has no visa section of its own in the UAE: you apply at VFS Global in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and the Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi decides. The visa fee is AED 390 for adults, plus a VFS service fee of AED 106.95 and a logistics fee of AED 51.33. Processing normally takes 15 days, though VFS says it is currently running up to 45 days because of regional disruption, and the checklist asks for a set daily amount of money rather than a fixed bank statement period.

The Golden Circle, the Blue Lagoon, the waterfalls and black sand beaches of the south coast, and the chance of the northern lights are why most UAE residents go. Iceland isn't an EU member, but it is a full member of the Schengen area, so an Iceland visa also covers the other Schengen countries, as long as Iceland is your main destination.

Iceland visa for UAE residents at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Emirati passport	No visa, up to 90 days in any 180
India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka	Schengen visa before travel
Who decides	The Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi, India
Where to apply	VFS Global, Wafi Mall in Dubai or the World Trade Centre mall in Abu Dhabi
Visa fee	AED 390 adults, AED 195 children aged 6 to 11, free under 6
VFS fees	AED 106.95 service fee plus AED 51.33 logistics fee
Processing	Usually 15 days; VFS says it is currently up to 45 days because of regional disruption
Proof of funds	ISK 8,000 a day if you pay your own way, ISK 4,000 a day if a host covers you

Who needs a visa for Iceland

Whether you need a visa depends on your passport. UAE citizens have been able to visit Iceland and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa since May 2015. They will need the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation once it starts; it hasn't yet, and the EU says it will announce the date several months ahead.

Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals need a Schengen visa, and so do most other nationalities living in the UAE. EU rules say you apply in the country where you legally live, so UAE residents apply in the UAE, not at home.

Apply to Iceland if it is your main destination, where you spend the most nights. Five nights in Reykjavik and the Golden Circle and two on a stopover in Paris is an Icelandic application; the reverse is a French one. See our Schengen visa guide for how the rule works.

Iceland issues Schengen visas directly from only four of its missions: London, New Delhi, Beijing and Washington D.C. Everywhere else, including the UAE, another of its own embassies, or another Schengen state, decides on its behalf. For UAE applicants, Iceland's own government lists the Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi as the deciding mission for both the Dubai and Abu Dhabi VFS centres, and VFS Global's own UAE site for Iceland describes itself as "the official partner of the Embassy of Iceland". Denmark used to decide Iceland visas for UAE residents, but Denmark's current visa page for the UAE no longer lists Iceland alongside Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. If you see older advice naming Denmark as the decision-maker for an Iceland visa in the UAE, treat it as out of date and go by VFS Global's current Iceland-specific pages instead.

How to apply from Dubai or Abu Dhabi

1. Fill in the online application on Iceland's own portal, visa.government.is, choosing "United Arab Emirates" as your country of application and either Dubai or Abu Dhabi as your city. Print and sign the confirmation; you show the confirmation email at your VFS appointment.
2. Download and complete the Schengen application form from the same portal or from VFS, then print and sign it. For a child under 18, the signed parental authorisation is a separate document, not part of this form.
3. Book an appointment on VFS Global's website. Both the Dubai and Abu Dhabi centres take Iceland applications; VFS's Iceland site doesn't publish a rule tying you to the centre in your own emirate, though Abu Dhabi only started accepting Iceland applications on 3 June 2025, so confirm current availability when you book.
4. Attend your appointment at VFS's joint visa centre in Wafi Mall, Dubai (First Floor, Phase 5, Horus, Umm Hurrair 2), or at Level B2 of The Mall, World Trade Centre, Abu Dhabi. You hand in your documents, give fingerprints unless you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months, and pay the fees.
5. Wait for a decision. VFS forwards your file to the Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi, which decides. If VFS marks any document as missing at your appointment, you must email it to the embassy within five calendar days, or the application may be decided, or refused, without it.

VFS Global's news page for Iceland in the UAE said on 9 March 2026 that the Icelandic application centres, which had been suspended, had resumed operations, but that because of ongoing regional unrest, forwarding applications to the embassy can take up to 20 days and overall processing has been extended to up to 45 days; it also warned that passports or documents in transit can be delayed at customs or courier hubs, for which the embassy says it isn't responsible. We couldn't confirm the exact dates or reason for the earlier suspension, so build in extra time and check VFS's Iceland news page before you apply.

Documents

The Embassy of Iceland's checklist for the UAE, used for tourism, business and family visits, asks for:

• The signed Harmonised Schengen application form
• Confirmation of your online application from visa.government.is, shown to VFS as the printed confirmation email
• Passport and a copy, with at least two blank pages, issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after your planned journey
• UAE residence permit valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area; GCC citizens can use a UAE ID card instead
• One recent photo, 3.5 by 4.5cm, on a white background, no older than six months
• Receipt for the visa fee
• Travel medical insurance covering at least EUR 30,000, valid for the whole Schengen area and your entire trip, stating its period of validity
• Return flight reservation or a copy of your ticket
• Proof of accommodation: a hotel booking, proof of rental or ownership, or a host's or inviting company's confirmation that it covers your accommodation
• Proof of sufficient funds (see below)
• A letter from your employer stating your status, position, contract length and salary, or your trade licence if you're self-employed
• Supporting documents for your purpose of visit: a full travel itinerary for tourism, or the papers set out below for a family visit

Visiting family or friends

Your host provides an invitation letter, signed by them, covering the whole period of your intended stay. Iceland publishes an online invitation form and a separate sponsorship, or guarantee, form on island.is, under "get a visa, supporting documents"; your host can use either.

