In order to enter Finland, it is enough to obtain a visa of any type intended for visiting the Schengen countries. Such a visa gives the right to cross the border of Finland once or repeatedly within the period specified in it. A regular Schengen visa is issued for 90 days. If you need a document of a longer period, then a national Finnish visa is issued.
The country’s authorities are pursuing a very loyal visa policy, like Greece, France, and Italy. The number of refusals to issue visas is only 1%. The general rules are determined by the Schengen Visa Code, which was adopted on April 5, 2010. Getting a visa to Finland is much easier than to many Schengen countries.
The transfer of all the powers of the Embassy and Consulate to the visa application centers has made this process much faster and more efficient. And since 2010, you can apply for a visa online. The fact that with the help of a visa to Finland you can easily get into any Schengen country, leads to a massive flow of people who want to submit documents for a visa to the Finnish visa center.
It should be borne in mind that the “first country rule” is carefully checked, therefore, in order not to violate the visa regime, you still need to enter Finland for at least a few hours and get the corresponding mark in your passport.
Work or labor visa to Finland
To work in Finland, you need to apply for a work (work) visa. You need to apply for a visa after receiving documents from the employer with a job offer. To pass an interview and conclude an employment contract, you first need to come to the country on a short-term tourist visa.
After the interview, the employer submits documents to the State Employment Service and the local police department. After obtaining a work permit, documents for a visa , which gives a work permit, are already submitted in the country of permanent residence. At the same time, you need to apply for a residence permit of status “B”.
A work visa is not required in the following cases:
- stay less than three months;
- the work is seasonal (picking fruits and berries);
- sailors, truckers, teachers, translators, lecturers.
A visa for work under a contract gives the right to work only in a certain area. When changing employers, it is necessary that the new job is not very different from the previous one. A temporary work visa can be extended at the initiative of the employer. For permanent work, you need to apply for a residence permit or a residence permit.
In exceptional cases, you can obtain a visa to work while in Finland for another purpose. But the chances of getting it will be much less. Without an official job, you cannot stay in the country on a work visa. You will need to find another job or return home and apply for a new entry and stay permit.
Student visa to Finland
To pass the entrance exams to a Finnish university, it is enough to apply for a short-term Schengen visa. After successfully passing them and enrolling in training, you must return home and begin processing a student visa . It is issued on preferential terms according to the relevant document of the university. Such a visa gives permission to work no more than 25 hours a week, but the work must be in the field of study.
The following categories of foreigners can apply for a visa :
- enrolled in an educational program at a higher school;
- receiving vocational education;
- students of schools and vocational schools;
- participants in student exchange programs.
The term of the visa depends on the program of study, and you can get a visa for a period of one to five years. A student visa in Finland is equivalent to obtaining a residence permit. You need to apply for a visa long before the start of training, because. foreign students must first take a course on the history, culture and traditions of the country.
To obtain a student visa, it is mandatory to provide proof of financial support for your stay in Finland during your studies. The required amount is 560 euros per month or 6720 euros per year. If there is no such amount on the student’s account, then the immigration services will refuse to obtain a visa.
Business visa to Finland
A business visa to Finland is needed to attend events related to the organization and development of business in Finland. It is issued for the terms that the business partner specifies in his invitation. However, if you often have to come to the country to solve business issues, it is better to get a multiple entry visa (multivisa) so that you do not have to draw up documents separately for each trip.
On the business line, Finland issues several types of visas for a period of 30, 90, 180 and 365 days. You can apply for a visa :
- single (for one trip) for a certain period of time not more than 3 months;
- transit (if crossing Finnish territory is required) for a period of 5 days for each trip;
- multiple (for regular visits) with a total period of not more than 3 months and a certain number of entries.
A business visa is issued in a simplified manner and most often a two-year visa is issued with a period of 180 days of stay during the year. In order to obtain a Finnish visa, it is important that Finland is the first and main country to be visited.
This means that the first entry into the Schengen area must be through its borders, and the time of stay must be at least 1 day longer than the time spent in other Schengen countries. If this condition cannot be met, then you need to apply for a visa to the country where you plan to spend the most days.
Tourist visa to Finland
Not only tourists can obtain a visa for a tourist visit to Finland, but also persons who have other purposes not related to making a profit (visiting friends, visiting relatives, etc.) countries require previous visas.
The facilitated regime for obtaining a tourist visa to Finland is associated with the development of tourism as a priority sector of the economy. All stages that involve obtaining a visa take place in the shortest possible time and require a minimum package of documents. In most cases, a visa is affixed to the passport not at the visa center, but at the time of crossing the border.
A tourist visa to Finland can be issued for the duration of a tour purchased from a tour operator. The geographical proximity of the country allows our compatriots to come to Finland for a very short time without applying for a visa . For many short-term trips for 1-3 days, it is enough to present a passport.
For longer stays, it is best to apply for a “C” visa, which allows multiple trips. Then it will be possible to visit not only Finland, but also the neighboring Schengen countries.
Finland visa documents
Despite the absence of red tape, the Finnish visa authorities take the processing of visa documents very seriously. Therefore, in order to get a visa on time , you need to provide a complete package of documents. It is not allowed to bring missing certificates, in the absence of one of the documents, most likely, a refusal to issue a visa will be received.
An important advantage is the ability to apply for a visa online on the website of the Embassy or the visa center. This makes it much easier to correctly fill out the visa application form using the pop-up tips.
In addition to the questionnaire, the package of documents includes:
- Passport with two blank pages for visa stamping.
- Originals and copies of other available passports.
- One standard size color photograph.
- Consent to the processing of personal data.
- Certificate from the organization where the person who draws up documents for a visa works or studies .
- Proof of solvency for the duration of your stay in Finland (at least 60 euros per day).
- Invitation of friends, relatives, business partners or a Finnish university (for students).
- Proof of residence (hotel reservations, tour packages, a letter from a relative, etc.).
For each category of persons requesting a visa, additional documents are required, without which it is impossible to issue a visa. Their list must be clarified at the visa center.
