# Visa requirements for EFTA nationals

Visa requirements for EFTA nationals are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states.
Current member states of EFTA are Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.
Member states' citizens enjoy freedom of movement in each other's territories in accordance with the EFTA convention. EFTA nationals also enjoy freedom of movement in the European Union (EU). EFTA nationals and EU citizens and are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries. The Citizens’ Rights Directive (also sometimes called the "Free Movement Directive") defines the right of free movement for citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the three EFTA members Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein and the member states of the EU. Switzerland, which is a member of EFTA but not of the EEA, is not bound by the Directive but rather has a separate bilateral agreement on free movement with the EU.

## Visa requirements maps

* Visa requirements for Icelandic citizens
* Visa requirements for Liechtenstein citizens
* Visa requirements for Norwegian citizens
* Visa requirements for Swiss citizens

## Visa free access

This table lists all countries, as of this date with source information as it is cited inline, for which citizens of at least one EFTA member state may enter without a visa on an ordinary passport. Information regarding visas on arrival and on exit fees is not listed in the table, regarding which, see the relevant section below.
Africa :
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Botswana | All states. | | 90 days within 12 months. |
| Cape Verde | All states. | | 30 days. |
| Eswatini | Norway, Switzerland. | Iceland, Liechtenstein | 30 days. |
| Gambia | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Lesotho | All others. | Liechtenstein | 14 days. |
| Mauritius | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Morocco | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Namibia | All states. | | 3 months within a calendar year. |
| Senegal | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Seychelles | All states. | | 3 months. |
| South Africa | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Tunisia | All states. | | 3 months |
| Caribbean ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Antigua and Barbuda | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Bahamas | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Barbados | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Dominica | All states. | | 21 days (90 days for Norway). |
| Dominican Republic | All states. | | 90 days (30-day tourist cards required). |
| Grenada | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Haiti | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Jamaica | All states. | | 90 days |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Saint Lucia | All states. | | 6 weeks. |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | All states. | | 1 month. |
| Trinidad and Tobago | All states. | | 90 days within any 180 day period. |
| Central and North America ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Belize | All states. | | 1 month for Switzerland. |
| Canada | All states. | | 6 months, eTA required if arriving by air. |
| Costa Rica | All states. | | 90 days. |
| El Salvador | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Guatemala | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Honduras | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Mexico | All states. | | 180 days. |
| Nicaragua | All states. | | 90 days (30-day tourist cards required). |
| Panama | All states. | | 180 days. |
| United States | All states (VWP) | | 90 days on every arrival from overseas, ESTA (issued for 2 years) required when arriving by air and cruise ship. |
| South America ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Argentina | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Bolivia | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Brazil | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Chile | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Colombia | All states. | | 90 days - extendable up to 180-days stay within a one-year period. |
| Ecuador | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Guyana | Norway, Switzerland. | Iceland, Liechtenstein | 3 months. |
| Paraguay | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Peru | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Uruguay | All states. | | 90 days, extendable once. |
| Venezuela | All states. | | 90 days, extendable once. |
| Asia ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Brunei | All states. | | 90 days. |
| China | All states. | All others. Except short term visits in transit and Hainan. | 30 days. Temporarily until 31 December 2025. |
| Indonesia | All states. | | 30 days. |
| Japan | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Kazakhstan | All others. | Liechtenstein | 30 days. |
| Kyrgyzstan | All states | | 60 days. |
| Laos | Switzerland | All others. | 15 days. |
| Malaysia | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Philippines | All states. | | 30 days. |
| South Korea | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Singapore | All states. | | 90 days (30 days for Iceland and Liechtenstein). |
| Thailand | All states. | | 30 days, extendable once. |
| Timor-Leste | All states | | 90 days. |
| United Arab Emirates | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Uzbekistan | All states. | | 30 days. |
| Vietnam | Norway. | All others. | 15 days. |
| Middle East and Caucasus ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Armenia | All states. | | 180 days. |
| Georgia | All states. | | 1 year. |
| Israel | All states. | | 3 months. |
| Europe ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Albania | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Andorra | All states. | | |
| Belarus | All states. | | 5 days. Must enter through the Minsk National Airport. |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| European Union  Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden | All states. | | Freedom of movement. |
| Moldova | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| Montenegro | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| North Macedonia | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| Monaco | All states. | | |
| San Marino | All states. | | |
| Serbia | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| Turkey | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| Ukraine | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland | All states (ETA from 2 April 2025). | | 6 months. ETA (issued for 2 years) required from 2 April 2025 Unless holding right under the EU Settlement Scheme. |
| Vatican City | All states. | | |
| Oceania ||||
| Country | Visa not required | Visa required | Notes |
| Australia | All states (eVisitor). | | 90 days on each visit in 12-month period if granted. |
| Fiji | All states. | | 4 months. |
| Kiribati | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Micronesia | All states. | | 90 days within 180 days. |
| New Zealand | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Palau | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Samoa | All states. | | 90 days within any 180 day period. |
| Solomon Islands | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Tonga | All states | | 90 days. |
| Tuvalu | All states. | | 90 days. |
| Vanuatu | All others. | Iceland | 90 days. |
All EFTA nationals can visit the following partially recognised countries or territories with autonomous immigration policies without a visa:

