Among Russians, Finland (Suomi) is very popular. Residents of the regions adjacent to the border feel almost at home here. And the Finns welcome their trips, because it is not for nothing that three of the four Finnish diplomatic missions in Russia are located in the Northwestern District.
This Scandinavian country is known for a large number of nature reserves and a high standard of living, and hence service. People come here to ski resorts and unforgettable fishing in one of the "thousand lakes", for shopping, a real Finnish sauna, to visit Santa Claus or Angry Birds. Russians also appreciated the quality of Finnish healthcare and education.
Some Russians go to Suomi to work. Here they are offered both skilled work for specialists and seasonal picking of wild berries. In any case, the salary is higher than in Russia.
1. Do Russians need a visa to Finland in 2019
Since Finland (Suomi) is a member of the Schengen Agreement, you need to obtain a Schengen visa or residence permit to visit it. It is worth noting that the Finns often give Russians a multiple-entry Finnish Schengen visa with the condition that most of the trips will be to Finland.
2. Main types of visas
Like all Schengen countries, Finland issues Schengen visas to stay on its territory. They are short-term, involve trips of no more than 90 days per six months. A multiple-entry Schengen visa to Finland (type C) issued for several years will allow you not to pay fees for its issuance on each trip. It can be obtained not only for tourism purposes, for visiting friends / relatives, but also for seasonal work, short-term courses.
For a long stay in Suomi, you must obtain a residence permit (it is also a residence permit). It is usually requested by students and those who want to reunite with their families or work in Suomi, open a business here. Interestingly, any national visa of another Schengen country does not give the right to work in Finland.
Finns issue a residence permit in the form of biometric cards, and not inserts in a passport. You need to renew them at the local branch of the Finnish Migration Service.
3. How much does a visa to Finland cost in 2019
The consular fee for a Finnish Schengen visa is 35 € for a regular application and 70 € for an urgent one. Children under 5 years of age are exempted from its payment.
The consular fee for a Finnish residence permit is much higher:
- 250/220 € for minors;
- 360/300 € for studies;
- 470/420 € for holiday work, internship, participation in the au pair program;
- 520/450 € for work, entrepreneurship;
- 470/420 € for other purposes.
The cost of a residence permit depends on the type of application. A completed online application costs 30-70 € cheaper.
When submitting documents through the VFS CC, in addition to the consular fee, a service fee of 26.75 euros is charged. In the EC fees are paid on the spot. When applying to the Embassy in Moscow, the Consulate in St. Petersburg, you need to pay the fee on the day of application through the payment centers or ATMs of Nordea Bank (location is specified in the diplomatic mission). In Petrozavodsk and Murmansk, receipts for consideration of the application are paid at any bank.
All fees are accepted in rubles. The amount is calculated at the exchange rate on the day of payment. Fees (consular and service fees) are the fee for consideration of the application and are non-refundable in case of refusal.
4. How to make a visa to Finland yourself
You can get a visa to Suomi without the help of intermediaries. To do this, you need to contact the Finnish diplomatic mission or the visa center. The services of intermediaries have become almost unclaimed after the introduction of requirements to hand over biometric data (digital photo, fingerprints of ten fingers). On the VFS GLOBAL website, you can make an appointment both at the embassy, the consulate general, and at the visa center.
4.1 Via Visa Application Center
Applications for obtaining the Finnish Schengen are accepted by VFS GLOBAL visa centers. Most of them work without an appointment.
Visiting the EC is allowed only for applicants. Accompanying persons are allowed only for minors, disabled people, senior citizens. There are no left-luggage offices in the centers, so they are not allowed with bulky bags. The security service can inspect hand luggage, a folder with documents.
In addition to receiving documents and submitting them to diplomatic missions, visa centers additionally provide the following services:
- 10 rub. photocopying/printing of documents;
- 200 rub. photographer/automatic camera;
- courier delivery and others.
The Moscow EC offers the Prime Time service for submitting documents in the evening (50 €), priority queue for 35 €, superior room for 50 €. The same services are also available to visitors to the exhibition centers in St. Petersburg and some other cities.
