Foreign nationals arriving in Finland

Entry documents required of foreign nationals

The entry into and residence in Finland of foreign nationals is subject to the provisions of the Finnish Aliens Act and Aliens Decree and the Schengen Agreement and Convention. Entry documents refer to visa, residence permit and work permit. Nationals of some countries are required to present a visa, while others are granted access without a visa.

Some of the new Member States of the EU: Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania, do not yet apply the Schengen Convention, which is why the border controls will be kept between the borders of the new and old Member States for the time being.

As a rule, foreign nationals who require an entry visa are requested to apply it from either the Finnish Embassy or a embassy of a Schengen country that represents Finland in their home country.   In exceptional cases, residence permits and work permits as well as extension of visas can also be applied in Finland.

General information

The Schengen Agreement permits a visa that is valid in the following European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland , the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.

A Schengen Visa to Finland  should be applied for in person at the Finnish Embassy.

If the intended length of stay in Finland and within the Schengen area exceeds 90 days within a period of six months, a residence permit is required; further information from the  Finnish Immigration service.

Depending on the travel document, the visa process at the Finnish Embassy can take approximately from one to four weeks.

Visa application -  Short-term stay

Common Schengen visas are issued for a short-term stay in the following categories:

• A – airport
• B – transit
• C – short-term (up to 90 days)

File an application for a common Schengen visa at the Embassy of Finland, if:

• Finland is the only or the main destination;
• your stay in Finland will be the longest compared to other stays in Schengen, provided there are more destinations of equal importance;
• Finland is the state of entry into Schengen, provided there are more destinations of equal importance and equal length of stay.

There is a non-refundable fee of 60 €. The fee is collected in shekels, subject to exchange rate, and in cash. No additional fees will be charged.

The application must be filed in person, completely filled out and signed, and equipped with recent color photograph showing face (frontal view) and shoulders against a light background. Passport must be valid for an additional three months after the intended departure. If Israeli visa is required, it must be valid for at least 60 days after return. Submit also the following documents – in originals with authorization (name and signature of the issuing person and stamp of the issuing organization):

• evidence of purpose of travel (officially verified invitation, formal invitation from a business partner, business trip confirmation by an employer, declaration of host/family/friend, etc.)
• evidence of readiness to return to your home/residence country (letter from employer/school/university, company registration, evidence of property, etc.)
• flight reservation (proof of payment must be presented in case of visa approval);
• accommodation reservation (hotel voucher, declaration, etc.; proof of payment must be presented in case of visa approval);
• proof of means of support (recent bank statements, international credit card, cash, traveler´s cheques, proof of employment, salary statements for the last three months);
• international travel health insurance for minimum coverage of 30,000 € covering emergency medical treatment and return medical flight and valid for the entire period of stay and for all Schengen states (only in case of visa approval).

 Please note:

Applications short of any of the necessary documents will not be processed. Additional documents may be requested on a case-by-case basis.

• A fully completed Application for schengen visa (Download the visa application form)
• One passport sized photograph. 
  Passport photo guidelines