Frequently asked questions about travel

The following countries belong to the Schengen Area: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Traffic between countries in the Schengen Area is referred to as internal border crossings. External border crossings refer to traffic between a Schengen Area country and a country that does not belong to the Schengen Area. 

There are normally no travel restrictions or border controls between countries in the Schengen Area. You can only cross the external border of the Schengen Area at a border crossing. 
 

Check whether you need a Schengen Area visa on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 

You are a third-country national if you are not a citizen of a Nordic country, EU country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
 

As a rule, you do not need a visa if you are from a country whose citizens need one and you are travelling through Finland from outside the Schengen area and continue your journey outside the Schengen area. 

We require that you stay at the airport between your flights and continue your journey from Finland to your destination country. However, as an example, if you have to wait for your flight and need to leave the airport for accommodation, you will need a visa to enter Finland.

However, for your transit, you will need an airport transit visa if you are a national of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iraq, Iran, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia or Sri Lanka. Visa to visit Finland - Ministry for Foreign Affairs (um.fi)

According to the Passport Act, passport holders must ensure that the information stated in the passport is the same as the information in the Population Information System when they use the passport to demonstrate their entitlement to travel. In other words, a passport is not an acceptable travel document or proof of identity if your name or personal ID code has changed and the passport contains your old details. We recommend renewing your passport before you travel. Contact the police for more information on applying for passports and the normal delivery times: police website.

The child must have a travel document when travelling abroad.

Every EU citizen is required to have their own travel document (passport or ID card). Citizens of the Nordic countries can travel to other Nordic countries without an official travel document regardless of their age. In this case, we also recommend that you take an official document issued by an authority so that you can prove your identity to the authorities if necessary. In addition, you should check which documents are approved by your airline or other transport provider in order to prove your identity.

Third-country nationals under the age of 16 may be included in the travel document of a guardian and travel with the guardian if the guardian’s passport states the name and year of birth of the child and, if the child is seven or more years old, a photograph of the child.

Due to the vulnerable position of children, border guards at the external border crossings must pay special attention to minors, irrespective of whether they are travelling with an adult or alone.
 

Finnish national legislation does not require the child to have documentation showing that the guardians have consented to the trip. For Finnish citizens, the guardians grant their consent for travel by applying for a travel document such as a passport or personal ID card. 

However, we recommend that the guardians write a free-form letter of consent. The child should have the guardians’ contact details. You are also advised to check with the authorities in the destination country whether any special rules apply to children entering the country. This is because underage travellers may be required to present documentation such as a written letter of consent confirmed by a notary public when they enter the destination country.

Document required for a minor to travel

Border controls do not require separate guardian consent. For Finnish citizens, the guardians grant their consent for travel by applying for a travel document such as a passport. However, we recommend that you bring a free-form letter of consent from the other guardian and that you keep the other guardian’s contact details on you at all times.

You are also advised to check with the authorities in the destination country whether any special rules apply to people who enter the country with minors. This is because you may be required to present documentation such as a written letter of consent confirmed by a notary public when you enter the destination country.

Document required for a minor to travel

Contact the embassy in your destination country and ask them about matters related to entering the country. You can also contact the overseas mission of the destination country in Finland. 

You can travel from Finland to a country outside the Schengen Area while your residence permit application is being processed. Take your certificate of pending application from the Finnish Immigration Service with you. You will need a valid visa when you return to Finland and to the Schengen Area. Finland’s missions decide whether to grant visas.

For more information about certificates of pending applications, see the website of the Finnish Immigration Service. 

You need a valid visa or residence permit to travel to other countries in the Schengen Area.
 

You are entitled to spend up to 90 days in the Schengen Area during any given 180-day period. You can use the European Commission’s calculator to check how many days you are still entitled to stay. The calculator is on the European Commission’s website: Short-stay calculator - European Commission (europa.eu).

You are a third-country national if you are not a citizen of a Nordic country, EU country, Liechtenstein or Switzerland.

Yes. During your border check, present both your new passport and your old passport containing your valid visa or residence permit. Take both passports with you when travelling.  

