How much is travel insurance to Iceland?
Travel insurance to Iceland for an Ontario traveller costs a modest daily rate set by your age, trip length, coverage amount and health. Iceland is expensive, much of it is remote, and rescue can be costly, while OHIP pays almost nothing abroad — so emergency medical coverage, often with an activity add-on, is essential.
Key takeaways
- Much of Iceland is remote, so search-and-rescue and transfers can be costly.
- Age, trip length, coverage amount and health drive the premium.
- Add Sports & Activities coverage for glacier hikes, snowmobiling or diving.
- OHIP covers little or nothing abroad and never pays up front.
Iceland packs glaciers, volcanoes, waterfalls and the Ring Road into one trip, and most of the appeal is outdoors and away from towns. That is exactly why coverage deserves a closer look than for a typical European city break.
Why Iceland is different
Two things stand out. First, Iceland is an expensive country across the board, and medical care is no exception. Second, much of the island is genuinely remote — a problem on a highland F-road, a glacier or a far stretch of the Ring Road can mean a long overland transfer or an air-assisted rescue to reach the main hospital in Reykjavík. That transport is where costs escalate. A medically supervised repatriation to Canada, if ever needed, is larger still. The sensible response is a high coverage limit and the right activity coverage, not the thinnest plan.
What drives the premium
Your premium depends on four things: your age, the length of the trip, the coverage amount you choose, and your health, including any pre-existing conditions. A healthy traveller on a one- or two-week trip pays only a small daily rate. Older travellers, longer stays and higher limits cost more.
Activities to flag
This matters more in Iceland than in most places. Glacier hiking, ice climbing, snowmobiling, lava-cave exploring, and diving or snorkelling at Silfra are common and are the kinds of activities a basic plan may restrict. Our optional Sports & Activities coverage can extend protection to many of them. Confirm your specific plans before you go, since the whole point of an Iceland trip is often the adventure itself.
The OHIP gap
OHIP covers almost nothing outside Canada and never pays a foreign hospital up front. Ontario ended most out-of-country medical coverage in 2020, so any reimbursement is a small fraction of an Icelandic bill. Emergency medical travel insurance fills the gap, and our 24/7 assistance can coordinate directly with hospitals and rescue services.
Keeping the cost reasonable
Match the policy to your exact dates, choose a comfortable deductible, and compare a Multi-Trip Annual plan if you travel more than once or twice a year. Don’t trim the coverage amount to save a little — in a remote country, the large, unlikely bill is precisely what you are insuring.
Declaring activities and your health
In Iceland the activity declaration is the heart of the policy. Buy the coverage before you leave Canada, and make sure the specific excursions you’ve booked — glacier hike, ice climb, snowmobile tour, Silfra dive — are included, because an injury doing an excluded activity may not be paid. Separately, if you manage an ongoing condition, coverage generally depends on it being stable for a set period before departure. There’s no age limit and no medical questions under 60; travellers 60 and over complete a Medical Questionnaire that sets the premium, not eligibility.
Worldwide vs Excl-USA
A trip to Iceland that doesn’t touch the United States can often use our less expensive Excl-USA emergency medical option. Check your routing, though — some Iceland flights connect through a US airport, in which case Worldwide coverage protects that leg. For a direct or Europe-only itinerary, Excl-USA is usually the better value.
Get a quote for your exact age and dates, and be sure to add activity coverage if glacier or adventure excursions are on the itinerary.
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- 1 week abroad · age 45under $80 total
- 2 weeks abroad · age 65under $400 total
- 1 month abroad · age 55under $350 total
- 1 month visit · age 60under $230 total
- 3 months visit · age 65under $825 total
- 6 months visit · age 70under $2,200 total
- Parent age 60under $2,400 / yr
- Parent age 65under $2,900 / yr
- Parent age 70under $3,800 / yr
- 1 month · age 20under $350 total
- One semester · age 22under $1,350 total
- Full year · age 25under $4,000 total
⚠️ Buy before you leave — emergency medical can’t be purchased once your trip has started.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need special coverage for Icelandic adventure activities?
Often yes. Glacier hiking, snowmobiling, ice climbing and diving can be limited by basic plans. Our optional Sports & Activities coverage can extend protection to many of them — confirm your specific activity first.
Why is Iceland considered costly for medical care?
Iceland is an expensive country generally, and much of it is remote. A medical event on a highland road or glacier may require a long or air-assisted transfer, which adds significant cost.
Does OHIP cover me in Iceland?
Almost not at all. Ontario ended most out-of-country coverage in 2020 and never pays foreign hospitals directly, so you would pay yourself and recover only a token amount.
TripCovered is a licensed insurance referral service operating in Ontario. Insurance is administered by North American Air Travel Insurance Agents Ltd., doing business as TuGo®, a licensed insurance broker in all provinces and territories. The issuer of the contract is Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. and Industrial Alliance Pacific General Insurance Corporation. Coverage is subject to the terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of the policy. This website provides general information only and is not a contract of insurance. Always read your policy wording before you travel.