Russia and Finland are linked by centuries-old historical, cultural and economic ties. This country is rich in attractions, its shopping centers have a lot of affordable goods, and from its airports you can get to anywhere in Europe. It is not surprising that more than 3.5 million Russians visit Suomi every year. It is easier to obtain a Finnish visa for citizens of the Russian Federation, especially those living near the border, than visas of other Schengen countries. But for planning a trip, how is the readiness of a visa to Finland checked, in order to immediately pick up the finished document.
How quickly a visa is issued
Formally, the maximum period for considering an application, checking documents and making a decision at the consulates of Finland is 30 days. If an employee of the diplomatic mission discovers any inconsistencies, he has the right to call the applicant for an additional interview and request missing, revised or corrected documents. In such cases, the total time for issuing a visa to Finland can take up to 60 days.
In practice, it is extremely rare to wait for such a long time to receive a document. The specific time frame for obtaining a decision varies depending on the correctness of the accompanying documents submitted, the time of year (in high season and holidays you need to wait longer), the weekend schedule and the total workload of the consulate staff, but on average, residents of St. Petersburg and other cities of the North-Eastern District of the Russian Federation can expect to receive a decision within a week. For residents of other regions, the average period is a little longer - about 12 days.
The given deadlines for obtaining a visa to Finland are relevant for an application submitted according to the standard procedure. If there is a need to get a solution in a shorter time frame (for example, when buying last minute tours), there is an opportunity to order an urgent visa (also known as an "express visa").
At the same time, the processing time will be reduced to 3 days, and the obligatory consular fee will double and amount to 70 €, not 35.
How to check the readiness of a Finnish visa
During the preparation of the trip, many people have a question of how to find out the readiness of a visa to Finland. This is done in any case by contacting the organization to which you applied.
Acceptance of documents for a Finnish visa is handled by:
- Embassy of Finland in Russia (located in Moscow);
- Consulate General (located in St. Petersburg);
- regional branches of the consulate (there are in Petrozavodsk and Murmansk);
- Finnish official visa center in St. Petersburg or another city of the Russian Federation;
- All-Russian multifunctional center (MFC) "My Documents" (accepts documents online);
- intermediary firms, including private visa centers and travel agencies.
When choosing between these organizations, keep in mind that if the CC and intermediaries can help with the paperwork, then when you submit an application to the diplomatic mission on your own, you will not receive any additional advice from the staff.
After submitting an application, you can contact each of the listed organizations in person and by phone. Some of them also provide online verification and SMS alert services.
What information is needed for tracking
If you want to track your own submitted application, then in all cases you will need a foreign or civil passport. You may also need a receipt for payment of the visa fee.
If you applied through an official VC, you will need the ICR check number, which you will receive after paying the consular fee; such a check is attached to the contract.
Finally, if you use the services of private intermediaries, you may be asked for the number of the contract concluded with you or the account issued in your name.
How to track
Finland visa tracking can be done in the following main ways:
- personal visit - available to all organizations accepting the application, except for the MFC;
- phone call - similar to a personal visit, except for the consulate;
- online check is available at the MFC, visa center and some private intermediaries;
- SMS notification is available at visa centers and from some companies.
Let's take a closer look at each of these methods.
Online check
The question of whether it is possible to check the readiness of a Finnish visa online is more relevant every year, because online technologies are available to most Russians, and the accelerating pace of city life makes personal visits and even phone calls difficult.
The algorithm for finding out the status via the Internet differs depending on how you applied for a permit. If the application was submitted online using My Documents, then the verification is carried out according to the recommendations of this organization.
If you have contacted private intermediaries or travel agencies, the possibility of checking through the Internet and instructions for using this option should be clarified with the employee serving you during the paperwork.
Finally, you can find out if a visa to Finland ordered through a consulate, embassy or visa center is ready using the official website of the Finnish visa center in St. Petersburg or the website of the VC in Moscow.
