Today, the flow of citizens crossing the border with Finland is consistently high. In 2019, more than 700 thousand visas were issued only to residents of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Murmansk and Petrozavodsk. Knowing the sequence of paperwork and the correctness of their filling will significantly save time and money.
Main document list
The main document that allows you to cross the Finnish border is a Schengen visa. You can get it at the embassy (or consulate) of the country that will be the main place of stay. If the final stop is Finland, then you should contact the Finnish migration service, and if Norway - then the Norwegian.
To apply for a visa, you must fill out a form.
Required forms in Russian (in pdf / docx format);
- Sample in English (in WORD format).
Migration cards differ in purpose and the estimated length of stay of the visitor.
Schengen visa type C
The period of stay in the country is up to 5 years. This could be:
- Business, work visa (if there is an invitation from the employer, business partner);
- Guest room (there must be a call from relatives or friends).
Subspecies:
C1 - for entry for a period up to 30 days;
- C2 - given for 90 days (must be used within six months);
- C3 – 90 days (period of relevance - one year);
- C4 – for 90 days (1-5 years).
Tourist
A simple tourist visa is for travelers who want to get to know the country. Duration of action - up to 3 months.
National (category D)
Holders of a national long-term visa are entitled to cross the border with Finland for the following reasons:
- For education;
- For treatment at local medical centers;
- For family reasons (marriage).
Transit visa
A short-term permit of this type to enter Finland will only allow you to cross the border, but you will have to obtain a visa from the migration service of the country of destination.
Multiple visa
It is given for up to 180 days, and a long-term multivisa - for a year or more. Each subspecies has individual characteristics - it depends on the reason for the arrival of a citizen in the country.
Rules for providing the necessary documents:
- Requirements for photographs - must be colored and not older than six months, size - 36 x 47 mm, background color - gray, without dark glasses;
- Requirements for financial guarantees - usually a bank statement on cash flows for the last 3 months is enough;
- Requirements for a medical policy - a medical certificate is made at any insurance office, the validity period must correspond to the duration of stay in Finland (from 7 to 30 days), and the amount of coverage is from 30 thousand euros;
- To the sponsorship letter - the person paying for the trip must confirm their source of income;
- To the passport - it must be valid within (at least) 3 months from the date of the expiry of the visa;
- For tickets - travel documents must ensure entry into the country and exit strictly within the specified period;
- To insurance - if the move is carried out for the purpose of employment, the employer is obliged to take out social insurance for the entire period of the visa;
- For a certificate from work - the document must contain information about the position, the amount of wages, the length of service;
- To proof of residence - the applicant is obliged to provide a hotel reservation or documentary evidence that he will be provided with housing;
- For other documents, you will have to go through the procedure for submitting biometric data (fingerprints), this is done every 5 years.
Visa cost:
- Consular fee - 35 euros;
- Service fee - EUR 27.
For reference! A child under 5 years of age is exempt from payment of funds.
Additional documents, in which cases are needed
Other papers that consular officials may require when traveling with children:
- International passport and visa for a child;
- The result of the biometric verification procedure passed, if the minor is over 12 years old;
- If the child travels with only one of the parents, then the second must write a consent to his travel, certified by a notary visa;
- Medical insurance certificate of a minor citizen.
When traveling by private vehicle, you will need a Green Card, its possible validity period is from 15 days up to a year. You should also have your car documents with you. And if the car is owned by a third party, then you will have to issue a power of attorney with a note about the possibility of traveling abroad.
The procedure for the formation of a package of documents
First of all, a questionnaire is filled out. It is the basis for collecting the rest of the documents.
All other actions must be performed in accordance with the sequence proposed by the employees of the Finnish Migration Service: each type of Schengen visa is unique and will require different additional papers.
Instructions for filling out a visa application form
Large cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg) allow filling out and sending questionnaires exclusively online. Residents of Murmansk are encouraged to fill out a document online, and then print it out and hand over to employees in person. In Petrozavodsk, the document will be accepted only during a full-time visit to the consulate.
In addition to official institutions in Russia, there is an intermediary organization VFS Global, in addition to large cities, its branches are located in 14 regions.
