Iceland to Begin Handling Schengen Visa Applications in Canada Starting February 10

The Iceland government has announced that starting February 10, 2025, the country will begin accepting Schengen visa applications directly in Canada.

So far, Denmark represented Iceland in Canada, meaning that applications for Schengen visas needed to be made via the Danish embassy. However, in line with the new changes, this will not be the case anymore from the beginning of next week, Schengen.News report.

As the government explains, applications for Iceland Schengen visas can be submitted at the VFS Global locations in Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa. 

Once the applications are submitted to these locations in Canada, they will then be sent to the Embassy of Iceland in Washington DC. the latter embassy will process the applications and then the decision will be sent back to VFS and be ready for pickup.

This decision will have a great impact on foreign nationals residing in Canada who need a Schengen visa in order to be permitted entry into the Schengen Area. 

On the other hand, the decision will not affect Canadian passport holders who plan on staying in the bloc for up to 90 days within any 180-day period as they are permitted visa-free entry for short stays.

Canadian Residents Filed Over 35,000 Schengen Visa Applications in 2023 
According to statistics published by SchengenVisaInfo, Canadian residents who need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen Area filed a total of 35,087 applications in 2023. 

Of the total number of applicants, 32,416 of them were granted a Schengen visa. On the other hand, 1,854 of them had their visa applications rejected. 

The top three Schengen member states that received the highest number of visa applications by Canadian residents in 2023 are France, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. These three countries received 11,260, 4,619, and 4,418 Schengen visa applications, respectively. 

In contrast, Malta, Latvia and Slovakia recorded the lowest number of applications by Canadian residents in 2023. Malta received only eight Schengen visa applications, Latvia received 20 applications and Slovakia received 40 visa applications.

Source: https://schengen.news/iceland-to-begin-handling-schengen-visa-applications-in-canada-starting-february-10/