### Reciprocity

The EFTA member states are all part of the Schengen Area, an area comprising 29 European states that have eliminated border controls with other Schengen members and strengthened border controls with non-Schengen countries. The Schengen area mostly functions as a single country for international travel purposes, with a common visa policy. Since 2001, the European Union has issued two lists regarding visas for the Schengen Area: a white list of countries whose nationals do not require visas (Annex II) and a black list of countries whose nationals do require visas (Annex I). As per Regulation No 539/2001 (amended by Regulation No 1289/2013) reciprocity is required from all Annex II countries and territories. That means that these countries must offer visa-free access for 90 days to citizens of the 29 Schengen member states.
When this is not the case, the affected Schengen member state is expected to notify the European Commission. Starting six months after the notification, the Commission may adopt an implementing act to suspend the visa-free regime for certain categories of nationals of the third country concerned, for a period of up to six months, with a possible prolongation by further periods of up to six months. If the Commission decides not to adopt such an act, it has to present a report explaining the reasons why it did not propose the measure. If after two years from the notification the third country is still requiring visas from citizens of one or more Member States, the Commission shall adopt a delegated act to re-impose the visa obligation on all citizens of the third country, for a period of 12 months. Either the European Parliament or the Council could oppose the entry into force of the delegated acts. All of the states that implement the common visa rules – including Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania – may notify the European Commission about non-compliant third states.
According to a report from April 2015, the Commission dismissed notifications by both Bulgaria and Romania of a general visa requirement by Australia. It concluded that the Australian electronic visa 'manual processing' treatment should not be considered as equivalent to the Schengen visa application procedures and consequently will not be covered by the reciprocity mechanism. In its previous report, the Commission also committed to assessing certain provisions of the US electronic visa system — such as the application fee. In its previous report, the Commission also committed to assessing certain provisions of the US ESTA system — such as the application fee — and the Australian eVisitor system.

#### Special requirements

The following countries require electronic registrations for all EFTA nationals:
* Australia requires EFTA nationals to obtain an eVisitor, which is issued free of charge.
* Canada requires EFTA nationals to obtain an eTA. The application fee is 7 CAD.
* New Zealand requires EFTA nationals to obtain an NZeTA and IVL if arriving by air. The application fee is NZD 9 or 12 and NZD 35.
* United Kingdom will require EFTA nationals to obtain an ETA starting 2 April 2020. They can be applied for from 5 march 2025. The application fee is £10.
* United States requires EFTA nationals to obtain an ESTA. The application fee is US$21.
* Visa policy of the Schengen Area

