Finland Visa

If you need a Finland visa or not depends on: Your nationality, The time you will be staying in Finland, The purpose of your visit.

Finland visa comes in two categories as follows: Non-immigrant (Short-stay), Non-Immigrant (long-stay ).

Finland is one of the Schengen countries. All members of the Schengen Area, EU, and EEA can travel to Finland visa-free. They can enter Finland with their passport or travel document and stay for up to 90 days. If they want to stay longer, they have to apply for a visa and residence permit. Apart from the Schengen area and EU, there are also other countries that don’t need a short-stay visa to Finland.

If your nationality is not exempt from Finland short-stay visa, you should apply for the appropriate visa. The duration of your stay does not matter.

Almost all nationalities need a visa if staying longer than 90 days. They must apply for the appropriate visa depending on the purpose of their visit.

Finland Visa Requirements

Once you know you need a Finish visa, you should gather a few requirements to apply for it. The requirements for a Finland visa are as follows:

Finland visa application form

You can download it from the nearest Finish embassy or consulate you apply at. You should complete it with true and appropriate information. Please remember that the information you fill must match with your documents. Then print, sign, and date it.

Two photos

They must be new, taken in the past three months with a clear background.

Passport

It must be issued in the past ten years, not older. It should be valid for at least three months over the date you will leave Finland. At least, there must be two blank pages in it as well. If you have had any previous visas, provide a copy of them too.

Cover letter

You state the purpose of your visit to Finland to the Finish government.

Proof of accommodation

You should state where you will stay in Finland during our visit. It could be:

• A hotel reservation
• Rental agreement
• Staying with a host. He/she should provide name, address, and other requirements.

Civil status proof

Your marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, etc.

Proof to have enough funds

You should verify to have enough money to cover your expenses in Finland.

Health insurance

You must buy health insurance valid in Finland and the entire Schengen states. It must cover your medical expenses for 30.000 EUR.

Requirements Based on Your Job Status

If employed

• Contract of employment
• Bank statement for the past six months
• Permission leave from your employer.
• Income Tax Return (ITR)

If self-employed

• A copy of your business registration/business license
• Bank statements of your company for the past six months.
• Income Tax Return (ITR)

If student

• Proof of enrolment
• A no-objection letter from your school, university, or educational academy
• Advertisements

If retired

• Bank statements from the last six months

Please note that the Finish authorities have the right to ask for more documents. The specific visa you apply for might require more documents as well.

Application Process for Finland Visa

1. See if you need a Finland visa

As we explained above, first you need to know if you need a visa or not. A lot of countries are free of Finland visa, but some need it.

2. Application form

You should download the Finland visa application form from the Finish embassy you apply at. It could be in your:

•  residence country,
•  neighboring country
• a visa center in your country or another one.

You should complete, then sign and date the application form. Please note that there might be a particular application form for the visa you need.

3. Gathering requirements

Now you have to collect all the required documents as we explained above. Please note that the Finish authorities can ask for more documents

4. Appointment

You should schedule an appointment with the Finish embassy or consulate. When the time comes, you have to attend in person and submit application and requirements. Then pay the fees. The fee for a general Finland Schengen visa is 80 EUR. But, you might be fee-free or pay less.

5. Interview

During your appointment, you should go through an appointment. The Finish visa officer will ask you a few questions about your background, family, resume, and the purpose of your visit to Finland.

6. Visa processing

At this stage, you should wait for the processing. The processing time for a Finland visa depends on different factors. Yet, it normally takes 15 days. The earliest time you can apply is six months. If your application gets accepted, the officials will send you the visa attached to your visa. If it gets denied, they will send you a letter explaining the reason.

The Finland visa types come in two categories:

1. Non-immigrant visas (short-stay)
2. Immigrant Visas (Long-stay)

Non-immigrant visas (short-stay)

1. Visitor visa

Airport transit visa

Finland airport transit visa comes under the short-stay visa. It allows you to change flights in one of the Finish airports. It also gets called a Transit Schengen Visa. Not the nationalities of all countries need it. The EU, EEA, and a few more don’t need to apply for it. If you need a Finland short-stay visa, then you must apply for a transit visa. Please note that under the transit visa, you may not leave the international zone of the Finish airport.

Tourist visa

If you are going to have a holiday in Finland, a complex holiday destination, you might need a tourist visa. The Finland tourist visa also gets called a Schengen (tourist) visa. With this visa, you can enter Finland to:

• Do sightseeing.
• Visit family or friends.

Whether you need a Finland tourist visa or not depends on your nationality. The EU, EEA, and all 26 Schengen states are free of Finland tourist visa. The nationals of these countries can enter Finland with their passport or travel document. They can only stay up to 90 days. Apart from these countries, other countries are exempt from Finland tourist visa. If your nationality does not need a Finland short-stay visa, then you won’t need a tourist visa for Finland as well. If yes, you should apply for a tourist visa. The duration of your stay does not matter. To find out more about Finland tourist visa, please visit All you should know about the Finland Tourist visa blog.

