Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Insurance
time limit on the length of stay in Iceland but
residence and work permits
are required; check
with the Directorate of Immigration (
W
utl.is) and
the Directorate of Labour (
W
vinnumalastofnun.is)
for information. Non-EU nationals must apply for
residence permits before leaving home, and must
be able to prove they can support themselves
without working.
Travel insurance
policies provide a certain level of
cover for medical treatment and loss of personal
items, as well as unforeseen cancellation or curtail-
ment of your journey. Cover for
adventure
activities
such as whitewater-rafting, snow sports
and trekking, usually incurs an extra premium.
Read the small print of prospective policies
carefully; cover can vary wildly for roughly similar
premiums. Also make sure you check the level of
excess
, the amount of each claim that you have to
pay. Note that no vehicle of any kind is insured
against damage incurred whilst crossing a river.
With
medical coverage
, ascertain whether
benefits will be paid as treatment proceeds or only
after return home, and whether there is a 24-hour
medical emergency number. When securing
baggage cover
, make sure that the per-article limit
- typically under £500 equivalent - will cover your
most valuable possession. If you need to
make a
claim
, you should keep receipts for medicines and
medical treatment, and in the event you have
anything stolen, you must obtain an o
cial
statement from the police.
Mail
Post o
ces
are located in all major communities
and are open from 9am until 4.30pm Monday to
Friday, though a few in Reykjavík have longer hours.
Domestic
mail
will generally get to the nearest
post o
ce within two working days, though a
recipient living out on a farm might not collect it so
quickly. For
international post
count on three to
five days for mail to reach the UK or US, and a week
to ten days to reach Australia and New Zealand.
Anything up to 50g costs 120kr within Iceland,
175kr to Europe, and 230kr to anywhere else; up to
100g costs 125/300/475kr. International parcels
aren't outrageously expensive - check
W
postur.is
for rates - but not particularly fast; ask at any post
o
ce about Express Mail if you're in a hurry, though
you'll pay far more than for the normal service.
Internet
Iceland is one of the highest per-capita users of the
internet
, with most homes and businesses
connected. Many Reykjavík cafés and some accom-
modation around the country provide free wi-fi for
customers, while public libraries and tourist o
ces
often have terminals with access at around
350-1000kr an hour.
Maps
A range of excellent
maps
of the country, costing
upwards of 1900kr, is available for all types of use -
if you can't find what you want overseas, you'll be
able to pick it up in Reykjavík and Akureyri, or
sometimes from local tourist o
ces and fuel
stations. In addition to the maps detailed below,
Iceland's hiking clubs (see p.40) and national parks
put out a few maps of varying quality for popular
nature reserves and national parks (available from
park o
ces).
Maps are published by
Mál og menning
(
W
forlagid.is) and
Ferðakort
(
W
ferdakort.is). Both
Living in Iceland
European Economic Area nationals may stay in
Iceland longer than three months on condition that
they secure
work
for a further period of at least
three months. Once in employment, there is no
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