## Visa on arrival

The following countries provide visa on arrival to EFTA nationals. Some countries may not provide visa on arrival facilities at all entry points.
| Visa on arrival for citizens of all EFTA states | Notes |
| Bahrain | 14 days. BD 25. |
| Bangladesh | 30 days. Fees vary per country. Extensions are possible. |
| Burkina Faso | 1 month, extension possible. XOF 47,000 to XOF 61,000. |
| Cambodia | 30 days. USD 20. |
| Cape Verde | EUR 25. |
| Comoros | 50 USD. EUR 30. |
| Djibouti | 1 month. EUR 75. |
| Egypt | 30 days. USD 25. |
| Guinea Bissau | 90 days. EUR 85. |
| Indonesia | 30 days. USD 35. |
| Iran | 30 days. EUR 30–80. |
| Jordan | 30 days. Free of charge. |
| Kenya | 3 months, extendable once. USD 50. |
| Kuwait | 3 months. KWD 3. |
| Laos | 30 days. USD 30. |
| Lebanon | 1 month extendable for 2 additional months. |
| Madagascar | 30 days. Free of charge. |
| Malawi | 30 days. Extendable up to 90 days. Fees vary. |
| Maldives | 30 days. Free of charge. Extendable up to 90 days, MVR 750. |
| Mauritania | |
| Mozambique | 30 days, extendable up to 60 days. |
| Nepal | 90 days. USD 25-100. |
| Oman | 3 months. OMR 5-20. |
| Papua New Guinea | 60 days. Free of charge. |
| Philippines | 59 days. USD 50. |
| Qatar | 1 month. QAR 50-150. |
| Sri Lanka | 30 days, extendable up to 150 days. Fees vary. |
| Suriname | 90 days. USD 20. |
| Tanzania | USD 50 - USD 100. |
| Togo | 7 days, extendable for 90 days. XOF 10,000-90,000. |
| Uganda | USD 100. |
| Zambia | 90 days. USD 50 - USD 80. |
| Zimbabwe | 3 months. USD 30 - USD 70. |
Visa on arrival available to the citizens of some EFTA countries. Some countries may not provide visa on arrival facilities at all entry points. :
| Country | Visa on arrival available to citizens of | Notes |
| Ethiopia | Norway, Switzerland | USD 20. |
| Marshall Islands | Iceland, Norway, Switzerland | USD 100 |

## Limited visa on arrival

* Burundi - Visas are issued on arrival if an Entry Authorisation letter was issued by the authorities of Burundi.
* Iraq – Holders of ordinary passports of all EFTA member states except Switzerland may obtain a visa on arrival for Iraqi Kurdistan valid for 15 days when arriving through the Erbil International Airport or Sulaimaniyah International Airport.
* Pakistan - Nationals from Norway and Switzerland may obtain visa on arrival when travelling on business. They must have a local sponsor who must obtain an approval from the immigration authorities at the port of arrival (Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta or Karachi airports) and a recommendation letter from country of residence or invitation letter from Pakistan. Nationals of Iceland and Norway may obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 30 days, if they are travelling as part of a group through a designated tour operator.
* Somalia - Visas are issued on arrival for 30 days (extendable once) provided an invitation letter issued by the sponsor has been submitted to the Airport Immigration Department at least 2 days before arrival.
* Vietnam - Visitors can obtain a visa on arrival for a maximum stay of 1 or 3 months if they are holders of an approval letter issued and stamped by the Vietnamese Immigration Department (obtainable online through travel agencies for a fee) and if arriving only at airports in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Da Nang. All travellers can visit Phú Quốc without a visa for up to 30 days.

## Online visas

The following countries provide electronic visas to EFTA nationals.
| Electronic visas available to citizens of the EFTA states | Notes |
| Azerbaijan | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| Bahrain | Available to all EFTA nationals.Visa on arrival also available. |
| Cambodia | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Gabon | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| India | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| Ivory Coast | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| Kenya | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Kuwait | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Malawi | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Myanmar | Available to citizens of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. |
| Nepal | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Oman | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Russia | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| Rwanda | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | Available to all EFTA nationals. |
| Sri Lanka | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Tajikistan | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Uganda | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Vietnam | Available to the citizens of Norway. However, Norwegian citizens do not require a visa for visits up to 15 days. |
| Zambia | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |
| Zimbabwe | Available to all EFTA nationals. Visa on arrival also available. |