Step-by-step instructions for filling out the application form online:
- Open the website of the visa center aidazanami.ru;
- In the fields you must enter personal data: name, surname, email address, telephone. Create and remember a password (8-15 characters with numbers, letters and special characters);
- Enter the code "antibot" (captcha);
- Click the "Save" button;
- Wait for the letter that will be sent by the system to the specified mailbox, confirm the registration;
- Now you have to go to the link www.vfsvisaservicesrussia.com;
- Enter registration data and enter your personal account;
- The system will open the first page of the questionnaire. The fields should be filled in in Latin letters;
- After filling out the first sheet, the same should be done with the rest of the pages. It is recommended to indicate only relevant and reliable information;
- When the data is entered, the system will offer to click on the "Submit" button. The document will be on the server for two weeks, then it will be automatically deleted.
Important:
- Now you can print the form. A single entry visa must be signed by the applicant 3 times, and a multivisa - 4. The application form of a child under 14 years old is endorsed by one of the parents;
- The "PLACE AND DATE" column is filled in twice: you need to set the time and place of filling;
- All phones must start with the number "7";
- If, in addition to cash, the applicant has a bank card in his hands, this should be mentioned in the "Additional information" field;
- It is important to use only black or blue ink for your recordings. Blots and corrections are not allowed;
- Be sure to pay attention to the place of registration: city and name of the organization (consulate, visa center).
Sample filling (sample pages).
If the information about the applicant is indicated incorrectly, most likely the employees of the migration service will refuse to issue a visa.
Where to apply for a visa to Finland
You can find out about the nearest institution for registration on the website. Here is a list of embassies and consulates in Russia.
Embassy of Finland in Moscow:
| The address: | 119034, Moscow, Kropotkinskiy per., 15-17 |
| Schedule: | Monday - Friday from 09:00 to 17:00 |
| Of. site: | www.finland.org.ru |
| Telephone: | +7 (495) 787-41-74 |
| Email: | [email protected] |
| Fax: | +7 (499) 255-33-80 |
Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow:
| The address: | 115191, Moscow, st. Mytnaya, 66 |
| Schedule: | Monday - Friday from 08:00 to 16:00 - submission and receipt of documents |
| Official site: | visa.finland.eu/Russia/Moscow |
| Telephone: | +7 (499) 703-49-71; +7 (499) 704-55-92; Monday - Friday from 09:00 to 18:00. |
| Email: | [email protected] |
Finland Visa Application Center in St. Petersburg:
| The address: | 191025, St. Petersburg, st. Stremyannaya, 21/5 (at the corner from Marata St., 5) |
| Schedule: | Monday - Friday from 08:00 to 16:00 - submission and receipt of documents |
| Official site: | visa.finland.eu/ |
| Telephone: | +7(812) 309-40-81; +7 (812) 426-39-42. |
| Email: | [email protected] |
After filling out the questionnaire, a letter will be sent to the mailbox, where further instructions for paperwork and their list will be indicated.
Ways to submit documents
You should come to the visa center in person after reviewing the application form at the appointed time. A notification will be sent to your e-mail box about this.
If you decide to use the Consulate General of Finland, then you need to come with a questionnaire and the entire package of documents after the staff has determined the date of the interview.
Visa waiting time after submission of documents
On average, a visa is issued 2.5-3 weeks. You must arrive at the migration office by appointment, which starts at the beginning of each month.
If for some reason it was not possible to arrive in person, then the documents will have to be resubmitted.
Reasons for refusal:
- The applicant has violated EU laws or immigration rules on previous trips;
- There is a criminal record;
- Inconsistency of the information specified in the questionnaire and the documents provided, often applicants make mistakes when filling out.
Important! If a Schengen visa is refused, the cost of the medical certificate will be refunded, but the consular fee will not.
The citizen will be notified of the reasons with detailed information and options for further action. Sometimes it will be enough to independently collect additional information or write an explanatory note.
It is also not prohibited to file an appeal, the answer to which will follow in 2-3 weeks.
There are refusals to apply for a Finnish visa, but this is a fairly rare case - less than 1%. A citizen has the right to appeal against the decision of employees of the Finnish migration services or re-submit documents if he is sure that he is in the right place.
The best option to quickly get a Schengen visa is to apply to the visa centers. Here you can not only pay all the fees, but also take a photo, consult about the list of required documents, and fill out the application form correctly.
