Finnish Airport Transit Visa
Residents of the UK have a strong affinity for traveling abroad, and trips to Finland offer numerous benefits. British tourists visiting Finland not only enjoy sightseeing but also seek to experience the country’s rich heritage and customs. However, international travel from the UK can present various challenges. Therefore, it’s important to provide clear guidance to British residents on how to obtain a Finnish visa.
Finnish flagTable of Contents:
Introduction
1. Top questions
1.1 What is a Visa & Who Needs One?
1.2 What is an Airport Transit Visa?
1.3 How Long is an Airport Transit Visa Valid for?
1.4 When Should I Apply for an Airport Transit Visa?
1.5 How Long Does it Take to Obtain an Airport Transit Visa?
1.6 Where is the Airport Transit Visa Processed?
1.7 How Much Does it Cost to Obtain an Airport Transit Visa?
1.8 How to Pay?
2. Application Process
2.1 Documents Required to Apply for a Finnish Airport Transit Visa
2.2 Steps to Apply for a Finnish Airport Transit Visa
Introduction
It is clear that the tourism industry is thriving, and cross-country travel plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of both the UK and Finland.
Firstly, international tourism contributes significantly to Finland’s prosperity and benefits the local population in various ways. To accommodate the growing number of British visitors, Finland has invested in infrastructure improvements, such as better roads, enhanced transport facilities, and stronger law enforcement. These developments not only aid tourists but also improve the quality of life for locals.
Secondly, the increasing number of visitors creates more employment opportunities, particularly in the hospitality sector. This, in turn, enhances the overall quality of life for Finns and generates revenue for the government, helping to address financial challenges.
However, there are growing concerns about the negative impacts of tourism on local communities and the environment in Finland. In response, both the government and individuals are implementing stricter visa procedures to mitigate these adverse effects and ensure that tourism continues to contribute positively to Finland’s prosperity.
1. Top Questions
1.1 What is a Visa & Who Needs One?
According to Wikipedia, a visa is an official permit issued by Finland that allows an individual to enter, stay in, or transit through its borders. This permit is typically stamped into a passport by the relevant embassy. The type of visa and the length of stay depend on the purpose of the visit. In some cases, an interview at the embassy may be required before a visa is granted.
British citizens enjoy visa-free entry for short stays in the Schengen area, including Finland, for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. However, if a British citizen intends to stay for more than 90 days, a visa will be required. For those who are UK residents but do not hold a British passport, a Finnish Schengen visa is necessary to visit Finland.
To determine whether you need to apply for a Finnish visa, please refer to the tables provided.
[expand title=”The countries whose citizens are required to get a Finnish visa in order to enter there are”]
| A | |||||
| Afghanistan | Algeria | Angola | Armenia | Azerbaijan | |
| B | |||||
| Bahrain | Bangladesh | Belarus | Belize | ||
| Benin | Bhutan | Bolivia | Botswana | ||
| Burkina Faso | Burma/Myanmar | Burundi | |||
| C | |||||
| Cambodia | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | |
| China | Comoros | Congo | Cote D’ivoire | Cuba | |
| D | |||||
| Dem. Rep. Of Congo | Djibouti | Dominican Republic | |||
| E | |||||
| Ecuador | Egypt | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Ethiopia | |
| F | |||||
| Fiji | |||||
| G | |||||
| Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Guyana |
| H | |||||
| Haiti | |||||
| I | |||||
| India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | ||
| J | |||||
| Jamaica | Jordan | ||||
| K | |||||
| Kazakhstan | Kenya | Kosovo | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan | |
| L | |||||
| Laos | Lebanon | Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | |
| M | |||||
| Madagascar | Malawi | Maldives | Mali | ||
| Mauritania | Mongolia | Morocco | Mozambique | ||
| N | |||||
| Namibia | Nepal | Niger | Nigeria | Northern Mariana’s | North Korea |
| O | |||||
| Oman | |||||
| P | |||||
| Pakistan | Papua New Guinea | Palestinian Authority | Philippines | ||
| Q | |||||
| Qatar | |||||
| R | |||||
| Russia | Rwanda | ||||
| S | |||||
| Sao Tome And Principe | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Sierra Leone | ||
| Somalia | South Africa | South Sudan | Sri Lanka | ||
| Sudan | Suriname | Swaziland | Syria | ||
| T | |||||
| Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Timor-Leste | ||
| Togo | Tonga | Tunisia | Turkey | ||
| Turkmenistan | |||||
| U | |||||
| Uganda | Uzbekistan | ||||
| V | |||||
| Vietnam | |||||
| Y | |||||
| Yemen | |||||
| Z | |||||
| Zambia | Zimbabwe |
[/expand]
With a valid UK residence permit extending at least three months beyond your planned departure date from Finland or the Schengen Area, you can enjoy several benefits. You may stay in Finland for up to 90 days. However, if your intention is to stay beyond 90 days, you will need to apply for a residency permit rather than a Finnish Schengen visa.
