To Finland without a visa - myth or reality?

Finland is part of Schengen

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Citizens of Russia and CIS countries need a visa to visit Finland, documents for which are submitted to consulates and visa centers in Russian cities. Finland is one of the countries participating in the Schengen Agreement, so, with Finnish Schengen at your disposal, you can easily visit your neighbors in Northern Europe for a day or two.

One of the features of submitting documents is that you must fill out the application form online. The rest of the requirements are “general Schengen”; The passport is valid for 3 months as of the end of the trip.

Types of visas

• A Schengen visa is issued for a short-term trip: it can be tourism, a business trip, visiting relatives or transit. The entry document is issued according to a single scheme with slight differences in the list of papers, depending on the specific purpose of the visit to the country. Tourist Schengen is the most popular category, so visas are suitable for it.
• A residence permit is similar to a residence permit for a longer stay in Finland. The document is issued in the form of a biometric card (not a sticker in the passport). It gives the right to work, study, family reunification, marriage with a Finnish citizen or a person permanently residing in the country legally.

Applying for a visa yourself

A citizen of the Russian Federation can obtain a visa through the country's visa centers, as well as through the embassy, ​​consulates and consular departments. In the first case, you must pay a service fee for mediation services.

Important: visa centers do not issue residence permits.

The visa application form can be pre-filled on the visa center website, after which you can bring the prepared package of papers within 90 days. There is no need to make an appointment in advance, although this is possible.

The visa center offers the Mobile Biometrics service: an employee of the organization comes to your home, takes biometric data (photo, fingerprints) and accepts documents. Courier delivery of a finished passport with a stamp is also available.

To obtain a residence permit, you need to contact the embassy, ​​consulates in Moscow and St. Petersburg, consular departments in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk. In this case, the applicant must appear in person with a receipt for payment of the consular fee and a completed application form.

The official visa processing time is 10-15 days, in practice it is 6-8.

Applying for a visa through the consulate and visa center

Russian citizens can apply for a Finnish visa at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow, at the Consulate General in St. Petersburg and consulates in Murmansk and Petrozavodsk. Visa centers also process visas.

To obtain a Schengen visa, you must provide biometric data. The procedure involves taking fingerprints and taking a biometric photo. Therefore, you must be present in person when submitting documents. This information is then entered into a single database, which is stored for five years, which makes it possible not to carry out the procedure every time you apply for a visa.

There are categories of citizens exempt from it. These include: children under twelve years of age, disabled people who are physically unable to submit fingerprints.

Available at visa centers when a visa center employee goes to the client, takes fingerprints, takes photos and collects documents.

It is worth noting that visa centers do not issue residence permits. Only embassies and consulates are authorized to do this.

Helsinki Central is the main railway junction in the center of the capital. The railway station building in Helsinki is the most famous piece of Finnish architecture in the world. It was built in the Northern Art Nouveau style in 1861.

Documents for a visa to Finland

Required documents to obtain Schengen category C:

1. Application form
   personally filled out by the tourist online application form in English or Russian, but in the Latin alphabet (the application form can also be filled out by hand);
2. International passport
   Valid for at least 3 months from the end of the trip, it must contain at least two blank pages and the signature of the owner, if any - a second one, as well as an old/canceled international passport;
3. Photo
   1 color photo without a corner (see photo requirements below);
4. Copy of internal passport
   You need pages of a Russian passport with a photo and registration;
5. Certificate of employment
   Certificate of employment with the stated position and salary;
6. Bank account statement
   The statement must be recent and not older than 6 months;
7. For students, schoolchildren
   Certificate from the place of study, sponsorship letter with a photocopy of the sponsor's general passport, certificate from work/extract from the sponsor's account (issued according to the general rules);
8. Medical insurance
   Medical insurance valid throughout the Schengen territory and for the entire duration of the trip (the amount of insurance coverage is at least 30,000 EUR);
9. Hotel reservation
   Confirmation of the reserved room in the hotel/hostel. The document must indicate all members of the incoming family/company, as well as information about payment for accommodation;
10. For private and business visits
    , Russians traveling to Finland for work (short-term business trip), for sports or cultural events, treatment, study, or to visit relatives, enclose an invitation from the receiving organization and, in some cases, a covering letter from the sending party. Also, from September 1, 2021, round-trip tickets and additional documents will be required: certificate of employment, proof of financial solvency, etc.

Accompanying documents (certificates of employment, letters from sponsors, invitations, etc.) must be in printed form. Forms and applications filled out in words will not be accepted for consideration.

• Read also:  How to take a photo for an American visa?

List of documents for a visa to Helsinki

List of required documents for obtaining a visa to Helsinki in 2020:

• Visa application form.
• A valid passport with two blank pages. Expiration of the passport more than 3 months after the expiration of the Schengen visa.
• Photocopy of the international passport.
• Photograph for documents.
• A copy of the passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation.
• Certificate from place of employment confirming income.
• Receipt confirming payment of fees.
• Insurance policy.

These are the documents that are required. Depending on the purpose of the trip, additional information may also be requested, for example, air tickets to Helsinki, a green card and others.

Obtaining a visa to travel to Helsinki is mandatory for Russian citizens. Since Finland is a Schengen country, the procedure for obtaining a visa is similar to the Schengen type. Persons wishing to get a job, in addition to a visa, must obtain a residence permit in Finland.

Entry by car

Tourists who decide to cross the border with Finland by car first receive a Schengen visa in accordance with the general procedure. Plus you need to have the originals with you:

• driver's license;
• powers of attorney (if the driver is not the owner);
• technical passport of the car;
• vehicle registration certificate;
• Green Card insurance.

