Finland is a delightful lake district, where a foreigner will have a lot of interesting things to do. This is the famous Finnish bath. Finland is also known for the Linanmäki amusement park in Helsinki, which has been pleasing residents of the Finnish capital and visitors for more than half a century. Also in the state there is such a large national park as Pyhä-Luosto, famous for its forest and swampy landscape. In the winter season, Finnish ski resorts with their variety of slopes are able to satisfy the wishes of the most demanding skier.
About some nuances of collecting documents for a Finnish visa
So what paperwork is needed to get a visa to Finland? This issue needs detailed coverage, so that anyone who wants to go to this northern European country does not have any difficulties when collecting on the road. Also important for coverage are all the circumstances associated with the preparation of a visa - or rather the rules by which a Finnish visa is obtained. Everything that will be written below will benefit those who do not yet have experience in obtaining visas to Finland and need detailed guidance in this matter. We present in the table a list of places that are focused on issuing visas to Russian citizens.
Also, Russians can obtain Schengen visas for the Republic of Finland in various travel agencies that organize tours to this northern European country.
It is important to know that when the main state of residence on your foreign trip is a certain country with a valid Schengen agreement, but not Finland, then you will have to contact the institution responsible for issuing Schengen visas to this particular state. This may be a specific embassy or consulate. So, if you are planning, for example, to spend a weekend in Sweden and your road lies through Finland, then in any case you will need to apply for a visa at the Swedish representation in the Russian Federation.
The Consulate General of Finland in the northern capital of the Russian Federation territorially serves the Northwestern Federal District of the Russian Federation. Of the centers for issuing visas in other cities, it is necessary to note the branches of the Consulate: Petrozavodsk and Murmansk.
Briefly about the documents and procedures for obtaining a Schengen Finnish visa
We list all the main papers required for a Finnish visa:
- photo;
- medical insurance policy;
- international passport;
- application form.
Also, a necessary procedure for obtaining an entry document is the submission of biometric data or, as they say, your fingers. These documents and biometrics in full are needed only when you personally submit documents to one of the institutions responsible for issuing a visa.
Travel agencies are an exception here. They will need:
- international passport;
- photo.
Biometric data will have to be submitted privately.
On a note! The obligation to provide data for all citizens in Finland was introduced in mid-September 2015.
More about biometrics and documents for a visa to Finland
We will write in detail what you will need when you contact the representation of the Republic of Finland in the Russian Federation, which is responsible for issuing visas to visit this northern European country.
Delivery of biometric data
This procedure involves the provision of their fingerprints. In addition, a photograph is also required. You will need to contact the Embassy, Consulate General or consular branch, hand over all fingerprints there, as well as provide a photograph. All this cannot be done in a travel agency, although it often takes on a fairly large part of the work. It is important that the period that re-examination is not required is 59 months, then everything will need to be done the same.
It should also be noted that there is an age limit for this procedure. So, if a person who wants to enter the territory of Finland is under 12 years old, then he is not required to undergo the described procedure.
In addition to all that has been said, it must be taken into account that there are cases when biometric data is lost. In such situations, it is envisaged that the person re-appears at this institution for their surrender.
Photo in color with a light background
Its geometric characteristics are as follows: 36 millimeters by 47 millimeters. You should have made this document a maximum of 6 months before submitting it to the institution, but later is better. Under the ban its retouching.
Application form
It is filled in for a Schengen visa to the Republic of Finland in one of several places convenient for you. One of them is the official website of the Consulate of Finland. Also, based on your convenience, you can choose to do this procedure in the building of the institution that is responsible for issuing Finnish visas, or at home.
international passport
With regard to a passport, it is important to mention 4 nuances:
- firstly, this document must be valid;
- secondly, its validity must be 3 months beyond the period for which a Schengen visa to the Republic of Finland will be issued;
- thirdly, the number of blank pages that should be in a foreign passport should be calculated from two;
- fourthly, if you have old passports seized from you, you should take their copies with you.
Medical insurance
You will need a health insurance policy that will be valid in Finland. It will have to be valid for the entire period for which you take. Such medical policies are usually sold by both insurance and travel companies. It is important to be sure to ask about everything that will be insured by this policy, so as not to get into a mess on the territory of a foreign state. You should always take this policy with you when you go on a trip to the Republic of Finland, otherwise the border guards will simply refuse to allow you to enter the territory of this northern European state. You will have to return back to the Russian Federation.
This is a document confirming that you have booked a hotel room. Instead of this paper, another version of the documents may come up. Detailed travel information will be required on the application when you intend to tour. All this should be written in the field, which is intended for additional information, or on an additional paper sheet.
About Schengen visa to Finland for children
A birth certificate with a copy of it will need to be added to the application form in cases where the applicant for a Schengen visa is a minor child.
In some cases, the consent of a parent or parents for minor children is required. These documents must be provided when the child goes to Finland with one of the two parents or without them at all. The specified document must be necessarily certified by a notary and be valid at the time of its submission to the institution for the issuance of Schengen Finnish visas. When it is not possible to obtain consent or consent, it is necessary to provide documents to the institution that would confirm the objective reasons for the impossibility to obtain this documentation. All parental consents are valid for a maximum of one year.
Important! Any minor child, provided that he is entered in the parent's passport, in order to travel to the Republic of Finland, will need to fill out an application form and request a visa document in a separate order. The received visa is pasted into the parent's foreign passport with the child entered.
Video - What documents are needed for a visa to Finland
Instead of a conclusion
To get a Schengen visa to Finland, you usually don’t need to bother much. Exceptions are complex routes that are not fully thought out. In these cases, you may be temporarily denied a visa until you have final clarity on your plans for Finland. Therefore, when planning any trip, you should carefully consider everything so that the Consulates never ask you questions about your ideas.
One of the important points for the procedure for obtaining a visa may be that in addition to everything, you will also have a Russian passport with copies of the first spread and registration.
A marriage certificate is also a desirable document for the described case.
It is also worth taking the birth certificates of children and the original of the old foreign passport.
But the most important thing is not to forget to take with you the hope that the routine associated with paperwork for issuing a visa will brighten up with pleasant impressions of Finnish hospitality and the wonderful natural and cultural flavor that awaits you in Finland.
