Documents for entry into Finland, list, how to apply, duration of stay

Russians often travel and try to choose the nearest foreign countries, which includes Finland. Tourists often ask whether Schengen is needed in Finland. Back in 2001, Finns entered the Schengen zone, so the visa must be Schengen.

This has its plus. When obtaining such a permit, a person gets the opportunity, in addition to Finland, to enter another 26 countries that are located in this zone.

Another very popular question is: do you need a foreign passport to Finland? Since this is the near abroad, maybe you can get there with a simple stamp in your Russian passport? It has long been prohibited to put any marks in Russian passports. This responsibility was transferred to a foreign document, the execution of which is mandatory when crossing the border.

A foreign passport can be obtained at the passport office at your place of residence or the Migration Center, but a visa will be issued only by the consulate or visa center, which are located in large cities of Russia. Remember that documents are required to enter Finland; we will consider their list below.

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Entry to Finland for Russians is not visa-free.

To apply for a shingen you will need:

A foreign passport whose validity expires 3 months later than the period for which the visa is issued.
The presence in the foreign document of at least two sheets for marks at customs.
Photo taken no more than six months ago.
Two completed application forms.
A document that confirms that there is a hotel reservation or a tourist voucher in Finnish territory.
Airplane tickets.
Health insurance that is valid outside your home country.

Important! If at least one document is missing or does not fit in format, the visa application will be denied.

Finland visa application form

The form must be filled out in Latin, while the Finnish visa application form allows the use of Russian for transliteration.

The form can be filled out either manually or using a typewriter.

At the end, the document is signed by the applicant.

Instead of minors, the form can be filled out by parents or guardians.

and sample filling

Application form for a Schengen visa to Finland (1643 Downloads) Sample of filling out an application form for a Schengen visa to Finland (1749 Downloads) How to convey Russian letters using the Latin alphabet (1011 Downloads) Instructions for filling out an application form for a Schengen visa (2415 Downloads)

Read more about filling out the Schengen visa application ->

Electronic visa application

You can also fill out the Finland visa application online using this link.

How to fill out the form correctly

Medical insurance policy

What do you need for a trip to Finland in addition to basic documents, of course insurance.
Medical insurance can be obtained from any Russian company that is accredited in the Russian Federation. You can purchase a policy at the insurer's office or through the Internet portal. The validity period of the policy must be no less than the duration of your stay abroad.

Insurance must be at least 30,000 euros.

Visa costs and processing times

If you prepare the documents yourself, you will only need to pay the consular fee. The fee is 35 euros and is charged for each passport, even if the documents are issued by members of the same family. No exception is made for children of any age. There are only a few categories of people who do not pay the consular fee:

Children who do not have their own passport and are included in the passport of their parents or guardians;
Schoolchildren and university students who visit Finland for the purpose of studying;
Citizens of Russia who have close relatives with citizenship of the European Union or Finland.

A visa from St. Petersburg to Finland costs 35 euros and is issued as usual for up to 10 days. If you need an urgent visa, then the cost of the visa is doubled. If you decide to apply for a visa not on your own, but through intermediaries, then you should be prepared to pay for their services, and this significantly increases the cost of a visa to Finland.

There are many rumors about Russia's visa relations with its closest northern neighbor. We decided to write a review in order to confirm or refute the most common of them. After reading the article, you will figure out once and for all whether Russians and citizens of other countries need a visa to Finland. We’ll also tell you about the lucky ones who can enter Finland without a visa, and about the prospect of visa abolition for Russian citizens. How do you know if you don’t need a visa? Let's find out!

Document requirements

In addition to the basic documentation, visa center or consulate employees may require additional papers.

These include:

Certificate from work.
Bank statement.
Children's birth certificate.
Marriage certificate if spouses have different last names.
Permission to travel abroad for minor children.
Migration card.
Work permit.
Certificate of admission to a Finnish university.

There are also specific requirements for basic documents, namely:

The form must not contain errors, strikethroughs or false information. To be filled out only in printed Latin letters with a ballpoint pen.
Photo size 36x47 mm. The photo should not contain any additional items or accessories.
Passports and other documents must be in good condition. If they are worn out or some of the inscriptions cannot be read, they will have to be replaced.

Important! The online resources of the visa center and consulate contain complete information about what is not allowed when submitting documents.

