Do Bahraini passport holders need a visa for Iceland?
By Aarush Chopra · Travel Writer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
Yes. Bahraini passport holders need a Schengen visa for Iceland. The common Schengen list records a visa requirement for Bahrain for stays of up to 90 days and for longer ones. Gulf passports are not treated alike here, which is the detail that catches people out.
Quick facts
Visa required- Visa required
- Yes, a Schengen visa
- Short stays up to 90 days
- Visa required
- Stays over 90 days
- A national long-stay visa
- Where you apply
- The state of your main destination
- Visa on arrival
- Not available
- Other Gulf passports
- Treated differently, do not generalise
Entry requirements
- A Bahraini passport meeting the Schengen validity rules.
- A Schengen short-stay visa issued before travel.
- Travel medical insurance meeting the Schengen minimum cover, which is a condition of the visa rather than a recommendation.
- Proof of accommodation, funds and onward or return travel.
- Biometrics, given in person as part of the application.
How to apply
Apply to the state of your main destination. Iceland is often one leg of a longer northern trip, and if most of the time will be spent elsewhere in the area the application belongs to that state instead.
Allow for the appointment and the biometrics. Iceland does not maintain a mission everywhere, so confirm which post or visa centre handles Bahraini applicants before planning around a date.
The visa authorises travel to the border. Entry and the length of stay are decided by the border officer, not by the visa sticker.
Good to know
- The Gulf Cooperation Council is not a visa bloc for Schengen purposes. The United Arab Emirates holds a visa exemption that Bahrain does not, so advice passed between neighbours, or copied from a UAE-focused article, produces the wrong answer for a Bahraini passport.
- Iceland is outside the European Union but inside Schengen, so the visa rules are the common ones even though the EU rules are not. That distinction confuses people who reason from EU membership.
- The 90-day allowance is counted across the whole Schengen area in any 180-day period, so Iceland plus a few days elsewhere draws on one shared count.
- Icelandic winter travel is often booked around a narrow aurora window, which makes the appointment lead time the real constraint. Start the application before committing to dated tours.
Frequently asked questions
Do Bahraini citizens need a visa for Iceland?
Yes. The common Schengen list records a visa requirement for Bahrain for stays of up to 90 days and for longer stays.
Is Bahrain treated like the UAE for Schengen travel?
No. The United Arab Emirates is visa-exempt for short Schengen stays and Bahrain is not, so advice about UAE passports does not transfer.
Is Iceland in the Schengen area?
Yes, although it is not in the European Union. The visa requirement is the common Schengen one.
Where do Bahrainis apply for an Icelandic Schengen visa?
At the post with consular jurisdiction over Bahraini applicants. Iceland does not maintain a mission everywhere, so confirm which embassy or visa centre handles it.
Can the visa be obtained on arrival at Keflavik?
No. There is no visa on arrival, and boarding is refused without the visa.
Related pages
- Do Guyanese citizens need a visa for Greece?
- Do Ghanaian citizens need a visa for Portugal?
- Do Eritrean citizens need a visa for Switzerland?
- Check visa requirements for any passport
Other passports for Iceland
- Trinidad and Tobago passport holders visiting Iceland
- Bosnia and Herzegovina passport holders visiting Iceland
- India passport holders visiting Iceland
- United States passport holders visiting Iceland
- Mexico passport holders visiting Iceland
- Philippines passport holders visiting Iceland
Other destinations for Bahrain passport holders
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Annex CH-1 list 1, which records the common Schengen position by nationality: Bahrain is marked "Yes" for a visa for stays of up to 90 days and "Yes" for stays of more than 90 days. Read 2026-09-08. https://www.sem.admin.ch/dam/sem/en/data/rechtsgrundlagen/weisungen/visa/bfm/bfm-anh01-liste1-e.pdf.download.pdf/bfm-anh01-liste1-e.pdf
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