The package of documents and biometric data are transferred to the embassy / consulate of Finland. Employees of the EC only accept documents and do not affect the speed of consideration of the application, visa processing, residence permits.
4.2 Through the consulate
Visa departments of Finnish diplomatic missions in Russia accept applicants for residence permits and Schengen visas. To book a time for submission of documents, you need to register online.
Finnish diplomats do not provide additional services (photocopy, photo, etc.). Correctly collecting all the necessary documents allows preliminary consultation by phone of the visa department, e-mail.
5. Application for a visa to Finland
The Finnish Schengen visa application form can be completed in Finnish, Swedish, English, Russian. Priority is given to the first three. You need to fill in Latin letters, even if you write in Russian. You can do it by hand, but it is better to use the electronic visa application form on the VFS GLOBAL website. It will need to be printed along with the barcode, signed at the end and at paragraph 37.
The application for a residence permit must be completed only in Finnish, Swedish or English. All documents attached to it must also be translated into one of these languages.
5.1 Sample application form for a visa to Finland
There is no sample of filling out the questionnaire on the websites of the EC, but there is how to fill out an online questionnaire.
6. Documents for a visa to Finland: list from 2019
When preparing documents, it is necessary to make copies, and present the originals to the EC or diplomatic mission. This is important, because the Finns, apart from the passport, do not return any documents provided for obtaining a visa.
For a Schengen Finnish visa in 2019, you need to prepare:
- Questionnaire and barcode in case of online filling;
- Color photo;
- A valid travel document (aka) and an old one if it contained Schengen visas;
- Internal passport/birth certificate for persons under 18;
- Justification of the purpose of the trip;
- Consent to the processing of personal data.
If a multiple entry visa is requested, the insurance policy may only cover the first trip. Applicants for a residence permit, with the exception of students, are not required to take out an insurance policy.
6.1 Finland visa photo
To obtain permission to enter Finnish territory, you must provide:
- color, contrast;
- on a light background;
- face full face;
- size 36x47 mm with a head height of 25-35 mm;
- no more than six months old.
The image must not be retouched. The photo is pasted into the frame on the application form. The face should be in the middle of the frame. If the photo requirements are not met, the application may be rejected.
6.2 Visa documents for children
A birth certificate is attached to the visa application form of a minor, even if he is entered in the parents' passport. If children are traveling without parents/guardians, their consent to travel will be required.
The minor's travel permit must cover all Schengen countries and be:
- notarized;
- issued not earlier than a year ago;
- valid at the time of application and at least for the first trip.
Instead of consent, you can provide a death certificate, a certificate that the parent was not found, entered into the certificate according to the mother.
For children, a separate package of documents is submitted and a visa is obtained. It can be pasted both in the child's own passport and in the passport of one of the parents.
6.3 Additional documents for different types of visas
Finnish diplomats require proof of the purpose of the trip when considering an application for a Schengen residence permit. They are attached to the standard package of documents.
- booking a hotel;
- a letter from an accredited travel agency;
- if the trip is with a Russian citizen who owns Finnish real estate, copies of the visa of its owner and the contract of sale;
- if the trip is for shopping without an overnight stay, this can be reported in detail in any form on a separate sheet.
- an invitation from a Finnish medical institution;
- certificate from a Finnish doctor.
- invitation from a Finnish company;
- cover letter from the employer.
Seasonal berry picking, studies, participation in sports/cultural events require an invitation from the Finnish side.
Detailed information about the specifics of obtaining a residence permit in Finland is available on the embassy website.
How to get a Finnish Schengen (video):
7. How much is a visa to Finland
The processing time for Finnish visa applications depends on the number of applicants. The schedule for the approximate issuance of documents is updated weekly on the official website of the embassy and the consulate general. An accelerated consideration within 3 days is possible if a written justification is provided at the time of submission of documents. At the same time, tourist visas in the accelerated mode, as a rule, are not issued.