## Prearranged visa required

All EFTA citizens must always arrange the visa prior to travel to (as of March 2017) the following countries.
| Prearranged visa required for citizens of all EFTA states | Notes |
| Afghanistan | |
| Algeria | |
| Angola | |
| Benin | |
| Bhutan | |
| Cameroon | |
| Central African Republic | |
| Chad | |
| Republic of the Congo | |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | |
| Cuba | Can be obtained in travel agencies or airlines. |
| Equatorial Guinea | |
| Eritrea | |
| Ghana | |
| Guinea | |
| Iraq | Outside Iraqi Kurdistan |
| Ivory Coast | |
| North Korea | |
| Liberia | |
| Libya | |
| Mali | |
| Mongolia | |
| Nauru | |
| Niger | |
| Nigeria | |
| Russia | 15 days visa-free within the territory covered by the agreement for holders of a border traffic permit. (Eligible inhabitants of the border regions in Norway and Russia). |
| Saudi Arabia | |
| Sierra Leone | |
| South Sudan | |
| Sudan | |
| Syria | |
| Turkmenistan | |
| Uzbekistan | |
| Yemen | |

## Other

* China – All EFTA nationals are afforded 24-hour visa-free transit. Further, citizens of Iceland and Norway (and Switzerland – however, Swiss citizens are also afforded 15 days visa free visits) transiting through People's Republic of China at one of 31 ports may leave the terminal and visit the city for up to 72 hours, these ports include– Beijing, Chengdu, Guangzhou and Shanghai. Visa-free access to Hainan Island as long as the visit lasts 15 days or less and is part of a tour group organised by a National Tourism Administration of China-approved travel agency based in Hainan is granted to the following EFTA nationals - Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
* Nauru – Simplified visa procedure for citizens of Iceland and Norway. Unlike other visitors, they do not have to submit a criminal record certificate and a certificate of medical fitness together with visa application.
* Russia - all EFTA nationals are eligible for eVisa access to Kaliningrad Oblast for up to 8 days.
* Uzbekistan – Simplified visa procedure that waives invitation letter requirement is in force for the citizens of Switzerland.
* Zambia / Zimbabwe - a universal KAZA visa that is valid for both countries can be issued on arrival to citizens of all EFTA member states.
* Kenya / Rwanda / Uganda - an East Africa Borderless Visa: Travelers from any country can obtain a multiple entry visa that allows entry to these three countries for tourism over period of 90 days. Visa must be first used in the country that issued it.

## Non-ordinary passports

In addition to visa requirements for normal passport holders certain countries have specific visa requirements towards diplomatic and various official passport holders:
Visa-free access for holders of various categories of official passports :
| Country | Visa-free access |
| Iceland | Russia (diplomatic passports) |
| Liechtenstein | Russia (diplomatic passports), Thailand (diplomatic or official passports), |
| Norway | Azerbaijan (diplomatic passports), India (diplomatic passports), Kazakhstan (diplomatic passports), Mexico (diplomatic, official or service passports), Pakistan (diplomatic passports), Philippines (diplomatic, official or service passports), Russia (diplomatic passports), Turkey (diplomatic passports) |
| Switzerland | Algeria (diplomatic or official passports), Angola (diplomatic passports), China (diplomatic passports), Cuba (diplomatic passports), India (diplomatic passports), Indonesia (diplomatic or service passports), Iran (diplomatic passports), Kazakhstan (diplomatic passports), Kuwait (diplomatic or official passports), Qatar (diplomatic or official passports), Russia (diplomatic passports), Thailand (diplomatic or official passports), Vietnam (diplomatic passports) |
Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Mali and Zimbabwe grant visa-free access to holders of diplomatic or service passports issued to nationals of any country. Mauritania and Senegal grant visa-free access to holders of diplomatic passports issued to nationals of any country (except Italy for Mauritania). Bahrain, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Cambodia and South Sudan allow holders of diplomatic, official, service and special passports issued to nationals of any country to obtain a visa on arrival.