If you hold a UK visa valid for three months, you have the option to extend it by an additional three months, which makes you eligible to apply for a Finnish Schengen visa from within the UK. Remember, you must apply for this extension before your current visa expires and while you are still in the UK.
1.2 What is an Airport Transit Visa?
A Finnish Airport Transit Visa allows you to pass through Finland to reach another country in the EU and change flights at a Finnish airport. This visa permits you to wait in the international transit area of a Finnish airport for your connecting flight to your final destination. However, you are not permitted to leave the international transit area, even for overnight rest.
1.3 How Long is an Airport Transit Visa Valid for?
This visa is typically issued for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. If the total duration of the stay is expected to exceed 90 days, a long-stay national visa will be required.
1.4 When Should I Apply for an Airport Transit Visa?
It is highly recommended to apply for a Finnish Airport Transit Visa 6 months prior to the planned trip.
1.5 How Long Does it Take to Obtain an Airport Transit Visa?
Typically, the Visa Application Centre will respond within 15 days or less. However, processing times can extend to 30-60 days in certain cases, depending on the complexity of the documentation and the specifics of the application.
1.6 Where is the Airport Transit Visa Processed?
All visas follow a similar processing procedure, though additional documents may be required in certain cases.
- If You Visit Only Finland: Submit your application at the VFS Visa Center in the UK.
- If You Visit More Countries Than Finland: Submit your application at the Visa Center in the country where you will spend the most days or where you will first arrive if you plan to spend an equal amount of time in each.
VISA APPLICATION CENTRE IN LONDON – VFS JOINT VISA APPLICATION CENTRE
Address:
66 Wilson Street
London
EC2A 2JX
Contact Details:
Email: info.ituk@vfshelpline.com
Helpline Number: 0871 376 0023
Due to high demand for Finnish visas, the Finnish Embassy has outsourced visa processing to the Finnish Visa Centers in London. A Visa Application Centre is a third-party service provider authorised to accept and transmit visa applications to the embassy or consulate of the applicant’s destination country. Our company assists with preparing and sending the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center.
VFS Centre’s official website page1.7 How Much Does it Cost to Obtain an Airport Transit Visa?
The cost for processing a Finnish visa varies based on the category of the applicant:
- For adults: £73
- For children aged 6-12 years: £36.50
There is no fee for the following categories:
- Children under 6 years of age
- Family members of an EU/EEA national, who must present the following documents:
- Original Marriage Certificate or Civil Partnership Certificate
- Original full Birth Certificate
- EU/EEA national’s passport
- People who are going to study in Finland for a short period and are accompanied by teaching staff, such as school children, undergraduates, and postgraduates. They must present:
- A letter from the school principal or dean indicating that the trip is a necessary part of the school or college program
1.8 How to Pay?
You have the option of paying the visa fees by cash or credit/debit card when applying at the Visa Application Centre. Please note that checks are not accepted.
2. Application Process
2.1 Documents Required to Apply for a Finnish Airport Transit Visa
When applying for a Finnish Airport Transit Visa, you must provide the next documents.
1. Visa Application Form
You need to complete the Short-stay Visa Application Form legibly and correctly. Ensure you sign the form and include accurate addresses in Finland, specifying the number, street name, city, and postal code.