The new electronic European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will apply to visa-exempt third country nationals, requiring them to obtain a travel authorisation before entering the Schengen area or Cyprus (“the ETIAS countries”).

An ETIAS travel authorisation is not a visa but a pre-travel authorisation, which serves as an additional requirement for visa-free travel. The goal is to:

• assess travellers’ eligibility for entry
• identify potential security, migration or epidemic risks 
• improve border security and streamline border checks.

The guiding principles that underpin ETIAS are agreed at the EU level. Further information on the preparation of ETIAS is available on page European Travel Information Authorisation System - Migration and Home Affairs (europa.eu).

An ETIAS authorisation is required, with certain exceptions, for visa-exempt third country nationals who are planning a short-term stay in countries requiring ETIAS.

An ETIAS authorisation is not required for citizens of Ireland, Andorra, San Marino, Monaco or the Vatican nor for holders of a residence permit issued by an ETIAS country.

See the website Travel to Europe for countries requiring an ETIAS authorisation Who should apply - ETIAS (Europa.eu).

The authorisation is personal to the applicant, and it is also required for children of any age.

Finnish citizens do not need or cannot apply for or obtain an ETIAS travel authorisation. Dual citizens of a country requiring ETIAS do not need or cannot apply for or obtain an ETIAS travel authorisation. 

Citizens of countries subject to the visa requirement must have a visa, and they do not need and cannot apply for an ETIAS authorisation.

According to current estimates, ETIAS will come into operation in April 2026, followed by a six-month transition period, when an ETIAS authorisation is not yet required. Travellers will need an authorisation in October 2026 at the earliest. More information on the introduction of ETIAS is available on the EU's official ETIAS website European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

ETIAS travel authorisations will be applied for on the official ETIAS website or the official ETIAS mobile application.

Yes. 

Yes. 

You will need at least a Finnish passport or a passport of another ETIAS country to travel to the ETIAS area. 

However, whether you will require a non-ETIAS country passport depends on the requirements and practices of the country in question. You should contact the authorities of the non-ETIAS country in question for more information. (For example, if you are a dual citizen of Finland and the United States, you should contact the US authorities to find out whether you will need a US passport.)

No.

You must not enter incorrect or incomplete information into an official system. 

Yes. 

Finnish citizens always have the right to enter Finland. However, it may prove difficult to get on a flight/vehicle without a travel document issued by Finland. Transport operators are obliged to check passengers’ right to enter the country, and they may deny entry on a flight/vehicle to those without an appropriate travel document proving Finnish citizenship. 

At Finnish border control, Finnish citizens can show an official ID issued by Finland to enter the country (Finnish citizens always have the right to enter Finland). However, you should check any restrictions that the transport operator may have on the use of an ID and, if necessary, any travel document requirements that countries other than Finland may have for entering and exiting the country.

We recommend that you always travel with a passport when you enter Finland at the external border.

Please note that under the Finnish Passport Act (671/2006) (in Finnish), Finnish citizens, as a rule, use a passport to prove their right to travel upon exiting the country but may use an identity card as a travel document to leave for a Schengen country (see Government Decree on proving the right to travel in certain cases (131/2022), to the listed countries (in Finnish)).

More information Passports and other travel documents.  

Finnish citizens have an obligation to keep their data in the Population Information System up to date, including citizenship information. Dual citizens have the obligation to notify the Finnish Population Information System of their Finnish citizenship and hence cannot travel on a passport from a third country. For instructions on how to register citizenship visit the page Registration of citizenship – Digital and population data services agency.

If your current passport is expiring soon, we recommend that you apply for a new one without delay. We do not know yet whether the extension to passport validity will enter into force before ETIAS comes into operation. Legislative amendments and technical changes to the system are being prepared in the Ministry of the Interior's branch of government. 

We do not yet know, either, whether children will be granted a 10-year passport in the future.

Yes. 

Dual citizens are themselves responsible for the additional costs of acquiring a second passport. 

You can apply for a passport from the Police when you are in Finland and from a Finnish mission when you are abroad.

• Passports, identity cards and permits - Police
• Applying for a passport or an identity card - Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Contact details of Finnish missions and representations in other countries