Where to get it

Registration and receipt of Schengen is possible both at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow and at visa centers located for the convenience of citizens throughout Russia.

In Moscow, a Schengen document can be obtained at the address: Kropotkinsky lane, 15-17. Opening hours: from 8 to 17. Contact phone. Consulate email address: visa.finland.eu.

In the northern capital, the Exhibition Center is located at this address: st. Stremyannaya, 21/5. You can find out what documents are needed in person from 08:00 to 17:00 (Monday-Friday), by email at [email protected] or by phone:

In addition to the capitals, there are representative offices in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk. There are 23 places in the country where you can find out what documents are needed to visit Finns.

First entry rule

The rules for entering Finland or another country were first invented by agencies in order to issue a visa for tourists themselves and receive a separate fee for this.

There is only one rule for the first entry: in the application form for Schengen, a person must indicate the country of destination. That is, he cannot write in the application that he is flying to France, but he himself will fly to Finland.

On a note! It is up to the individual to choose how to travel to Finland. He can travel by plane or by private car.

Rules for entering the country

In addition to a foreign passport, valid for at least three more months from the end of the trip, a Schengen or national visa, to enter Finland you need an international insurance policy for those traveling abroad.

It is valid in Schengen countries for the entire duration of your stay. It will be impossible to go through Finnish customs without insurance. Medical care in the country of Suomi is much more expensive than in the country, so the provision of services may be refused if there are not enough funds to pay, which is what the medical policy insures against.

If you plan to travel in your own car, then you need to have with you:

International driving license or country of residence. At the same time, if you do not have a license in your hands, but only a temporary permit to drive a vehicle issued by the traffic police, then it is better to refuse to travel by car. Entry with such a document is prohibited.
A vehicle registration certificate that confirms ownership of the vehicle. A power of attorney to drive a vehicle with the right to remove the car is needed if the owner of the car is not in the cabin.
“Green Card” is a car insurance valid in the Schengen countries. The minimum possible insurance period is 14 days. The green card must be valid for the entire time you are abroad.
OSAGO policy.

It is a common practice for Finnish customs officers to ask you to confirm your accommodation or hotel reservation. It is enough to present a fax or printed email confirming the reservation, an invitation from relatives or documents from a travel agency.

They may also be asked to confirm their solvency. Don't be surprised if you have to take out cash or a personal credit card.

Types of permits to visit Finland

Before determining what visa is needed for Russians to Finland, we will find out what types of visas there are, and the tourist will be able to apply for the one that is suitable for his trip.

A one-time visit to a foreign country and a stay of no more than 90 days. During this time, a person can visit all Schengen countries, but upon returning to his homeland, for the next trip he will have to apply for a new visa.
A double visit allows you to return to your homeland and cross the border of countries again.
A visa for multiple visits abroad is issued for a period of 6 months. In this case, a person can cross the customs zone as many times as necessary.
Permission for a year. You can visit the country several times, but a single stay should not exceed 180 days.
Transit visit to Finland, in which case you can cross the border 2 times, the number of days of stay is no more than 5.
An emergency visa, which is issued only when a person has a compelling, documented reason for his need to stay in the Finnish country.

Important! If a person is planning a trip for a short period, then a visa can be obtained at the visa center; if the period is long, then only at the consulate.

Additional list of papers

Russians are required to obtain a visa before traveling.

It requires submitting the following documents to the Finnish consulate:

valid foreign passport;
a form filled out in English, signed personally by the applicant;
voucher or hotel reservation to confirm availability of accommodation for the entire period of travel;
medical insurance for the entire duration of the trip;
photo;
certificate from work, confirmation of sufficient funds;
copies of round-trip tickets;
a copy of each page of the Russian passport.

Attention! Since September 2015, biometric data has been required to obtain Schengen visas. Fingerprints and photographs are required at the visa application center. The received data is valid for 5 years. Children under 12 years of age are exempt from the procedure.

For children you will additionally need:

a copy of the birth certificate with a note on Russian citizenship;
permission, certified by a notary, to export a child to other countries from the other parent (if he is traveling with one of them) or from mother and father (if the child is traveling with an accompanying person);
the child’s international passport or a copy of the parents’ passport where he is registered;
if the child is over 14 years old, then a copy of all pages of his civil passport is required.

