The Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg, whose address is Preobrazhenskaya Square, 4, is doing a great job of issuing visa permits. Every year, at least a million different documents pass through the hands of its employees. Almost all applications for travel to Finland are resolved in a positive way, the percentage of refusals is extremely small, usually not exceeding one. This figure is the smallest of all Schengen states.
Visa to Finland (St. Petersburg) through the consulate
The process of obtaining a visa at the Finnish consulate has one of the most simplified forms. Finland is clearly interested in the fact that the flow of tourists from Russia is constantly increasing, the country's economy only benefits from this. Tourists bring significant profits to Finnish hotels, shops, cottages, as well as the entertainment and leisure industry.
To apply for a tourist visa to the Consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg, it is necessary, in addition to a passport and a medical policy, to provide a completedphoto form. And you should also confirm: the purpose of the visit, the place of stop in Finland and the availability of the necessary funds from the tourist. The traveler's passport must have at least two blank pages. Its validity period must exceed the date of return from the tour by at least three months. If you have a previous passport with a previously obtained permission, it should also be presented to consular officers.
Features of filling out documentation for a visa
The Consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg requires filling out the questionnaire only in Latin, it is allowed to use the Russian language using transliteration. Both manual and computer filling of the questionnaire form is acceptable, but the signature must be put by the tourist himself. The questionnaire for a minor can be filled out by third parties, in addition to parents, and it must be signed by a guardian or one of the parents.
Tourists can confirm their place of residence in Finland by submitting a hotel reservation. If you plan to stop at a private owner, you should present a document from the owner of the home, a lease or a letter with the intention to provide the tourist with housing. The tourist purpose of the visit can be confirmed by a travel policy or a program of the planned trip. In the latter case, the ticket reservation must be presented. The minimum monetary coverage of a tourist visa insurance for Finland is 30,000 euros, which meets the Schengen requirements.
Insurance actionshould begin immediately after sending a package of documents for a visa to the Consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg, and it should extend to the entire Schengen area. An insurance company must be accredited by the Finnish embassy. You cannot fill out the policy by hand.
Financial viability can be confirmed by a certificate indicating the size of the tourist's bank account or wages at work. In case of presentation of a sponsorship letter, the existence and viability of the sponsor must be documented.
Procedure for clearance
To independently obtain an exit permit, you need to apply directly to the Finnish Consulate in St. Petersburg or the visa center located there. In case of residence in other regions, it is also permissible to contact the employees of consular departments in such cities as Moscow, Murmansk, Petrozavodsk, Yekaterinburg, etc.
Some firms offer visa intermediary services. The submission of a package of documents is necessarily accompanied by the issuance of consent to the processing of personal information, as regulated by Russian law. The application procedure includes choosing the required type of visa and preparing the appropriate package of documents.
It should be remembered that the registration at the Consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg, as well as at any other selected department or visa center, is made in advance. Then, at the appointed time, you should come to submit the documents. Afterthe corresponding waiting period, it will be possible to pick up a visa and a passport. In some cases, the applicant may be called for an interview in order to clarify some questions regarding departure to Finland.
About timing
Make an appointment with the consular staff preferably one month before the planned visit.
The term for processing documents for departure is fourteen days. In fact, a passport with a visa is issued even earlier than this period. In exceptional cases, the verification time may be extended. The exact date can be specified on the relevant website.
