Obtaining a Finnish visa in St. Petersburg is not difficult. They apply either to the consulate general or to the visa center. Marata is a street in the city center, a five-minute walk from the exit of the Mayakovskaya metro station. Even the guest of the city will not get confused.
Consulate or visa center?
Filing documents through the Finland Visa Application Center is more expensive than applying to the consulate, but there is one caveat that forces almost everyone who needs a visa to apply to Marata 5. The Finland Visa Application Center accepts almost everyone. It is enough to provide:
- certificate of employment in the city;
- registration or temporary registration;
- certificate from the place of study.
How to get?
You can make an appointment via the Internet or by phone, you can come and get an appointment in a live queue. About two dozen windows are constantly open, where experienced, competent specialists accept documents.
But it’s almost impossible to register at the consulate. Try to go to the site and select "Consulate General". Most likely, the message “No dates available for recording” will appear. You can catch the moment of recording at the consulate for months, and never guess. Therefore, tourists are forced to apply to the visa center.
Another alternative, however, is significantly more expensive - cooperation with travel agencies. But remember, the documents submitted to them will still go to the Finnish visa center in St. Petersburg, so there is no sense in such mediation.
What do you need to get a visa?
Visiting the Visa Application Center (5 Marata), the applicant must have a complete set of documents with him. Otherwise, it will be deployed, they will offer to come to the reception later, having collected all the papers. What do you need to bring with you to prevent such an unpleasant situation? First of all, a passport. In addition to it, you must fill out a questionnaire. You can do this in advance, and then go directly to the existing account right in the visa center and print the document from there. In addition to it, a data processing agreement is filled out. There are samples in the center, everyone can use them, forms are also issued.
The visa center of Finland in St. Petersburg is equipped with photo booths. To get a visa, you need to provide your fresh photo that meets the requirements. Installed on Marat, 5 booths take pictures exactly as needed by the Finnish consulate. You can safely use them. The service is inexpensive, 100-150 rubles.
Insurance is not a problem
There, where he works for Marat, the 5th visa center of Finland, all the time there are agents of insurance companies. Coming out of the subway, a person is literally immediately surrounded by employees of various companies, burning with a desire to sell him insurance. Employees helpfully clarify whether you are heading to the visa center and offer inexpensive services. Surprisingly, it is a fact: this business works. Despite the warning about the need for insurance on the site where ordinary people draw up a visa application form, many still forget about it.
You can issue a policy right on the street, on the road from the metro. Want to save? Think about it in advance, analyze different offers. Many companies arrange insurance electronically, remotely. The policy is sent by e-mail, to submit documents you need to print it. The visa center of Finland accepts such a document without question, so you can not be afraid of unpleasant situations. However, this does not mean that fakes are acceptable, so avoid phony insurers. After receiving the documents are thoroughly checked.
How much to pay?
It's no secret, you can save if you apply for a visa not through private traders, but by visiting the Visa Application Center in Marat. The cost of a visa in this case consists of two points: the price of the visa and the service fee levied by the organization for its services. Specific relevant figures can be found on the website of the Embassy of Finland. In 2016-2017, the price was as follows: 35 euros for a visa and 26.75 euros for the services of the center itself.
Finland Visa Application Center has an extended price list for services. In particular, it will be necessary to pay more (about 70 euros) to those who need urgent paperwork. A separate price list is designed for those who apply to go to work, study, move to a permanent or temporary place of residence, and obtain a visa for the bride / groom.
Students wishing to study in Finland must first determine if they need to pay a visa fee. Some programs at major universities allow you to study without this fee. As a rule, these are long-term (from six months or more) programs. If it was not possible to receive information directly at the university on time, ask for help from an employee of the visa center. He can contact the consul who can help with the matter.
When to come?
Have you decided to submit documents to the visa center of Finland (Marat)? Opening hours - from 8 am to 4 pm. You can get at any time from Monday to Friday. Don't want to book in advance? Come at a convenient time. You can stand in a live queue. Service is fast, as it takes several dozen specialists at the same time.
Visa Application Center (Marata 5) values every client. Attentive and polite guards will help you find an apparatus for issuing coupons. At the entrance, a trained employee will check all the documents, specify whether there was a preliminary record, find the client in the lists. If the person applying for a visa can count on special services, they will offer him at the entrance.
Do not hesitate, all the employees of the visa center speak excellent Russian, fluent in English, many also speak Finnish.
Additional services
The Visa Application Center (5 Marat, corner with Stremyannaya Street) is equipped with fingerprint readers. In recent years, only those who have fingerprinted at a consulate, embassy or visa center can get a Schengen visa . If the prints were submitted once, you do not need to do this again. If the procedure has not been carried out before, the client will be offered to go to the equipped area.
Fingerprints in individual booths. Everything that happens is hidden from the eyes of other visitors. When entering Finland, you will need to put your finger on a special scanner, the fingerprint on the visa and the machine scanned will be reconciled automatically. This identification has proven itself as the most reliable.
In addition, the visa center offers to serve the visitor after hours. To do this, you must submit an application in the established form. Such a service costs money, but is highly appreciated by people interested in avoiding the hype and publicly disclosing their actions. This is irreplaceable for businessmen who do not have the opportunity to find a free minute during the working day. Special conditions are provided to serve people with disabilities.