To travel to Finland, Russian citizens must know how to obtain a visa to Finland on their own. It is enough to find out what documents are needed to obtain it. Finland is located in the territory of the Schengen zone, so to visit this country you will need to apply for a Schengen visa. What is a Schengen visa? Such a visa gives the right to stay in the entire zone for no more than three months.
Visa to Finland yourself: necessary documents
Documents for obtaining a Finnish visa should be prepared in advance, but not earlier than three months before the date of the planned trip. You will need the following documents:
- international passport;
- completed application form signed by the applicant;
- color photo;
- an invitation with the name of the one who invites and the one who is invited;
- confirmation of a booked hotel room or travel agency voucher;
- internal passport;
- insurance policy issued for the entire period of the trip, valid in the Schengen area;
Visa to Finland on your own: design features
You can make an appointment at the visa center on the website online. After submitting all the necessary documents you will have to wait for the registration itself. As a rule, this procedure lasts from 6 to 9 days. But these are inaccurate terms, since it is not always possible to get a visa on the date indicated on the form. If a visa is needed urgently, then you will have to justify documented that there really is an urgent need to travel to Finland. An urgent visa is issued in three days and its cost is twice as much as usual. Getting a visa in the usual way will cost you 35 euros, urgent registration - 70 euros.
Visa to Finland on your own: types
There are three types of visas, each of which is issued taking into account the terms and objectives of the visit. If the duration of the trip is not more than three months, a single entry visa is issued. You can visit Finland on such a visa only once and stay in the country for a maximum of three months, in accordance with the terms indicated in the document. If Finland is used as an intermediate point for entry into a third country, a transit visa is issued . At the same time, you can stay in the country for a maximum of five days. If you have to regularly visit Finland for work, then a multiple-entry visa is suitable for you, giving you the right to visit the country frequently.
Visa to Finland on your own: tips from experienced tourists
As you know, the Finnish authorities are quite sympathetic to the Russians who go to Finland, and do not use the country as a transit point to other European countries. If you received a Finnish visa, you must adhere to the rules of the main country - to spend most of your trip in Finland and have documentary evidence of this. Proof of this will be the stamps of the Finnish border points and the accounts of the hotels where you stayed in Finland. If you break this rule, then, most likely, the Finns will apply penalties against you, and the next time you will be denied a visa.