Please refer to the following table to fill in the form correctly:
| The appropriate Form Section | Our explanation of each Form Section |
| Surname | Fill in your name like it is on your passport (do not write “married name” and your husband name) |
| Surname at birth | Write the name you had at your birth if different than your current surname |
| First Name (s) | Write your first name like it is on your passport |
| Date of birth | Fill in your date of birth like this: day/month/year |
| Place of birth | Fill in your place of birth like it is on your passport |
| Country of birth | Fill in your country of birth even there is no it on your passport |
| Current Nationality | Fill in your nationality like it is on your passport |
| Nationality at birth, if different | Fill in your nationality at birth if it is different from the nationality on your passport |
| Other nationalities | |
| Sex | Fill in your male or female gender |
| Marital Status | For a common-law marriage, indicate “common-law marriage” in the section “Other”. For a PACS (your destination country civil union contract) with a local citizen, indicate “PACS” in the section “Other“ |
| Parental Authority | Fill in the full name, address, telephone number, email address, and nationality of the person who keeps parental authority or legal guardianship |
| National Identity Number | Fill in your national identity number if you have this one |
| Type of travel document | Write the appropriate kind of your travel document |
| Number of travel document | Write the appropriate numbers of your travel document |
| Date of issue | Write the date your passport was issued (not the extension date) |
| Valid until | Write your passport expiration date taking into account the extensions |
| Issued by | Write the country of issuing your passport and the authority that issued the passport |
| Personal data of the family member who is a European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen or is a United | Fill in the full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and relationship only if you are the dependent spouse, child, father, or mother of a person who is a citizen of another State of the European Union. |
| Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable | |
| Family relationship with an European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen, or with United Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable | Fill in the corresponding status |
| Applicant's home address and e-mail address | Write the e-mail address: 1) your own one, either 2) another person one, or 3) company (accordingly, write the name of the mailbox owner). |
| Telephone number | Write your cellular number in your residence country and, where appropriate, in the country where you are submitting your visa application |
| Residence in a country other than the country of current nationality | If you are living in other country you need to write the number of your residence permit and its expiration date |
| Current occupation | Fill in the current occupation like it is on the passport, for example: “professor” or “retired (former designer)”. If you have no occupation, write “no occupation” |
| Employer and employer's address and telephone number | Fill in the name of the organization (firm, public service, educational institution) where you work or study and its name, address, and telephone number |
| For students, name and address of educational establishment | |
| Purpose(s) of the journey | Write the appropriate goal of your travel |
| Member State of main destination (and other Member States of destination, if applicable | Write a country name as your primary destination. If it is a foreign overseas department or territory, write your destination country name and the name of the department or territory |
| Member State of first entry | Fill in your destination country |
| Number of entries requested | Write your desired number of entries with the dates of arrival and departure |
| Fingerprints collected previously for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa | If your fingerprints have already been taken for a visa application, write the date |
| Entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable | Write the number and validity dates for your visa at your final destination, if this country is outside the Schengen area |
| Surname and first name of the inviting person(s) in the Member State(s). Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s). Telephone number | Write the name of the person who invited you, address, e-mail and a phone number |
| Name and address of inviting company / organization, phone number and e-mail number | Write the contact info of the organization that invited you and the contact info for your contact person in the organization |
| Cost of travelling and living during the applicant's stay is covered | Indicate the necessary boxes |
| Place and date | Write the place and date where you are filling in the form, even if this date is different than the day you are going to the visa service |
| Signature | The visa applicant must sign and not another person. If the visa applicant is a minor (under 18), the application must be signed by a person having parental authority and their relationship should be included in parentheses (father, mother, guardian). If the visa applicant cannot sign, a cross may be used |
2. Two Recent Photographs
Follow these Austrian Visa Photo Requirements:
- Two identical photos taken within the last six months.
- Photo size: 35×45 mm (width x height).
- Colour photos only (no black and white).
- Head should occupy 70-80% of the photo.
- Background should be bright and lightly coloured (light grey is recommended).
- The applicant should be facing the camera directly.
- Maintain a neutral expression (no smile and mouth closed).
- Avoid uniforms or colours that match the background.
3. Valid Passport
Your passport’s maximum validity period: 10 years.
Your passport’s minimum validity period: 3 months after your trip to Finland. Your passport should have at least two blank pages in order to be able to affix the visa sticker.
4. Documents Regarding Your Trip to the Final Destination
- Return flight ticket reservation with travel to a third country.
- Visa issued by Finland as your travel destination.
Flight itinerary5. Travel Health Insurance
You need to be aware of some travel insurance requirements, such as the following:
- A minimum coverage of at least 30,000 EUR;
- It should cover all member states of the Schengen Area;
- Cover any expenses on repatriation for medical reasons, urgent health attention, and/or emergency hospital treatment or death.
Regarding this, it is highly recommended to contact one of the companies such as AXA, or Europ Assistance.
AXA insurance company page6. Visa or Another Type of Entry Permit in the Transit Country
7. Copy of Your Valid Visa for Your Final Destination
2.2 Steps to Apply for a Finnish Airport Transit Visa
Regardless of your visa type, the process for applying is as follows:
First Step: Locate the nearest Visa Application Center where you need to submit your documents. Contact us for assistance in finding the appropriate centre.
Your choice of applyingSecond Step: Determine the best time to visit the Visa Application Center in person to submit your Austrian Visa application.
Your choice of time to come to usThird Step: Schedule an appointment at the Austrian Visa Application Center.
You can make an appointment in one of two ways:
- Online
- In Person
Make an appointment at the Finnish Visa Application CenterFourth Step: Attend your appointment at the Visa Application Center with all the required documents.
Your interviewFifth Step: Pay the visa fee.
Paying money for your visaSixth Step: Wait for a response from the application centre regarding your visa application.
A reply from the VFS application centreNote: Ensure that your visa application form clearly specifies the dates of your visit and the cities you will be staying in. It is advisable to gather all necessary documents and complete the application form only after you have all the required information.
In Summary,