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Finland Visa Policy

Read all about the visa law of Finland and check the visa requirements for your nationality.

Visa Policy for Finland

The visa policy of Finland outlines the foreign residents who are listed as visa-exempt, as well as those who need a visa to enter the state.

Finnish visa requirements differ for all visitors depending on nationality, the purpose of the visit, and the expected period of stay.

As Finland is one of the 26 countries that form the Schengen Area, Finnish visa law is the same as the other European countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement for passport-free travel.

Accordingly, travelers from any Schengen country can gain freedom of movement to Finland by simply presenting a valid ID Card at a border checkpoint.

Citizens of countries that are visa-exempt but do not form part of the Schengen zone are required to travel with a valid passport, to gain entry to Finland for short length stays and specific purposes.

However, although these countries will remain visa-free, by 2022 their citizens will need to apply for an electronic travel authorization (ETIAS) to travel to Finland for the same periods and travel purposes.

Once approved, an ETIAS for Finland will be linked automatically to the traveler’s passport and allow multiple entries for 90-day stays in the Schengen Area during its validity, .

Those who wish to visit Finland for longer consecutive stays, as well as citizens not eligible for ETIAS, will need to apply for a Schengen visa from a Finnish embassy or consulate before departure from their country of residence.

An eVisa or a visa on arrival for Finland is not currently available.

In the boxes below you can find further information about each visa or travel authorization type for Finland.

Tourist Visa Policy for Finland

Finnish tourist visa law currently states that there are over 90 countries who do not need to hold a visa to travel to Finland for tourism, while citizens of approximately 150 territories need to hold an approved Schengen tourist visa.

Finnish visa policy establishes that an embassy tourist visa, also known as a Schengen visa, needs to be obtained at the nearest diplomatic government office of Finland to the applicant.

Tourists who are visa-free are able to gain entry to Finland and any other Schengen country by presenting a valid passport. If the visitor is from another Schengen country, an ID Card is also valid and they have freedom of movement through the entire Area.

In 2022, all visitors not listed as visa-required who are arriving from a non-Schengen country will have to hold an electronic travel authorization (ETIAS) in addition to a passport, to visit Finland for tourism. A Finnish ETIAS can be obtained through a simple online application form.

Check this page to see which visa type is required for your nationality to visit Finland, or if you may visit without a Finnish tourist visa.

ETIAS for Finland

In 2022 the European Commission will be implementing an electronic travel authorization, ETIAS visa waiver, which will be mandatory for all visitors that are visa-exempt for Finland and the Schengen Area for short stays.

The ETIAS travel authorization is a multiple entry online visa waiver, which, once approved, will allow holders to gain multiple entries to any of the 26 Schengen Area countries during its validity. The total stay permitted with each entry is 90 days within every 180-day period.

An approved ETIAS for Finland permits travel to the Schengen zone for purposes of tourism, transit, business, or medical treatment.

In order to apply for ETIAS Finland, eligible citizens will be required to complete a simple online form, which will only take a few minutes, with basic personal, passport, and travel information.

As this visa waiver program is being introduced with the intention of increasing the border protection of the Schengen passport-free zone, it will also be necessary to answer a few security and health questions before submitting the form.

The information provided by the individual will then be checked against numerous European security databases before the application can be approved, which in some, cases will only take a matter of minutes.

Once approved, a Finnish ETIAS is electronically linked to the same passport used to complete the online form and is valid for 3 years from approval, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.

See below for a full list of the nationalities that will need an ETIAS online authorization for Finland once it is implemented.

Get Embassy Info

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

The visa law of Finland states that around 150 countries need to hold a Schengen visa if they are planning a trip to the country, regardless of travel purpose of the intended period of stay.

A Schengen visa is an embassy or consular visa for a Schengen Area country. Unlike ETIAS, It is usually approved for an individual Schengen country and not for the entire zone.

The protocol to apply first requires the traveler to schedule a visa appointment at the nearest Finnish embassy or consulate, and bring along a completed embassy visa form filled in with personal, passport, and travel information.

Different supporting documents will be required depending on the purpose of the intended stay, whether the applicant needs a tourist visa, business visa, student visa, work visa, or other visa type for Finland.

The individual must also present a passport valid for at least 3 months from the expected arrival date in Finland and the Schengen Area, and pay the embassy visa processing fee before the application can be approved.

Holders of an approved Schengen Finland visa will usually be allowed to stay in the country for up 90 days within every 180-day period. It is also possible to apply for a multiple entry visa, depending on the travel purpose, although travelers will be requested to justify the reason for their visit.

The list below shows all the nationalities that are visa-required according to the Finnish visa policy.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
Get Embassy Info

Visa Not Required

The visa policy of Finland, in accordance with the visa regulation of the Schengen Area, establishes that there are currently over 90 countries whose citizens can travel to the country without holding a visa or travel authorization.

Any visitor arriving from another Schengen country in possession of a valid National ID Card can gain entry to Finland for an unlimited period, as they have freedom of movement inside the Schengen Area.

Other visa-exempt travelers, from countries outside the Schengen Area, will have to present a valid passport at Finnish borders, to gain entry for purposes such as tourism, transit, or business for a total permitted stay of up to 90 days.

For the same periods of stay and permitted purposes, these same travelers will be required to obtain an ETIAS visa waiver to travel to Finland and the Schengen Area, once this online travel authorization system is implemented by 2022.

An approved ETIAS will allow the holder multiple short stays in all 26 Schengen countries (including Finland) during its 3-year validity, or until the associated passport expires. Find more about the ETIAS authorization in the dedicated box above.

However, if travelers from a non-Schengen country need to travel to Finland for a longer stay or other allowed purposes, such as to study or work, they will need to apply for a Schengen visa well in advance of the expected departure date.

The list below contains all the nationalities who are currently visa-exempt for citizens Finland.

Visa Not Required: Country list

Click on the links below to find out more about each country
Get Embassy Info

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