If you need a Schengen visa to visit Finland, the fee is EUR 90 (EUR 45 for children from six to under 12) and you can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Citizens of visa-free countries need no visa but are held to the same 90 days in any 180. If you plan to stay in Finland for more than 90 days, study for longer than that, or work, you need a residence permit rather than a visa.
The short answer — EUR 90 and 90 days in any 180
A Schengen visa is an entry permit for non-EU nationals to make a short, temporary visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period to a Schengen country. A Schengen visa is generally valid for every country in the Schengen area, and all Schengen countries apply the same visa rules.
The standard visa fee is EUR 90 for every applicant aged 12 or over. Children from six to under 12 pay EUR 45, while children under six pay no visa fee. The current fees come from Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415 of 14 March 2024, which raised the visa fees by 12.5% after a review of inflation and civil servants' salaries. Regulation 2024/1415 was published in the Official Journal on 22 May 2024 and entered into force on the twentieth day after publication.
Who needs a Finland visa, and who does not
A citizen of a country outside the EU and the Nordic countries who wants to visit Finland as a tourist, to see family or friends, or for business usually needs a visa; citizens of visa-free countries do not. The countries whose nationals need a visa are listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, whereas visa-exempt countries are in its Annex II.
The Schengen area has 29 countries: 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Cyprus and Ireland are not part of it. Someone who holds a visa or residence permit for a Schengen country can travel within the Schengen area without a separate visa for the other countries.
Under certain conditions, family members of EU or EEA citizens covered by the Free Movement Directive can get a free and accelerated visa procedure. A non-EU family member who moves to Finland with an EU citizen applies for a residence card there: see EU citizen registration in Finland.
Border procedures for non-EU travellers include the Entry/Exit System, which is already in operation, alongside the upcoming ETIAS requirement for visa-exempt travellers:
- Entry/Exit System (EES): The Entry/Exit System registers non-EU short-stay travellers' passport data, fingerprints and facial images at the external border. It became fully operational on 10 April 2026 and replaced passport stamping.
- ETIAS: Visa-exempt travellers will have to fill in an online ETIAS form and pay a small fee before travelling, starting six months after the Entry/Exit System is fully implemented. ETIAS is not a visa.
How the 90/180 rule works
Visitors to the Schengen area are usually allowed to stay at most 90 days within any 180-day period, which defines a "short stay". If you hold a visa, the number of days it allows is printed on the visa sticker, and it can be fewer than 90.
To check compliance with the rule, count back 180 days from each day of the stay; the total days spent in the area must not exceed 90. The European Commission's short-stay calculator does this calculation.
Holders of an EU residence permit or a long-stay visa are not subject to the 90/180-day rule, because those documents allow a stay longer than 90 days.
Where and how to apply — finlandvisa.fi, the embassy or a visa application centre
You apply at the consulate of the country you intend to visit. If you are visiting more than one Schengen country, you must apply at the consulate of the country where you will spend the longest time. If you will spend the same time in each, apply at the consulate of the first country you will visit.
For Finland, you apply at the nearest Finnish diplomatic mission or visa application centre, and you must be legally residing in the country where you apply. Country-specific instructions, document requirements and the online visa application form are on Finlandvisa.fi. Where Finland has no diplomatic mission, another Schengen country that has an agreement with Finland can represent it in visa matters, and you apply at that country's mission; the Ministry for Foreign Affairs lists these countries.
Key rules for lodging an application include:
- The application is submitted directly to the Finnish mission or visa application centre where you apply; it cannot be sent by e-mail or fax.
- For a first application, you must appear in person. A photograph and 10 fingerprints are collected during your visit. Children under 12 are exempt from giving fingerprints.
- You may have to book an appointment to lodge the application. The appointment should, as a rule, be within two weeks of the request.
- An external service provider (a visa application centre) may charge a service fee on top of the visa fee, normally at most half of the standard visa fee.
Documents, and travel medical insurance of at least EUR 30,000
Every applicant must assemble a set of required paperwork:
- Passport: Must be valid for at least three months after you leave the Schengen area, have at least two blank pages, and have been issued within the previous 10 years.
- Application and photo: You need a completed visa application form and a photo that meets ICAO standards.
- Supporting documents: You must provide evidence showing the purpose of the stay, sufficient financial means, accommodation, and your intention to return home afterwards.
- Travel medical insurance: You must hold insurance that covers repatriation for medical reasons, urgent medical attention, emergency hospital treatment or death during the stay. The insurance must be valid throughout the Schengen area for the whole intended stay, with minimum cover of EUR 30,000.
If you later apply for a residence permit, its health insurance requirement is different from the visa's travel medical insurance.
When to apply, how long it takes, and what it costs in special cases
You must apply no more than six months before the trip (nine months for seafarers on duty) and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it. In justified urgent cases, the consulate may accept an application later than 15 calendar days before the departure.
A decision is due within 15 calendar days of lodging an admissible application. This processing period can be extended to at most 45 calendar days when further scrutiny is needed. A visa may be issued for one, two or multiple entries, and its validity cannot exceed five years; each stay still counts towards the 90 days in any 180.
Fee waivers and refunds:
- Besides children under six, the visa fee is waived for school pupils, students and accompanying teachers travelling for study, as well as for researchers travelling for research or a scientific conference.
- The visa fee is not refundable except in limited cases, such as an application lodged with a consulate that is not competent, which must refund it.
Refusals and extensions
If the application is refused, the authorities tell you why and explain how to appeal. Against a Finnish mission's decision refusing or annulling a short-stay visa, you can request a rectification from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
If you cannot leave Finland for a justifiable reason when your visa expires, the police (poliisi) may extend the stay or the visa's validity. Examples of justifiable grounds include unexpected serious illness or a flight cancelled by a strike or severe weather. An extension granted for force majeure or humanitarian reasons is free. An extension granted for serious personal reasons costs EUR 30.
The national D visa
The D visa is not a separate route to Finland. It is granted, for fast entry, only to someone who has already been granted a residence permit on one of the grounds below, or whose permit card is lost, stolen or expired, and it is valid for 100 days from the date it is granted. The Aliens Act (ulkomaalaislaki) defines a long-stay visa as a permit for entry and a stay of more than 90 days but at most one year; these provisions came into force on 1 June 2022.
The residence permit must have been granted as one of the following:
- A specialist or an EU Blue Card holder (see our guide to the Finland EU Blue Card and specialist permit)
- A start-up entrepreneur
- A researcher or student
- A senior or middle manager
- An intra-corporate transferee as a manager or specialist
- An employee of a certified employer (covered in our Finland work permit guide)
- A family member of any of the individuals listed above
A D visa is also granted to a non-EU national abroad who holds a valid Finnish residence permit but whose physical permit card is lost, stolen or expired; the applicant must explain the loss.
A D visa must be applied for abroad before arriving in Finland, at a Finnish mission, with a photo and a valid travel document. The applicant must visit the mission in person to be identified. The Finnish mission receives the D visa application and attaches the visa sticker, while the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) grants and revokes the visa.
Staying longer, working or studying — a residence permit, not a visa
Visas for stays of more than 90 days fall under national procedures, not Schengen visa rules. To move to Finland, a non-EU citizen needs a residence permit, granted on the basis of work, entrepreneurship, studies, family ties or international protection.
For a broader view of moving procedures, read our overview on moving to Finland as well as the five main grounds for a residence permit. Specific guides cover studying in Finland and family reunification permit rules.
You can travel to Finland on a visa to look for employment, but you may not start working before you hold a valid residence permit. To explore job-seeking rules, read our page on Finland job seeker options.
