Motorhomes and campervans are currently living their minutes of fame. Most travelers that are planning to come to Iceland want more and more information about them. We cannot blame them, we totally understand this is an inexpensive and flexible way of travel. Truth is, many of those visitors come from foreign countries with different rules. If you want to know what it is like motorhome driving in Iceland and the permits required, then you are in the right place!
We understand that coming from so many different countries mean a lot of different rules, permits and type of licenses. In this case, we will try our best to let you know how it works in Iceland so you can get an idea about your license being eligible. Keep in mind that in case of doubt or not having it clear, the best way to get precise information is by contacting your homeland traffic authorities.
Permits
EU members:
Iceland is not a full member of the European Union but it is heavily integrated. This means that certain policies and legislation is kind of common. This also applies for driver’s licenses:
In this case, you do not need an international driver’s License. For motorhome driving in Iceland you just need to hold a B type license and have more than a year of experience. Your license must be valid while in Iceland, this mean it cannot be expired.
Non EU Members:
In Iceland, to drive a motorhome you need to have a license corresponding to the European B License. In Europe, driving permits are categorized with letters depending on the authorization you hold for a certain vehicle: tourism, trucks, ambulances, heavy trucks…and so on.
What is a “B” permit? Well it is a license that allows you to drive a passenger car with a maximum authorized mass not exceeding 3.500 kg. So you need to find the equivalent to the European B license in your country.
It is also important to keep some things in mind when motorhome driving in Iceland. In Europe, you need to be at least 18 years old to drive a passenger car. You are considered a novel driver until you get one year of experience. They check this information using the issue date on the license so yours should have it as well. Most rental companies have a minimum age for their rental and basically none of them accept novel drivers.
So for travelers coming from countries with a lower age range but with enough driving experience, be sure to check with your rental company prior booking. This way you will get to know if you are eligible for motorhome driving in Iceland.
Motorhome Driving in Iceland: Permits and Licenses
Another important point is the language. Most international driver’s licenses comes in many languages so anyone can understand the information and data on the permit. Some countries have their licenses in their original language but also have the English translation or in Latin alphabet right by it. This is the case of the Russian licenses have both the Cyrillic and Latin alphabet. This also happens in some Asian countries. In case your license is not translated or written in Latin alphabet as well, I am afraid you will need an international driver’s license.