Information on consular services is available only in Finnish.
See: Consular Services Act
Embassy in Kabul does not issue visas or residence permits to Finland. Contact the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi, for more information and requirements, e-mail: sanomat.nde@formin.fi.
Who needs a visa to Finland?
Visa requirement in the Schengen area by country and travel documents accepted by Finland
Finland introduced visa and border checking procedures on 25th March, 2001 in accordance with the Schengen Agreement. A visa issued by one Schengen State entitles its holder to travel and stay in territories of all Schengen States.
Nationals of a country subject to a visa requirement must have a visa when travelling to the territory of Schengen States. If a traveller has a residence permit issued by one of the Schengen States, he or she does NOT need a visa while travelling in the Schengen territory. In this case, the residence permit functions as if its holder had a visa entitling the holder to a stay of 90 days.
A visa is a permit, issued for travelling purposes, to enter the Schengen territory and stay there for a short period, that is, for the duration of the validity of the visa. The visa entitles its holder to stay in one or more Schengen States continuously or in several periods during the validity of the visa, but for no longer than 90 days during the six months following his/her entry into the Schengen territory. Similarly, the visa may entitle its holder to enter the territory once, twice or multiple times. In the visa application the applicant should specify the desired validity period of the requested visa and the number of trips he/she wishes to make. Finland issues visas in accordance with international law, legislation and regulations and thus the application for a visa does not automatically guarantee that a visa will be granted.
The Schengen visa is applied for primarily at the embassy or consulate of the main destination country. For example, if the planned journey takes place only in Finland, the visa has to be applied for at the Finnish embassy. Similarly, if the destination country is only Germany, the visa must be applied for at the German embassy. If there is no main destination country or if several Schengen States are to be visited during the same journey, the visa may be applied for at the embassy or consulate of the country which is the first point of entry.
It is essential to allow yourself sufficient time when applying for a visa. The application process takes approximately two weeks. In general you must apply in person. For a visa application to be considered, the applicant must have a completed and signed application form, only originals are accepted.
Updated 2/20/2012