## Non-visa restrictions
### Blank passport pages

Many countries require a minimum number of blank pages to be available in the passport being presented, typically one or two pages. Endorsement pages, which often appear after the visa pages, are not counted as being valid or available.

### Vaccination

Many African countries, including Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo, South Sudan, Uganda, and Zambia, require all incoming passengers older than nine months to one year to have a current International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis, as does the South American territory of French Guiana.
Some other countries require vaccination only if the passenger is coming from an infected area or has visited one recently or has transited for 12 hours in those countries: Algeria, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Lesotho, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

### Passport validity length

Very few countries, such as Paraguay, just require a valid passport on arrival.
However many countries and groupings now require only an identity card – especially from their neighbours. Other countries may have special bilateral arrangements that depart from the generality of their passport validity length policies to shorten the period of passport validity required for each other's citizens or even accept passports that have already expired (but not been cancelled).
Some countries, such as Japan, Ireland and the United Kingdom, require a passport valid throughout the period of the intended stay.
In the absence of specific bilateral agreements, countries requiring passports to be valid for at least 6 more months on arrival include Afghanistan, Algeria, Anguilla, Bahrain, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Curaçao, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Laos, Madagascar, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tokelau, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Vanuatu, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 4 months on arrival include Micronesia and Zambia.
Countries requiring passports with a validity of at least 3 months beyond the date of intended departure include Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Honduras, Montenegro, Nauru, Moldova and New Zealand. Similarly, the EEA countries of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, all European Union countries (except Ireland) together with Switzerland also require 3 months validity beyond the date of the bearer's intended departure unless the bearer is an EEA or Swiss national.
Countries requiring passports valid for at least 3 months on arrival include Albania, North Macedonia, Panama, and Senegal.
Bermuda requires passports to be valid for at least 45 days upon entry.
Countries that require a passport validity of at least one month beyond the date of intended departure include Eritrea, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, the Maldives and South Africa.

#### Maximum passport age

Countries of the Schengen area require non-EU passports to be less than 10 years old upon entry. A number of holders of British passports, which until September 2018 could be issued with a validity period of up to 10 years and nine months if the previous passport was not expired, were unable to travel to the EU subsequent to Brexit due to this restriction.

### Criminal record

Some countries, including Australia, Canada, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States, routinely deny entry to non-citizens who have a criminal record, while others impose restrictions depending on the type of conviction and the length of the sentence.

### Persona non grata

The government of a country can declare a diplomat persona non grata, banning them from entering the country or expelling them if they have already entered. In non-diplomatic use, the authorities of a country may also declare a foreigner persona non grata permanently or temporarily, usually because of unlawful activity.

### Israeli stamps

Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, and Yemen do not allow entry to people with passport stamps from Israel or whose passports have either a used or an unused Israeli visa, or where there is evidence of previous travel to Israel such as entry or exit stamps from neighbouring border posts in transit countries such as Jordan and Egypt.
To circumvent this Arab League boycott of Israel, the Israeli immigration services have now mostly ceased to stamp foreign nationals' passports on either entry to or exit from Israel (unless the entry is for some work-related purposes). Since 15 January 2013, Israel no longer stamps foreign passports at Ben Gurion Airport. Passports are still (as of 22 June 2017) stamped at Erez when passing into and out of Gaza.
Iran refuses admission to holders of passports containing an Israeli visa or stamp that is less than 12 months old.

### Biometrics

Several countries mandate that all travellers, or all foreign travellers, be fingerprinted on arrival and will refuse admission to or even arrest travellers who refuse to comply. In some countries, such as the United States, this may apply even to transit passengers who merely wish to change planes rather than go landside.
Fingerprinting countries/regions include Afghanistan, Argentina, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Japan, Kenya (both fingerprints and a photo are taken), Malaysia upon entry and departure, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Uganda, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Many countries also require a photo be taken of people entering the country. The United States, which does not fully implement exit control formalities at its land frontiers (although long mandated by its own legislation), intends to implement facial recognition for passengers departing from international airports to identify people who overstay their visa.
Together with fingerprint and face recognition, iris scanning is one of three biometric identification technologies internationally standardised since 2006 by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for use in e-passports and the United Arab Emirates conducts iris scanning on visitors who need to apply for a visa. The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced plans to greatly increase the biometric data it collects at US borders. In 2018, Singapore began trials of iris scanning at three land and maritime immigration checkpoints.

