Finland will reduce the number of visa applications from tourists from Russia by 10 times

From September, the Finnish Foreign Ministry will accept half as many visa applications from Russians.At the same time, the number of applications for tourist visas will fall tenfold.

The Finnish Foreign Ministry will accept ten times fewer applications for tourist visas from Russians, the ministry said.

“From the beginning of September, an average of 100 applications per day will be opened for those who apply for a visa for tourism purposes, which is 10% of the current number,” the statement said.

The total number of visa applications registered by the Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will be halved - instead of 1,000 applications, the agency will accept 500. Of these, 100 will be given to tourists, another 400 to those who apply for a visa because of family ties, study or work.

Finland supported the complete suspension of the visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia. In this case, the amount of the visa fee will increase from €35 to €80.

At the same time, the Finnish government instructed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare proposals for a national humanitarian visa. The head of the diplomatic department, Pekka Haavisto, said that Finland could start issuing such visas to journalists or civil activists.

Finland allowed the creation of a humanitarian visa for Russians Politics

Before the coronavirus pandemic, Finland topped the list of countries in terms of the number of Schengen visas issued to Russians and was in the top three most popular destinations for Russian tourists. In 2019, Finnish missions in Russia issued 790,000 visas to Russians.

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Due to COVID-19 , Russia and Finland have closed the border for tourists. However, restrictions from the Finnish side ceased to operate on June 30, and from the Russian side - from July 15. During the first week of July, Russians filed about 2,700 visa applications, despite the lack of air and rail links.

In Finland, they found a way to reduce the number of visas issued to Russians Politics

The Association of Tour Operators of Russia pointed to the rush demand and noted that with the help of Finnish visas, Russians will be able to travel to other Schengen countries. Jussi Tanner, head of consular service at the Finnish Foreign Ministry, said the country would restrict "transit tourism" for Russians and would refuse those who used an entry permit to travel to other countries.

In mid-July, the main parliamentary parties in Finland called for the refusal to issue tourist visas to Russians due to hostilities in Ukraine. Then the Russian Foreign Ministry warned Finnish colleagues about retaliatory measures and possible confrontation in bilateral relations due to discrimination against Russians.

Which countries do not issue Schengen visas to Russians Society

Tanner later explained that the authorities are considering six options to limit tourism from Russia. Among them were a complete halt in the issuance of visas, which is prohibited by the laws of the European Union and the rules of the Schengen area, and a limitation on the number of applications accepted.