Health, vaccinations and medical care in Iceland

Iceland is one of the healthiest places you can arrive in - the risk is the bill, not the bugs.

• No vaccinations are required or recommended beyond routine ones. There is no malaria, no dengue and effectively no mosquito problem.
• Tap water is unchlorinated groundwater and is safe everywhere. Hot water smells faintly of sulphur because it is geothermal; that is normal and harmless.
• Hospitals: Landspitali University Hospital in Reykjavik is the national emergency and referral centre. Regional towns have primary care clinics (heilsugaeslustod).
• Costs are high for non-EEA visitors and are not waived in an emergency. Travel health insurance is mandatory for Schengen visa applicants and strongly advisable for everyone else. EU and EEA visitors should carry an EHIC, which covers necessary state treatment.
• Pharmacies only. Paracetamol, ibuprofen and decongestants are sold exclusively in licensed pharmacies - Lyfja and Lyf og heilsa - and not in supermarkets or petrol stations. Bring what you normally use.

Bringing your own medication

• Prescription medicines for personal use are allowed up to a 100-day supply, and you may be asked for a doctor's letter proving you need them.
• Anabolic steroids and peptide hormones are capped at a 30-day supply.
• Controlled and narcotic medicines need an import authorisation or a Schengen Article 75 certificate.
• Medicinal cannabis and many CBD products are illegal to import without an explicit permit from the Icelandic Medicines Agency.
• Do not have medication posted to you from outside the EEA - it is prohibited and will be seized.