Long trips always cause some concern: we worry that we forgot to fill out the necessary documents, made a mistake in our papers or tickets, and there will be unforeseen problems with crossing the border by transport. What do you need to travel to Finland? In this article we will provide a list of the necessary documents for a safe trip, tips on crossing the border and filling luggage.
international passport
What do you need to travel to Finland? The first and most important document is a passport. It will be he who will certify your identity outside the Russian Federation. They receive a document at the department of the FMS (Federal Migration Service), at the Migration Department of the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation.
Today, you can apply for a passport at the nearest MFC. Do not want to stand in line? An application for paperwork is also available on the Unified Portal of State Services. You can learn more about the procedure for completing this document on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Schengen
We continue to make out what is needed for a trip to Finland. The second necessary document is Schengen. Schengen visa, if we speak officially. This is a document that will give you the right to enter and stay in the Schengen states. It includes Finland and 25 other European countries.
Do I need a visa to travel to Finland? Yes, you need to issue a Schengen. To do this, contact the consular service of the Schengen state, where you plan to spend most of your trip. If this is Finland, then contact the consulate of this country. If you intend to get to Spain in transit through the northern neighbors, then you should still apply for a Spanish visa.
We found out that you need a visa to travel to Finland. If this is your first trip abroad, you can only apply for a single entry visa - for a single trip. Then, multiple visas for which you have the right to spend up to 90 days in each of the six months in the Schengen countries become available to you.
As for the issuance of Schengen at the consulate of Finland, the most humane conditions for Russians are put forward there. And if you live in the North-West of the Russian Federation (St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk, Murmansk), then your documents according to a simplified scheme will be accepted at the Consulate General (located in St. Petersburg). Residents of other federal districts submit documentation to the Embassy of Finland, located in Moscow.
Where can I apply? Directly at the Embassy or Consulate General. As well as in Finnish visa centers in the Russian Federation and through accredited travel agencies.
Experts advise you to apply for a visa no earlier than three months before the trip and no later than two weeks before it. The standard visa fee is 35 euros (2.6 thousand rubles). If you draw up a document through the visa center, then you must also pay for its services.
Insurance policy
Do I need insurance to travel to Finland? Yes, this is the third necessary document. And you will already need it at the stage when you start applying for a visa.
Be careful - you only need to buy the medical insurance policy that will be valid in the Schengen area. Buy it at any accredited insurance company. Today, many companies arrange it online, after which they send you a document by e-mail. Such a policy is quite simple to print.
What are the basic insurance requirements? Financial coverage should not be less than 30 thousand euros (about 2 million 242 thousand rubles), and the number of days during which the policy is valid, not less than the number of days of travel.
Features of entry into the country with children
What do you need to travel to Finland if you decide to go there with minors? The same documents are issued for children. At the same time, one must not forget to take with them their birth certificates.
If you are not traveling with your own children, you must provide notarized permission from their parents, guardians or guardians that adults are not opposed to traveling with your child.
Travelling by car
What documents are needed for a trip to Finland if you are planning to go by car? The same plus the so-called "green card". This is an international insurance policy that is drawn up for a vehicle. In its functions, it resembles the domestic OSAGO system.
What do you need to travel to Finland by car? Additionally, it is worth issuing a policy - “green card”. This can be done at any of the insurance companies. Validity period - from 15 days to 1 year. Tariffs for paperwork are different for firms.
If you are not going to rent a car abroad, you can go with a Russian driver’s license. Also bring your vehicle registration certificate with you. If you are driving a car by proxy, then the document must necessarily indicate permission to travel abroad on this vehicle. Of course, such a document will not interest border guards from the Finnish side. But they may not be released from the Russian Federation without him.
Travel Destination Confirmation
What you need to know when traveling to Finland? Be aware that if you are not traveling in an organized group, you will need to confirm the purpose of your visit to the country. This is not difficult to do - with the help of purchased tickets, hotel room printouts, letters of invitation from relatives, etc.
Travel Tips
Here are some tips from people who have already traveled to Finland:
- The highest chance to get a multivisa (permission for multiple trips to the Schengen area for 6, 12, 24 months) is at the Consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg. The failure rate here is the lowest - it does not exceed 1% of all applicants. The document is issued without delay, right on time.
- If you apply for a visa at the consulate of Finland in the hope that you will receive permission to enter other European countries, remember one thing: this country should be the first point on the route. Otherwise, there is a good chance that you will be returned home with a canceled visa.
- A Finnish visa is usually issued for 7–10 days after your application. Therefore, the application should be submitted on a date as close as possible to the start of your trip.
- Health insurance must begin to operate strictly from the day on which you submit documents to the consulate or visa center.
- Despite the fact that a Schengen policy is enough for 30 thousand euros (2 million 242 thousand rubles), travelers are advised to opt for insurance of 35-50 thousand euros (from 2 million 6 thousand to 3 million 7 thousand rubles) . The fact is that in such cases free delivery of the sick or injured to their homeland is provided.
- If the child travels with one of the parents, the written consent of the second is no longer necessary. It is important that the other parent does not leave a written disagreement.
- If the child and the parent have different surnames, then to confirm kinship it is not superfluous to take a birth certificate with you on a trip. The question with whom you travel is often asked by minors on the Finnish border.
What do you need on a trip?
In addition to the above documents, do not forget to put the following in a suitcase:
- Medication. It is important to collect everything that you may need. These are necessarily remedies for the common cold, colds and other diseases of the upper respiratory tract, activated charcoal and other drugs for diarrhea, poisoning, antipyretic and painkillers. At your choice - antibiotics. The fact is that in European pharmacies it is problematic to buy even the most common drug - a doctor’s prescription is required, the reception of which will turn into a round sum for a foreigner. It is better to refuse the usual sedatives, for example, Corvalol - if they contain phenobarbital, then they are definitely prohibited in Europe.
- The main means of payment in Finland are plastic bank cards. But at the same time, you still need to worry so that some share of the budget is in your hands in the form of cash. In case of the same computer failure. Be careful when using Russian cards abroad - the bank will deduct a considerable percentage from you for the conversion. Moreover, twice if the main currency of your bank is the dollar. That is, a commission will be taken for the transfer of rubles into dollars, and then also for the transfer of dollars into euros.
This is not worth taking ...
Give up the idea of taking meat and dairy products with you on a trip. As practice shows, the Finnish border guards are not too close to this, but still follow.
Anti-radars and radar detectors fall under an absolute ban. If you find such a device, then the smallest consequence will be the confiscation of the device and the imposition of a fine. In some cases, they can cancel the visa. Read the specifications of your dashcam in the car. Some of these devices may be equipped with a radar detector by default.
Do not be nervous on the Finnish border if you are not going to do something illegal. The verification procedure itself takes a minimum of time today. You should not hide from the border guards the fact that Finland is not the final point of your visit, but that you are following it through transit. Indeed, the true purpose of travel is easy for them to find out from their own databases.