## Passport rankings

Passport rankings by the number of countries and territories their holders could visit without a visa or by obtaining visa on arrival as of 5 October 2021 were as follows: Swiss — 186 countries and territories (ranked 6th) Norwegian — 185 (7th); Icelandic — 180 (12th), and Liechtenstein — 178 (14th), according to the Henley Passport Index.
* Icelandic passport
* Liechtenstein passport
* Norwegian passport
* Swiss passport

## Freedom of movement within EFTA and the EEA

EFTA member states' citizens enjoy freedom of movement in each other's territories in accordance with the EFTA convention. EFTA nationals also enjoy freedom of movement in the European Union (EU). EFTA nationals and EU citizens and are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries. The Citizens’ Rights Directive (also sometimes called the "Free Movement Directive") defines the right of free movement for citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA), which includes the three EFTA members Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein and the member states of the EU. Switzerland, which is a member of EFTA but not of the EEA, is not bound by the Directive but rather has a separate bilateral agreement on free movement with the EU.
As a result, de facto, a citizen of an EFTA country can live and work in all the other EFTA countries and in all the EU countries, and a citizen of an EU country can live and work in all the EFTA countries (but for voting and working in sensitive fields, such as government / police / military, citizenship is often required, and non-citizens may not have the same rights to welfare and unemployment benefits as citizens).
As an alternative to holding a passport, a valid national identity card can also be used to exercise the right of free movement within EFTA and the EU/EEA Travellers should still bring a passport or national identity card, as one may be required. Strictly speaking, it is not necessary for an EEA or Swiss citizen to possess a valid passport or national identity card to enter the EEA or Switzerland. In theory, if an EEA or Swiss citizen outside of both the EEA and Switzerland can prove his/her nationality by any other means (e.g. by presenting an expired passport or national identity card, or a citizenship certificate), he/she must be permitted to enter the EEA or Switzerland. An EEA or Swiss citizen who is unable to demonstrate his/her nationality satisfactorily must nonetheless be given 'every reasonable opportunity' to obtain the necessary documents or to have them delivered within a reasonable period of time or corroborate or prove by other means that he/she is covered by the right of free movement.
However, EEA member states and Switzerland can refuse entry to an EEA/Swiss national on public policy, public security or public health grounds where the person presents a "genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society". If the person has obtained permanent residence in the country where he/she seeks entry (a status which is normally attained after 5 years of residence), the member state can only expel him/her on serious grounds of public policy or public security. Where the person has resided for 10 years or is a minor, the member state can only expel him/her on imperative grounds of public security (and, in the case of minors, if expulsion is necessary in the best interests of the child, as provided for in the Convention on the Rights of the Child). Expulsion on public health grounds must relate to diseases with 'epidemic potential' which have occurred less than 3 months from the person's the date of arrival in the Member State where he/she seeks entry.
A family member of an EEA/Swiss citizen who is in possession of a residence permit indicating their status is exempt from the requirement to hold a visa when entering the European Economic Area or Switzerland when they are accompanying their EEA/Swiss family member or are seeking to join them. However the UK requires family members to obtain a special permit in order to enter the United Kingdom. Non-EEA family members will need a Schengen Visa before they travel to Switzerland even if they possess a UK residence permit that clearly mentions that they are the family member of an EEA citizen.

## Consular protection of EFTA nationals abroad

When in a foreign country, Norwegian and Icelandic citizens can seek help from the mission of any of the Nordic countries if their own country does not have a diplomatic mission in the country they are visiting. This is according to the Helsinki Treaty, which state that public officials in the foreign services of any of the Nordic countries are to assist citizens of another Nordic country if that country is not represented in the territory concerned.
The Principality of Liechtenstein maintains a very small network of diplomatic missions. Switzerland is representing Liechtenstein in those countries wherein Liechtenstein itself does not maintain consular representation.