Before travelling abroad, it is important to make sure you have the necessary documentation to avoid unpleasant surprises or delays at the border. Below you will find information about passport, Schengen visa, EES and ETIAS requirements that apply when travelling to the Nordics and Baltics.
On arrival in one of the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland) or Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), you must show a valid passport or other official document that establishes your identity and nationality. Your passport must be valid for at least three months after your planned departure date from the Schengen area.
For some nationals, a Schengen visa is required to visit the above countries (see exception for Svalbard and the Faroe Islands).
Please find further information below about ETIAS.
The Schengen area is an area of 29 member countries in Europe that have standardised their visa requirements and border control. All destinations offered by Authentic Scandinavia, with the exception of Svalbard and the Faroe Islands, are part of the Schengen area.
Read more about the Schengen area.
Whether you need a visa to enter the Schengen area depends on your nationality. You can check if your country requires a visa by visiting The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration.
You will find some useful information about applying for a Schengen visa here.
For full details about visa application requirements specific to your home country, please visit the nearest Norwegian, Swedish, Danish or other relevant embassy or consulate, or check their official website.
If you will be visiting several countries, you should apply for the visa in the country where you will be staying the longest.
Although Svalbard is part of Norway, it is not part of the Schengen area. Svalbard itself is a visa-free zone, but if you need a visa for the Schengen area, you must have a multiple-entry (two or more) Schengen visa to return to Norway/Schengen from Svalbard. This is because most travel to Svalbard is via mainland Norway, and Norway is part of the Schengen area. Those travelling from Norway must undergo a passport check before entering Svalbard.
Even though the Faroe Islands are part of Denmark, it is not part of the Schengen area. This means that for some nationals, a visa specifically for the Faroe Islands is required.
Nationals from the EU and Schengen countries do not need a visa as long as they are citizens of these countries (it is not sufficient to be a foreign resident).
The nationals that require a visa to the Faroe Islands are the same as those that require a Schengen visa. For more information, please visit the Danish Immigration Service.
To apply for a visa to the Faroe Islands you must reach out to the Danish embassy or consulate in your country of residence.
Because the Faroe Islands are not part of the Schengen Area, your visa must explicitly state that it is valid for the Faroe Islands.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide a visa invitation letter. After booking your tour online through our website, you can present the written tour confirmation together with the receipt for the full payment (which you can print out directly from your My Booking page) as part of your visa application.
The Entry/Exit System (EES) is an automated, mandatory registration process for non-EU nationals travelling for a short stay (up to 90 days within a 180-day period). Non-EU nationals are travellers who are not citizens of a European Union member state or of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland.
Non-EU nationals arriving at the border of a Schengen country will have their photo taken and fingerprints scanned to be registered in the system. EES does not incur any costs for the traveller.
For more information about EES, please visit the European Union’s website.
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be implemented in the last quarter of 2026. No action is required from travellers until then. The European Union will announce the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch.
Once ETIAS is implemented, travellers from visa-exempt countries must apply for ETIAS authorisation before visiting any of the Schengen countries. The application process will be quick and straightforward, with authorisation valid for up to three years.