Children

A minor travelling without both parents or their legal guardian needs an original authorisation, signed by the absent parent or guardian in front of a visa officer or notarised, plus copies of both parents' or the guardian's passports.

How much money you need to show

Iceland's checklist for the UAE publishes a daily figure rather than asking for a set period of bank statements: at least ISK 8,000 a day if you're paying your own way, for example staying in a hotel, or ISK 4,000 a day if someone else, such as a host, is covering your costs. You show this with payslips, a valid international credit card and bank statements, or bank statements for the last three months, or with a sponsorship form from whoever is covering your trip.

Fees and processing time

Fee	Amount
Visa fee, adults	AED 390
Visa fee, children aged 6 to 11	AED 195
Visa fee, children under 6	Free
VFS service fee, per applicant	AED 106.95
VFS logistics fee, per application	AED 51.33
Total for one adult	AED 548.28

These are the EUR 90 visa fee, EUR 45 children's fee, EUR 25 VFS service fee and EUR 12 logistics fee converted to dirhams on VFS Global's own Iceland page for the UAE. VFS says all fees are non-refundable and may change without notice. A decision is normally due within 15 days, extendable to 45 in individual cases under the EU's common rules. VFS's own Iceland page for the UAE says that, because of regional unrest, forwarding an application can take up to 20 days and overall processing up to 45 days. You can apply up to six months before you travel and no later than 15 days before, so build the extended processing time into your plans, especially around the northern lights season.

If you're refused and the Embassy of Iceland made the decision, Iceland's own appeal route applies: email appeals@mfa.is within 30 days of being notified, with a written statement in Icelandic giving your ISL reference number, full name, nationality and the refusal date, and pay an appeal fee of EUR 300 by bank transfer to Iceland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Iceland's Visa Appeals Board decides based on the file as it stood when the original decision was made, so no new documents are considered.

At the border

Since April 2026, Iceland and every other Schengen country register non-EU visitors in the EU's Entry/Exit System. On your first trip since it started, you give fingerprints and a photo at passport control instead of getting a stamp.

Flights from the UAE

We couldn't confirm a nonstop flight between the UAE and Iceland. Emirates sells seats, under its own flight numbers, on Icelandair-operated flights that connect Keflavík with several of the European cities Emirates itself flies to, among them Frankfurt, Prague, Nice and Geneva, so a one-stop itinerary on a single ticket is possible without separately booking Icelandair. From Abu Dhabi or Sharjah, you connect through Dubai or a European hub.

Flights between the UAE and Europe were disrupted for much of 2026, so check your routing and connection times with the airline before you book, and make sure the reservation you submit matches your application dates.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for an Iceland visa in Dubai?

At VFS Global's joint visa centre in Wafi Mall, Dubai, or the one in the World Trade Centre mall, Abu Dhabi. VFS forwards your application to the Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi, India, which decides.

Does Denmark decide Iceland visa applications in the UAE?

Not currently. Denmark used to decide Iceland visas for UAE residents, but Denmark's current visa page for the UAE no longer lists Iceland, and Iceland's government and VFS Global's Iceland site for the UAE both point to the Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi instead. Confirm this on VFS's current Iceland pages before you apply.

How much is the Iceland visa fee in Dubai?

AED 390 for adults and AED 195 for children aged 6 to 11, plus a VFS service fee of AED 106.95 and a logistics fee of AED 51.33: AED 548.28 for one adult. Children under 6 pay no visa fee.

How long does an Iceland visa take from Dubai?

Usually 15 days under the EU's common rules. VFS Global's Iceland page for the UAE currently says processing is extended to up to 45 days because of regional unrest, so apply as early as the six-month window allows.

How much money do I need to show for an Iceland visa?

Iceland asks for at least ISK 8,000 a day if you're covering your own costs, such as a hotel stay, or ISK 4,000 a day if a host or sponsor is covering them, shown through payslips, a credit card, bank statements or a sponsorship form.

Do Emiratis need a visa for Iceland?

No. UAE citizens can visit Iceland without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180. They will need an ETIAS travel authorisation once the EU starts it.

Planning a trip to Iceland

Three or four days covers Reykjavik and the Golden Circle, Þingvellir, Geysir and Gullfoss, with a stop at the Blue Lagoon. A week lets you follow the south coast to the Skógafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls, the black sand beach at Reynisfjara, and the glacier lagoon at Jökulsárlón. The northern lights are best seen away from Reykjavik on a clear, dark night, roughly between September and April. Highland and mountain roads close in winter, so check conditions before you drive. See our Schengen visa services for help preparing your Iceland application, browse holiday packages, or talk to us about flights and hotels.

Related guides

• Schengen visa for UAE residents
• Denmark visa from Dubai
• Norway visa from Dubai
• Finland visa from Dubai

Last checked 9 October 2026 against the Embassy of Iceland's visa.government.is application portal and island.is pages on where to apply, supporting documents and visa refusal appeals, VFS Global's Iceland pages and one-pager fee and document checklist for the UAE, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Schengen visa page for the UAE, the EU Visa Code and fee regulation, the European Commission's ETIAS page, eu-LISA on the Entry/Exit System, and airline route data. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with VFS Global or the Embassy of Iceland in New Delhi before you apply.