I have a Spanish Schengen visa. I'm in Spain now and will soon go to the UK, and then I plan to go to Finland,

Does a multiple entry visa allow me from the UK to Finland rather than to Finland via Spain?

I was told that to enter Finland I had to travel from Spain directly to Finland. I'm just worried about Finnish customs, they might say that I have to be in Schengen territory to enter Finland with my Schengen visa.

RoflcoptrException

I'm not sure about this, but aren't Spain, UK and Finland part of Schengen?

Ankur Banerjee ♦

The UK is not part of the Schengen agreement.

RoflcoptrException

Okay, I see, then the German Wikipedia page about Schengen is useless ;) de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengener_Abkommen. There the picture indicates that the UK is part of Schengen.

Answers

Ankur Banerjee

Yes, if you have a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa, you can enter and exit the Schengen territory as many times as you like. What in in this case means you are allowed to fly from the UK to Finland. Of course you need a separate visa for the UK if you need one.

Jasin

I also have a UK visa, I entered Spain with my Spanish Schengen visa so everything is fine, but I still worry about things when I'm in the UK. Are you sure it's okay to travel from the UK to Finland?

Ankur Banerjee ♦

Yes. The Schengen visa is valid for all countries that are part of the agreement; you do not have to leave the country that issued it.

Johann K Strasberg

Your Schengen visa is valid for all countries in the Schengen area. If you have a multiple entry visa, you are allowed to enter and exit the Schengen area at your discretion for a cumulative period of a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period.

and since you also have a UK visa, you will have absolutely no problems with the Spain-UK-Finland route.

check our website for more information (linked to website)

Mark Mayo ♦

Schengen visa (visa to Finland, visa to Spain, visa to Holland) – in fact, a residence permit that gives the passport holder the right to stay in the country that issued the visa (for example:Finnish visa, Spanish visa or Dutch visa), for a period corresponding to the purpose of the trip.

The Schengen Agreement, with the abolition of border and customs controls, fully applies to 26 European member states. It should be remembered thatSchengen visaissued by one of the Schengen countries is not considered a European Union visa.

IN this moment The agreement applies to 4 non-EU countries: Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. At the same time, 2 member countries of the European Union, Ireland and the United Kingdom, take limited participation, maintaining border and customs controls. Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Romania have not yet joined the Schengen Agreement.

Since 2011 Schengen visas issued by Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland, as well as Norway and Iceland. 4 dwarf states surrounded on all sides by the Schengen zone, such as San Marino, Andorra, Vatican City and Monaco, may not check the passports of persons arriving on their territory.

According to the terms of the Agreement on the Common Visa-Free Space, Schengen visa(For example: Finnish Schengen visa, spanish schengen visa or Dutch Schengen visa) is issued by the diplomatic mission of a participating country or a single visa center to those citizens with whose states no mutual agreements have been concluded on the procedure for staying on their territories.

Once in one of the countries participating in the Schengen zone, movement through the territory of other countries is allowed, since there are no borders between them and customs points. At first you won’t even notice that you’ve entered the territory of another country.

For example, you can determine that you have left Spain and are in France only by signs above shops and road signs. However, internal passport control is not completely ruled out. That is, at any moment a police officer or immigration officer can come up and demand documents.

Schengen visas, such as visa to Finland, visa to spain, visa to Holland, are classified according to criteria such as length of stay and number of entries into the country. Depending on the duration of the trip, transit, short-term and long-term trips are distinguished. Transit includes types of visas that give the right either to transit or to stay in the country for a period of no more than 5 days.

Short-term Schengen visas give the right to travel within the Schengen area for no more than 90 days. The long-term category includes visas that allow you to stay in the country for more than 3 months.

Depending on the number of entries, Schengen visas are single-entry, double-entry and multiple-entry. Multiple Schengen visa allows you to enter the Schengen area an unlimited number of times during the validity period of the visa.
Let's look at each type in more detail.

1. Transit visa, type A
Another name is “airport visa”. This visa provides access to the transit area of ​​the international airport and waiting on its territory. During boarding or transfer, such persons must remain in the international transit zone airport without the right to enter the country.

Citizens of most CIS countries are not allowed to obtain airport visas. For example, a citizen of Ukraine travels from New York to Kyiv with a transfer in Vienna. According to the ticket, the waiting time in Vienna is 10 hours. He does not need a visa, but at the same time he will not be able to leave the terminal.

2. Transit visa, type B
This visa issued to persons crossing the territory of one or more Schengen countries before continuing their trip to a third country. The visa can be issued for one, two or, depending on exceptional circumstances, several transits.

The duration of each transit does not exceed five days. For example, a group of Russian cyclists travels to Ireland through Latvia, Poland, Germany, Holland, Belgium and France. In addition to the Irish visa, each of them must have a Schengen visa type B.