2. Student visa

Student visa

With a Finland student visa, you can study in this country for up to 90 days. If you want to study in Finland, the first point to know is the difference between:

• Student visa
• Residence permit

Finland student visa is a short-stay permit for foreigners who wish to study in Finland for up to 90 days. In case you want to take a short-term course in Finland, the student visa is for you. A few countries are free of Finland short-stay visa. If your nationality does not need a Finland visa for up to 90 days stays, then you don’t need a student visa either.

International students who want to study in Finland for longer than 90 days, have to apply for Finland student visa and residence permit. If you need to know more about Finland student visa, you can go through How to apply for Finland Student Visa? Blog.

3. Business visa

Business visa

Finland’s economy is one of the most developed ones in Europe. Manufacturing is the key economic sector. The largest industries include machinery, electronics, forest industry, chemicals, and vehicles. The business opportunities are good to consider. If you want to make a business trip to Finland, you might need a visa. The finish government introduced a business visa for people who have business purposes in the country.

Whether you need a Finland business visa or not depends on your nationality. First, you should know that it is a short-stay visa. With this visa, you can only stay for up to 90 days. The EU/EEA nationals and a few more are exempt from Finland business visa. If you need a Finland short-stay visa, then you need to get a business visa as well. But if you don’t need a short-stay visa to Finland- you don’t need to apply for it.

Please remember that with a Finland business visa, you may not work or participate in any paid job. To get more information about Finland business visa, you can visit Do I Need Finland Business Visa? blog.

4. Other visas

Medical treatment visa

Hospitals and medical sectors in Finland and the EU enjoy high standard and quality. Many people travel to get medical services in these countries. To do so, they might need a visa. A medical visa got introduced for this purpose.

Finland medical treatment visa often gets called Schengen Visa for Medical Reasons. It allows you to enter any member of the Schengen Area to get medical treatment.

It got introduced for people who need medical services in Europe for up to 90 days. If you need to stay in Finland or Schengen Area for longer than 90 days, you should apply for a National Visa for Medical Treatment. It allows you to stay in the country for longer than three months.

If your nationality needs Finland’s short-stay visa, then you need a Finland medical treatment visa even for up to 90 days’ stays. If not, you can enter Finland and get medical services without a visa.

Immigrant Visas (Long-stay)

1. Work visa

Work visa

The economy of Finland is highly developed and industrialized. The main economic sector is manufacturing. Being the only Nordic member of the EU has made Finland an important business partner to the US, China, France, and Germany. The employment market is always good at it. If you seek an employment opportunity in Finland, you might need a Finland work visa or Finland work permit.

The first step in applying for a Finland work visa is to have a job offer from an employer in Finland. The Finish employer must have advertised the employment opportunity in the EU for ten days. If there is no one for the job in the region, then he/she can offer it to you.

To find out more about the Finland work visa, you can visit Finland work visa requirements and application blog.

2. Student visa

Student visa (Residence permit)

If you want to study in Finland, first you should determine the duration of your stay. It is either up to 90 days or longer. If the duration of your study course is 90 days, then you need a student visa that is valid for 90 days. Yet a few countries are exempt from it. For instance, the nationals of EU/EEA can study in Finland without a visa for up to 90 days. For a longer time, they need a residence permit.

If your nationality needs a Finland short-stay visa, then you will need a Finland student visa and residence permit. It is true even if your course takes less than 90 days. To get more familiar with this visa, requirements, and application, you can visit How to apply for Finland Student Visa? blog.

3. Other visas

Residence permit

In case you want to stay in Finland for longer than 90 days, you need a residence permit. The citizens of the following list don’t need to get a residence permit. However, they should register the right of residence:

• EU Member State
• Iceland
• Liechtenstein
• Norway
• Switzerland

The citizens of non-EU countries need to apply for a residence permit to stay longer than 90 days in Finland. If they want to work or study, they need a residence permit. Please note that you can only apply for your residence permit. You can not apply on behalf of your spouse of children.

Work Permit

If you want to work in Finland, you might need a work permit. Please note that Finland work permit is different from a work visa. You need a work permit to work in Finland and while you need a work visa to enter the country.

If you need a work permit or not depends on your nationality, The nationals of the EU, EEA, and Nordic citizens don’t need a work permit. But they have to apply for a residence permit if staying longer than 90 days. The particular type of residence permit you apply for depends on the purpose of your trip to Finland. It could include:

• Self-employed person
• Specialist
• Researcher
• Working holiday
• Stable intimate relationship

The nationals of non-EU countries that need a Finland short-stay visa need a Finland work visa and work permit to work in Finland. The duration of their stay does not matter. They need a Finland work visa even if they stay up to 90 days.