If you are planning a trip in your own car, then to cross the border, in addition to a foreign passport with a visa, sufficient financial resources, medical insurance and proof of residence, you must provide:

international driver's license;
car registration certificate confirming ownership;
power of attorney with the right to take the car across the border (if there is no ownership of the car);
Green Card insurance;
OSAGO policy.

We suggest reading other articles about which other countries you may need a passport for:

Do you need a passport to travel to Thailand?
Rules for entry into Tunisia.
Do you need a foreign passport to Azerbaijan?
Procedure for entry into Armenia.
Do you need a passport to Uzbekistan?
International passport to Turkey.
International passport when traveling to Cyprus.
Do you need a passport to Georgia?
International passport for a trip to Kyrgyzstan.
Rules for entry into China.

Where to apply

Visa documents can be processed through the consulate, which is located in Moscow, Petrozavodsk or Murmansk, or through a visa center.
The application process is no different, except that at the consulate a person can be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and at the visa center you need to pre-register by phone or online. Remember that if you need to visit the Finnish country in transit, for example, to travel to Spain, then you need to apply for a Spanish visa. Let's consider a step-by-step algorithm:

Collection of documentation.
Receiving a photo.
Visiting the institution and submitting documents.
Waiting for documents to be verified.
Departure.

On a note! If the documents are not provided in full, the processing may be delayed or the visa may be refused altogether.

How to get a visa to Finland on your own?

Tourists need to know how to obtain a visa to Finland.

To make a document, contact the consulate located in Moscow or other cities. Registration services are offered by intermediaries, but it must be taken into account that in this case the cost increases slightly.

Obtaining a visa to Finland consists of several stages:

choosing the type of entry permit;
preparation of documents;
choosing a visa agency;
making an appointment;
visiting the institution and submitting papers;
waiting for a decision;
getting permission.

It is important to know! In some cases, the applicant may be called for an interview at the embassy. There is no need to be afraid of such a procedure, but simply communicate with the consul and answer all his questions.

There is another option on how to get a visa to Finland. The method is to submit documents via the Internet. But you still can’t do without submitting fingerprints.

A Finnish visa can be obtained from embassies, consulates or visa centers.

How to apply for a Finnish visa to St. Petersburg

How much do you need to pay

Let's determine how much a visa to Finland costs:

The cost of a visa for a person over 18 years of age is 35 euros.
Expedited visa processing – 90 euros.
Service fee – 26 euros.
If the trip is an emergency, the service fee is 75 euros.

Important! Children under 6 years old also need visa documents, but absolutely free of charge, but if a child is over 6 years old, everything is paid for him at standard rates.

Requirements for it

To travel within the country, you will need a valid biometric document or an old-style passport. Both types of ID are accepted.

Advice! It is important to keep track of the validity period of your passport, because... it should not end earlier than 3 months after your return from the trip. You can track the validity period by looking at the first page of your passport.

To visit Finland, a child will also need a foreign passport, or it will need to be included in the parents’ document.

But there is a nuance here. If you have a new type of ID card, then you cannot include children in such a document, so you will have to issue their own for them. In addition, if the child is over 14 years old, then he will also have to apply for a passport, regardless of the type of ID of the parents.

It’s worth saying right away that no matter how much you would like to, you won’t be able to visit this country without a foreign passport. This is a mandatory document for obtaining permission to enter and cross the border.

What to pay attention to

Many travel lovers are interested in how to travel to Finland without a visa. Russia and Finland are two states that are on friendly terms, so a moment for the abolition of some rules is envisaged. A person can enter Finnish territory without a visa by sea on a ferry if leaving the port of St. Petersburg. In this case, a person can stay in the northern country for no more than a day.

To ensure that your trip leaves only pleasant impressions, take note of some tips:

It is better to travel by your own transport - it is cheaper, just remember that the car must have a green card, which will be insurance in the territory of another country.
If a person takes a plane in the summer, it is worth moving around Finland by bicycle; rentals are available in every city.
It is worth purchasing a tourist pass, which will allow you to visit museums and other attractions at a discount.
Don’t take a lot of food and alcohol with you; all this is available in Finnish stores and at a more reasonable price than at the departure airport.
It is better to apply for a tourist visa, which will allow you to stay in the country for 90 days.

