In 2019, Finland, neighboring Russia, did not change the entry rules for foreigners. A Schengen state admits citizens of the Russian Federation into its territory according to the rules of United Europe. To obtain an entry document required to visit the country, it is mandatory to submit an application for a visa to Finland.
The Finnish visa application form is mandatory. Without it, the diplomatic missions of the northern European power will not start processing an entry document. It's easy to fill out. Especially if you use our tips.
Before you start filling out a visa application, you should select the type of travel document to Finland. There are two of them:
- Schengen visa.
- Residence permit (similar to a long-term visa).
Russians making a short visit to a neighboring country will need to fill out an application form for a Schengen visa to Finland. Long-term stay in the republic requires the submission of another application. In this case, an application for a residence permit or a residence and work permit is drawn up.
Schengen visa application
An application for a Schengen visa to Finland is submitted if a foreigner is not going to stay in the country permanently. The visit to the Republic of Finland is limited to 3 months within half a year.
The main rules for applying for such a visa:
- The visa application is filled in one of the following ways:
- Or online on the website. This option is recommended in order to facilitate and speed up the process of consideration of appeals.
- Or in paper form - the application form for a visa to Finland can be taken at the visa center or downloaded on the Internet. It is important to use a form consisting of 4, and not 3 sheets, as before. It is allowed to fill out the document on a computer or by hand (with blue or black ink). It is worth considering that the embassy and consulates do not accept the paper version. This method of entering data is allowed to be used only when applying to the visa center.
- A separate application is submitted for each participant of the trip, including children included in the parental passport.
- To fill out a Finnish visa application form, you should prepare:
- International passport.
- General passport.
- Accurate information about the company-employer.
- Home zip code.
- The address in the Nordic state where the citizen plans to stay.
- Data of the inviting person (natural or legal).
- Routes, reservations, tickets.
- Information is entered in Latin in one of the following languages:
- Russian.
- English.
- Finnish.
- Swedish.
Thus, some fields are filled in Russian, but with Latin letters.
The nuances of filling out an online questionnaire
- It is not enough to simply fill out an application online. After entering all the information, the form should be printed, signed and submitted with other documents. Papers are submitted either directly to the embassy / consulate, or through a visa center or an accredited travel agency.
- Applications sent only in electronic form will not be considered. The visa applicant should not send the application form by email or fax.
- If during the filling process an error crept in, noticed by the user after he printed the document, it's okay. The applicant needs to return to the system under his name and make corrections. After that, you should print the corrected version of the questionnaire. Corrections by strikethrough or corrector are not allowed.
- In the process of entering information into an application for issuing a Finnish Schengen, a unique barcode is created. It is printed and submitted along with the completed application.
- The electronic visa application form is considered valid within 14 days after completion. If you delay submitting the form, you will have to fill it out again.
Sign up for an application
You can sign up for the submission of documents to the diplomatic mission of Finland or the visa application center:
- On the vfs global portal.
- By phone: +7 (499) 70-349-71 or +7 (499) 70-455-92.
It is also allowed to come to the visa center without an appointment.
As for the diplomatic departments, the rules of their work differ. For example, the embassy accepts applicants for a visa and in the order of the general queue. But the possibility of this on a particular day should be clarified in advance (there are some nuances). The Consulate General in St. Petersburg accepts strictly by appointment. The main thing is to arrive no later than 2 weeks from the date of filling out the questionnaire.
Instructions for filling out the online questionnaire
- Choose a place to apply.
- Complete electronic registration by entering your email as login and creating a password.
- In the future (for example, to make corrections to the application), applicants enter an email address and password.
- Enter detailed information about yourself.
- If the application is submitted for a child under 18 years of age, additional information (about the parent / guardian) is entered.
- Provide contact and employment information.
- Tell me about the trip in detail.
- In case of transit, a separate column is filled.
- Tell about the planned stay in a European country for the purpose of the visit (include information about the host):
- Business trip.
- Tourism.
- Private visit.
- Optionally, enter additional information and complete the work with the questionnaire by clicking the "Submit" button.
- Upload a file with a visa application and print it (on one or two sides of A4 sheets).
- You can book an appointment right away:
- to the embassy/consulate.
- Visa Center.
- Put a signature in paragraph No. 37 and on the last page at the bottom. If a multiple-entry visa is requested, an item on the purchase of an insurance policy for all trips is signed. For children under 18, a legal representative (mother / father, guardian, trustee) signs.
What to look for when filling out the questionnaire
- Colons are not used.
- The name and surname are written in the same way as in the passport.
- If the applicant's surname has changed several times, all options are written with a space (not a comma).
- Dates are specified in day/month/year format (example: 09/03/1994).
- In the “Country of birth” item, SOVIET UNION is selected from the proposed options if the applicant was born in the USSR.
- The address is indicated starting with the street name (example: Lenina 28/5 SAMARA).
- In the electronic application form, you can only indicate the last visa received, and not all previous ones.
- In paragraph No. 36 and at the end of the form, the date of signing the questionnaire and the locality where it was done is put.
Residence and work permit
Applications for such permits are submitted by foreigners who wish to settle in the republic for a long period of time. All forms are available on the websites of Finnish diplomatic missions and government agencies in Finland.
For example, it is recommended to fill out a form for permission to stay for education and work on the website. Other application forms and applications can be found on the portal of the Migration Service of the Nordic Power. They are collected in the Lomakkeet section.
The required information is entered in Finnish, Swedish or English. Applications completed electronically must be printed and signed. For children under 15, the application is signed by a parent or guardian. In the petitions of teenagers aged 15-17, both the teenager and his legal representative sign.
After submitting an application and related papers for a Finnish Schengen or residence permit, the applicant has to wait for an answer on his dossier. Consideration of each application for a short-term visa lasts about 10 days. Questionnaires of candidates for a long-term stay are studied from 1 to 4 months. It all depends on the specific case and the reasons for entry (study, work, etc.).