In the form that opens, you need to enter the number of the registration number received in the center (always with letters, numbers and signs, for example, PEAC / 220615/0844/01) and either your last name in Latin (just like in your passport), or your date of birth. After entering all the data, you need to click the Submit button.
If the data you entered corresponds to the information about applicants for entry to Suomi, located in the center's database, then you will receive a response with the status of your application.
In case of an error in the entered data, you will receive a notification in red at the bottom of the screen and you can correct the entered data and try to check again.
Personal visit
If you do not have access to the Internet or do not trust remote methods, you can find out the readiness of a visa to Finland through the visa center by a personal visit. Since visits to this organization, as well as the embassies and consulates of Finland are carried out only by appointment, you first have to call:
- The embassy, located in Moscow, provides information on the status of applications and makes an appointment by phone +7 (495) 787-41-74.
- The Consulate General in St. Petersburg provides information and records visitors by phone +7 (812) 331-76-03.
- The EC in St. Petersburg has the following telephones for inquiries and preliminary appointments: +7 (812) 309-28-89 and +7 (812) 424-46-66. The Moscow Center provides information and records clients by phone numbers +7 (499) 703-49-71 and +7 (499) 704-55-92.
- Of course, you need to call all institutions during business hours, which usually lasts from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays.
Of course, a telephone conversation and, moreover, a visit will take more time and effort than an online check. But this way you can not only check the readiness of the visa through the Finnish Visa Application Center, but also immediately pick up the document if it is already ready, as well as consult an employee on other issues of interest to you.
Verification via SMS
All official diplomatic missions of Suomi and visa centers, as well as some private companies, provide the opportunity to check a visa to Finland for readiness using SMS notifications. To do this, you just need to order the appropriate service when you apply for a visa.
The cost of such a service in the EC is about 100 rubles. As soon as your permission is ready, you will receive an SMS to the number you specified in the application form. After that, all that remains is to come with a passport from abroad, having previously made an appointment.
Visa statuses
By checking online, you can see the following Finland visa status:
- “Application received by the consulate” - this status is set by default as soon as the diplomatic mission officer accepts your application.
- “Application under consideration” - this means that the procedures for checking documents on your application have already begun, but are still in progress.
- “Documents are ready” - means that you can book the date of your visit and pick up a ready visa at the consulate or other organization to which you applied;
- “Rejected” - this status means that as a result of the inspection, the Finnish authorities have decided not to grant you a permit to visit the Schengen area. According to statistics, a little more than 0.5% of applicants receive such an answer.
The exact wording of the statuses depends on the specifics of the verification method you use.
Visa issuance procedure
After receiving a notification that the visa is ready, you need to call the organization to which you applied and make an appointment. You may need a previously issued ICR check. If you pick up documents for a third party, then you will definitely need a notarized power of attorney in your name.
Be sure to check that the visa sticker contains your passport details, its validity period and type (obtaining a tourist visa instead of a working one is fraught with serious problems), the seal of the consulate and the signature of the employee who issued the visa. If there are mistakes in the finished visa, ask to correct them and immediately make an appointment for the next appointment: corrections rarely take more than a day.
Certified VCs provide additional services. The most useful of them is courier delivery of a finished passport with a visa to the address you specified.
If you do not want to pay for the courier's services, but at the same time do not have the opportunity to attend the reception in the first half of the day, you can issue the “prime-time delivery” option. This will allow you to schedule a visit to obtain a visa for the period from 16.00 to 18.00 on any weekday, and will cost 4.5 euros.
Conclusion
On average, issuing a permit to enter Suomi takes from a week to 10 days. There are several ways to track the readiness of a visa to Finland. The fastest and most convenient of them is the online check on the website of the Finnish Visa Application Center. In order to use it, it is imperative to keep the ICR check issued when filling out the application.
Instead of periodically checking the status of the application, you can simply order the delivery of ready-made documents to your home.