In addition, the customs officer may require an insurance policy for the driver and passengers, and a hotel reservation (invitation). There is no strict rule to present a diagnostic card or describe the route, but it is better to go with a recent technical inspection and be ready to answer questions about your travel plans.

When crossing the border, documents must be shown several times: in the border zone, during control, when leaving Russia and when entering Finland. Inspection of a car and luggage is a fairly common occurrence; sometimes vehicles are forcibly sent for maintenance. If something seems suspicious to the customs officer, the car undergoes an in-depth check in a separate box.

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The visa process can really be accelerated: in this case it will take 3 working days and cost 70 euros. Applications for acceleration are considered only if there is a written justification, and this application is submitted along with documents for a visa.

The basis for speeding up the process of obtaining a visa may be an invitation to a seminar or business event.

A tourist package or hotel reservation, as a rule, is not a significant reason and does not affect the speed of consideration of the application.

note

Once the documents have been submitted and accepted, it is not possible to expedite the review.

Visa for children

Children under 18 years of age cannot travel independently; they must be accompanied. To obtain Schengen, minors submit a standard package plus additional papers. The main document is the consent of one parent/guardian if the child is traveling with the other, and of both in the case of traveling with third parties, including relatives. You also need a birth certificate with a copy and copies of the Schengen visas of your parents/guardians (if available).

Consent is required if the application is submitted at different times with the legal representatives of the minor. It is ordered from a notary and issued in the name of the accompanying person. When applying for Finnish Schengen through an embassy or consulate, it is enough to sign the child’s application form in the presence of a visa officer, then this paper is not needed, you only need to attach copies of the first pages of the Russian passport to confirm the relationship. But the visa center always requires it.

Consent can be replaced by a death certificate of one parent, a certificate stating that his whereabouts are unknown (confirmation from the police or a document from a notary), Form No. 25, or a court decision on the status of a single parent.

Transfer to Helsinki

Airplanes fly from Helsinki Airport to other countries, often at lower prices than in Russia, so often many of our compatriots want to fly with a transfer in this Finnish city.

Those citizens who will have a transfer in Helsinki will not need a valid Schengen visa only if they do not get off the plane, go through control and leave the transit area at the airport.

If you want to go to the main airport building or take a walk around the city during a long layover, you will need to apply for a transit Schengen visa at the visa center or the Finnish consulate.

Photo requirements

The photo for the visa application must be no older than 6 months. Only high-quality photographs are accepted without traces of processing in computer programs or changes in real facial features and natural colors.

The position of the face is standard “passport” with the eyes directed towards the camera. The expression is calm, a slight smile is not forbidden. Hair or head coverings (permissible only for religious reasons) do not cover the oval, ears and forehead. The frame of the glasses cannot be too original or massive, otherwise the appearance of the applicant will be distorted. The photograph should be free of shadows, highlights, and unnecessary objects.

The length of the head from the chin to the crown is approximately 30 mm (70-80% of the area). The photo is taken from the front, the gaze is directed at the camera, there is no smile.

Consular fee – 35 €

The fee for all types of visas is 35 EUR and is charged for each passport, including passports of children (regardless of age). A receipt for payment of the fee is issued by a consulate employee at the time of acceptance of documents; you can pay the fee at payment centers or ATMs of Nordea Bank. At Finnish Visa Application Centers in Moscow, St. Petersburg and other Russian cities, you will additionally have to pay a service fee of 26.75 EUR. Prices on the page are for September 2021.

The following categories of citizens are exempt from paying the consular fee:

• children included in the parents' passport;
• schoolchildren, students of higher educational institutions, graduate students and accompanying teachers (provided that the purpose of the trip is education);
• close relatives of citizens of European Union states;
• close relatives of Russian citizens legally residing in Finland.

Fingerprinting

Since September 14, 2015, to obtain a Schengen visa, fingerprints must be taken and a digital photo taken to be entered into a single database. Biometric data is valid for 5 years, after which the information will need to be updated. Visa centers, consulates and consular departments are equipped with special equipment; the procedure takes no more than 5 minutes. Children under 12 years of age and people who are unable to have their fingerprints taken (for example, due to a hand injury) are exempt from fingerprinting.

Visa validity periods

Finland follows the same policy as the rest of the Schengen area, therefore, most likely, the first visa will be issued for a period of 3 (6) months with the right to stay in the country for 30 days (in some cases - 20).

Several years ago, the consulate introduced the practice of approving entry documents for 2 years and 5 years in order to increase the tourist flow. However, the basic rule remains unchanged - a citizen of the Russian Federation has the right to stay in Finland for no more than 90 days once every six months. The number of border crossings can be any.

Resumption of international traffic between Russia and Finland

1. On January 27, 2021, international flights between Russia and Finland resumed.
2. Ordinary tourists cannot fly to Finland.
3. Trips to Finland can only be for humanitarian purposes, for example, for treatment or reunification with family, study for education at Finnish universities, according to the ATOR website.

This video details who can travel to Finland and other EU countries during the period of closed borders.

Issuing an invitation for the possibility of entering Finland from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and other countries during the period of closed borders for ordinary tourists. Please call: +7 (985) 522-05-05 for advice at the 100viz.com visa center.

Embassy and consulates of Finland in Russia

Embassy of Finland in Moscow

Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg

Petrozavodsk branch of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg

Murmansk branch of the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg

Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow

United Visa Center in Kazan