Visa Information

Overview

All citizens of Russia and CIS countries are required to apply for a visa before entering Finland and/or other countries under the Schengen agreement.

Before applying, please ensure you understand your particular ‘purpose of visit’. Schengen visas must be applied for at the respective Embassy/Consulate of the country of your main destination. Your main destination will be the Schengen country where your duration of stay exceeds all others. Due to this, when traveling to more than one Schengen country, you should submit your application to the Embassy/Consulate representing the country of your main destination. In case of equal stay, one has to submit their application to the mission of the Schengen country representing their first port of entry.

The Visa Application Centres of Finland accepts applications for short stay visas only. A passport should be valid for at least three (3) months beyond the intended stay in Finland and there should be at least two (2) empty pages available in the passport.

Applications cannot be submitted earlier than six (6) months before the start of the planned journey. Seafarers in the performance of their duties are allowed to submit an application as earlier as nine (9) months in advance of their planned trip. The application process begins when the applicant personally submits his or her visa application and other supporting documents to the VAC or the mission.

Applicants are expected to visit the Visa Centre by themselves to submit their application. If for some reason the application cannot be submitted by the applicant him/herself, it may be submitted by:

• a family member: parent, child (>18 years), grandparent, grandchild, spouse (with confirming documentation: birth certificate, marriage certificate, documents proving change of surname/name)
• an official institution that the applicant is working for (letter of attorney should be provided)
• a registered company that the applicant is working for (letter of attorney should be provided)
• a travel agency, accredited by Embassy/Consulate.

Please note that all applicants over 12 years old should come for the submission personally for the biometric data collection.

Attention! The following categories of applicants have to mandatorily apply in person:

Applicants, who do not have permanent registration in the jurisdiction of the Finnish mission

• The only exceptions allowed are:
• submission by a representative of the official institution where the applicant works or studies (letter of attorney should be provided)
• submission of minors' applications
• Non-Russian citizens

The only exception allowed is submission of minors' applications.

Requirements for the Letter of Attorney

Letter of attorney should preferably be written on a headed paper and the following information should be included:

• Contact details of the company (legal and actual address, phone numbers, e-mail address and website, if any)
• Date of issue
• Information about the representative of the company:
• position in the company
• internal passport details, including information about permanent registration
• Personal information about the applicant:
• mandatory: name, surname, date of birth, position in the company
• other passport details can be added as additional information

Please note: If the representative is applying on behalf of several applicants the list of all the applicants should be included.

• Authorities with the representative of the company:
• To submit and collect necessary documents on behalf of the company
• To perform other actions related to the execution of the specified order such as to sign Agency contracts, financial and other documents, as well as to pay fees and charges in the available payment modes
• Signature of the representative of the company
• Period of validity
• Position of the responsible person who signs the letter of attorney, his/her surname and name and signature
• Stamp of the company

If a representative of an applicant submits the documents, it is mandatory to have copies of the applicant’s Internal passport’s pages with the personal information and registration.

Visa category chosen by an applicant must be based on the purpose of travel to Finland and the decision must be made by the applicant him/herself - Visa Centre staff will not be able to assist you in making this decision.

An application filled incorrectly and carelessly can cause denial of a visa. The applicant may need to supply additional details, e.g. a copy of their domestic passport or a more detailed plan of trip, or the applicant can be invited for an interview at the Embassy/Consulate of Finland.

The Embassy/Consulate of Finland will return processed passports to the Visa Centre. The applicants may order a Courier Service at the time of application submission or collect the documents from the Finnish Visa Centres when they are ready.

Please click on the other tabs on this page to view more information about the visa application process.

Documents Required

The checklists of required visa application documents are available in the online visa application portal of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

Personal data processing consent

According to the Federal law of Russian Federation “About personal data” every client has to sign “Personal data processing consent”. For a minor (all children under 14) a lawful representative (parents, tutors, etc.) should sign this document.

For a minor (children 14-18) the document can be signed by the minor with the written consent from the parents or lawful representatives.

Form of personal data processing consent

To Download a Form:

• Click on the form link
• When the form opens, save the form on your computer.

OR

• Press the right button on your mouse on the required link.
• Select Save Target As from the list
• Save the form on your computer.

Photo Specifications

To see the visa application photo specifications, please, click here.

Travel Medical Insurance

Each client (including children) must have an insurance policy. Travel medical insurance is not required from the family members of EU/EEA and Swiss citizens, who enjoy the right of free movement (Directive 2004/38/EC). Also not required from holders of diplomatic and official passports on official visit.

Family members of Finnish citizens travelling to Finland do require a travel insurance as per the specification mentioned below:

Customers applying for a multiple-entry visa may provide an insurance policy, which is valid during the first trip. Customers are entitled to arrange an insurance policy for consequent trips by signing the visa application.

Basic requirements for an insurance policy:

• Insurance validity area should cover all the Schengen countries, no areal restrictions (for example “Finland, Schengen”) are allowed.
• Without franchise.
• The insurance coverage limit should be not less than 30 000 euros or equivalent amount in other currency (for example, 40 000 dollars).
• Policies should insure the costs in case of sudden illness or accident and assistance on site, including the costs of medical repatriation to the place of permanent residence of the insured person or the repatriation in case of death.

Insurance policies filled in by hand are not accepted.

Customers are to present an original insurance policy and a copy during the application submission process.

Attention Customers!

Please be informed that as per the Schengen Visa Code, during the visa application’s submission, each applicant must possess a valid travel insurance covering any expenses which might arise on the territory of the Schengen Member States in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death, including instances caused by Covid-19. The coverage amount of such expenses should be not less than 30 000 Euros. The Policy should not have any franchise or special conditions that reduce the coverage amount.

The Insurance policy and/or it’s addendums should clearly indicate the fulfillment of the above criteria. Alternatively, the policy cannot be accepted.

Processing Time

We recommend you to apply at least two (2) weeks before the planned trip. Some applications may require further processing. Please note that all applications are processed individually. The Embassy/Consulate of Finland may request further documentation, information or you may be called for an interview which can prolong the processing time.

Please note that as per the Article 23 of REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL establishing a Community code on Visas (Visa Code) the period of consideration of your visa application by respective Consular authority may be extended up to a maximum of 45 calendar days.

If the application needs to be considered as an urgent case, then make sure to decide about it before submitting the application. Urgent applications are processed only when provided with a written proof (Supplementary Documents). After the documents are submitted and accepted it is not possible to speed up the process.

An application filled incorrectly and carelessly can cause denial of a visa. The applicant may need to supply additional details, e.g. a copy of their domestic passport or a more detailed plan of trip, or the applicant can be invited for an interview at Embassy/Consulate of Finland.

The Embassy/Consulate of Finland will return processed passports to the Visa Centre. Customers may opt for a Courier Service at the time of application submission or collect the documents from the Finnish Visa Centres when they are ready.