An American woman who had been staying at the Keflavik International Airport Terminal for seven days was evicted on Saturday night by local police. According to the website of the South-Western Police district the employees at a convenience store at the terminal grew suspicious of a woman who had shopped daily at the store for some time, each time buying just a bottle of Coca-Cola and a single banana.
When interviewed by the police the woman admitted that she had been staying at the airport for seven days. She was then informed that she could not continue to live at the terminal, “since it is not intended for permanent residence”, as the police put it.
According to the police, the woman was carrying an American passport.
The Police informed the woman she had to leave the country since she had stayed too long in the Schengen-Area. Without a Visa, US citizens can only stay for 90 days in the Schengen area within any 180-day period. Although Iceland is not an EU member it is a member of the Schengen-agreement which abolishes internal border control between the 26 European member countries.
Despite being instructed she had to leave Iceland, and the Schengen-area, the woman refused to return to the US. However, after negotiations with the police she agreed to take the next flight to Edinburgh in Scotland. The UK is not a member of the Schengen area.
We at Iceland Insider want to urge tourists who wish to stay in Iceland or the Schengen-area for more than 90 days to apply for a proper travel visa. Although Keflavik Airport is quite nice, we can assure you there are other more fun things to do in Iceland! Also: being evicted by the police from an Airport is hardly the high point of a European vacation.
For information on how to apply for a Schengen visa for Iceland can be found at the website of the Directorate of Immigration.
An American woman who had been staying at the Keflavik International Airport Terminal for seven days was evicted on Saturday night by local police. According to the website of the South-Western Police district the employees at a convenience store at the terminal grew suspicious of a woman who had shopped daily at the store for some time, each time buying just a bottle of Coca-Cola and a single banana.
When interviewed by the police the woman admitted that she had been staying at the airport for seven days. She was then informed that she could not continue to live at the terminal, “since it is not intended for permanent residence”, as the police put it.
According to the police, the woman was carrying an American passport.
The Police informed the woman she had to leave the country since she had stayed too long in the Schengen-Area. Without a Visa, US citizens can only stay for 90 days in the Schengen area within any 180-day period. Although Iceland is not an EU member it is a member of the Schengen-agreement which abolishes internal border control between the 26 European member countries.
Despite being instructed she had to leave Iceland, and the Schengen-area, the woman refused to return to the US. However, after negotiations with the police she agreed to take the next flight to Edinburgh in Scotland. The UK is not a member of the Schengen area.
We at Iceland Insider want to urge tourists who wish to stay in Iceland or the Schengen-area for more than 90 days to apply for a proper travel visa. Although Keflavik Airport is quite nice, we can assure you there are other more fun things to do in Iceland! Also: being evicted by the police from an Airport is hardly the high point of a European vacation.
For information on how to apply for a Schengen visa for Iceland can be found at the website of the Directorate of Immigration.