Important! Finland is becoming an increasingly popular tourist country every year. A social survey showed that holidays there are much more interesting and cheaper than in other countries.

Do you need a passport to Finland?

Many tourists are interested in the question: is it possible to cross the Finnish border without a visa? After all, thousands of Russians travel from the Leningrad region to Finland every day for tourism purposes.

Indeed, relations between Russia and Finland

very good. Until 2010, entry into Finland without a visa was prohibited. Moreover, this state is part of the Schengen Agreement.

In 2010, the number of people wishing to attend various tours in Finland increased significantly. Therefore, some relaxations have been introduced for ferries traveling on the route St. Petersburg - Helsinki.

For example, to visit various sites in the city of Helsinki that are included in the excursion program, a visa is not required. But you need a passport. Even if a country does not require a visa, a foreign passport is needed in any case. Otherwise, you simply won’t be allowed into its territory.

. At the same time, the following requirements are imposed on Russian citizens in Finland:

Travel is only possible as part of a tourist group.
The maximum time spent in Finland is three days.

If you want to leave the excursion group and move around Finnish territory on your own, then you need a visa. You can read about how to get it in other articles.

To visit the city of Helsinki

As part of a tourist group, you need the following documents:

Passport.
International passport.
Receipt for payment for the excursion.

When entering and leaving Finland and other Scandinavian countries

, as part of the excursion program, you will need to present these documents.

Who needs a visa to Helsinki

Finland is a full member of the Schengen area with relevant laws. To visit local cities, even those near the border, for citizens of the Russian Federation. Unless, of course, they have a passport up their sleeve from some other visa-free state with Europe. Those who ask whether a visa is needed for Helsinki mistakenly believe that this city has a special visa status. The same applies to such large cities as Kotka, Vantaa, Turku and Lappeenranta. There are no concessions for border cities; the visa regime operates on a general basis. The cost of a visa is 35 Euros, an urgent one will cost 70.

We have detailed instructions for obtaining a Finnish visa:

When a visa to Helsinki is not required

But there are situations when you can get to Helsinki without a Finnish visa. In the name of fairness, we do not consider holders of Schengen visas from other countries or holders of American passports - they have free entry into any city in Finland. But Russian citizens have only two visa-free routes to Helsinki: a sightseeing ferry from St. Petersburg and connecting flights through Vantaa Airport.

Ferry

There is a wonderful company in St. Petersburg called St. Peter Line. It organizes sea cruises on the route St. Petersburg - Helsinki - St. Petersburg. For those who do not have a visa, there is a program of “no-go” visits to their northern neighbor. People relax on board the huge cruise ship "Princess Anastasia", breathe the sea air and admire the Land of a Thousand Lakes from the tenth floor - the upper deck of the "Anastasia" is so high.

There is a hidden nuance here: leaving the ship is not allowed. You can watch, but you can’t step ashore. This measure is ensured by the principle of extraterritoriality.

To put it simply, extraterritoriality is this thing when something is located in one country, but is legally subordinate to the state of which it is a resident. In other words, the interior of your car abroad is the territory of the Russian Federation, and you cross the border every time you leave the car. The same is true for airplanes and ships.

Nevertheless, such cruises are in good demand. This is a great vacation, the ship has everything you need: shops, restaurants, casinos, beauty salons, bars and a cinema. Each cabin, regardless of class, has a bathroom and air conditioning. If you want to save money, take a ticket without a cabin. Young people who can party for two days without rest do just that.

Airport transit

The second way to get into the territory of Suomi is the transit zone of Vantaa Airport in Helsinki. The so-called "waiting room" - neutral territory at all international airports - is perfect for spending a couple of hours in Helsinki without a visa while waiting for a connecting flight. You can do more, but it’s uncomfortable to sleep there. But there are toilets, which is good.

Naturally, in this case we are also not talking about leaving the sterile area of the airport and walking around the city. But from here you can fly to other countries for ridiculous money on European low-cost airlines like RyanAir and Norwegian.

Buying a convenient air ticket for the desired dates is a trivial task with an unlimited budget. However, if the bank card is not bottomless, and you really want to reach new shores, you will have to be smart. List of aggregators where you should look for tickets first.

The cheapest flights are usually found