3. Type C
Better known as a “tour visa”. This type is issued for one, two or several trips. Its validity period varies from several weeks to 5 years, however, it allows a stay of no more than three months. There are 4 subtypes of this visa:

C1 – for persons who intend to stay in the Schengen area for no more than 30 days. Usually issued to holidaymakers, vacationers and tourists.

C2 – with this visa, a tourist can stay in the Schengen countries for up to 90 days. Its validity period is six months, that is, within 6 months a person can return to the Schengen area.

C3 – similar to C2, but valid for one year.

C4 – the number of days that a tourist can stay in the Schengen area is also 90, but they can be “stretched” for a period of 1 to 5 years. That is, having received such a visa, you can visit the countries of the Schengen zone for 5 years, but the total number of days of stay should not exceed 90. The police, inspecting a passport with such a visa, meticulously calculate the days spent in Schengen.

The last 2 types of visa C are suitable for truck drivers and car drivers who often visit Europe. Also apply for (receive) a Finnish visa type C4 can be owned by property owners in Finland, visa to Finland a two-year visa will be issued for such citizens for 90 days in each half-year.

4. Type D
National visa. Visa of this type provides the opportunity for multiple entries into the territory of the country that issued the visa and a single entry. Issued for a period of more than 90 days, for the following purposes: study, business, work, family reunification, settlement permanent place residence.

In the same time, national visa allows its holder to stay in the territory of other Schengen countries for a period of no more than 3 months. As a rule, holders of such visas are treated as citizens who have a residence permit in a given state.

It is called national, since the issuance rules are regulated by local legislation. In some cases, such as family reunification, the visa is issued free of charge.

Although there are some nuances in the case of type D, rules for obtaining Schengen visas unified by all participating countries, and differ little from each other. The citizen of which country you are also plays a big role.

IN last years began to open in the CIS countries United Centers for the Issuance of Visas (currently a Finnish visa center and a Spanish visa center are open in St. Petersburg). You should contact such centers if there is no diplomatic mission in your country of the country you are going to visit. For example, there is no representative office of Luxembourg in Moldova. Instead of going to the nearest consulate in Moscow, you can contact the Unified Visa Center in Chisinau.

Typically, the procedure for obtaining Schengen visas consists of the following points:
1. Collect a package of documents. Depending on the type of visa, the list of documents may vary. Usually, they require you to provide a completed application form, valid passport, certificates of employment, income, no criminal record, several photographs, receipt of payment of the consular fee. When obtaining a type D visa, you may also need a work contract, marriage certificate, confirmation from educational institution and etc.
2. Sign up for an interview. Can be done online.
3. Come to the interview. Submit a package of documents. There may not be an interview as such, and you will not talk to the consul. The clerk will check your documents and tell you when to return.
4. Wait for the consul’s decision. The consul may issue a visa on the same day, may categorically refuse, and sometimes ask you to come again and submit additional documents.
Also to make it easier for you apply for a Finnish visa or get a Spanish visa you can contact our company. Our company offers a Finnish visa without registration (without registration) in St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg). If you don't have permanent registration(registration) in St. Petersburg (St. Petersburg) we will be happy to help you obtain a Finnish multiple visa without residence permit (without registration) in St. Petersburg.

It is known that the majority of residents of St. Petersburg - lovers of the Spanish pastime, used a simplified language only for them to travel to the local Mediterranean visa regime Russia and Finland. All good things, like all bad things, must come to an end.

Finland is canceling the simplified visa regime for residents of border areas. The new norms will come into effect from September 1. Is it really no longer possible to go “to Finka” from the Leningrad region just for the weekend?

Citizens of the Russian Federation will continue to receive Finnish visas without difficulty, said the Consul General of Finland

The European Commission demanded the introduction of general requirements for obtaining Finnish Schengen visas in St. Petersburg based on the results of an audit, said Consul General of Finland in St. Petersburg Anne Lammila.

“Last summer, the European Commission conducted an audit of the processing of applications and visas here at the Consulate General of Finland in St. Petersburg. Based on the results of the inspection, the commission gave its conclusion. Finland has been asked to follow the rules regarding the application for visa applications,” the Consul General said at a press conference on Thursday.

According to her, the Consulate General postponed the introduction of new requirements until September so as not to create inconvenience for travelers during the summer.

“This is not about Finland wanting to tighten requirements for Russians. According to the Schengen agreement, all member countries of the agreement are obliged to follow general requirements“, Lammila emphasized.

She assured that Russian citizens will continue to receive Finnish visas without difficulty.

As representatives of the Consulate General noted, the load on the visa center doubled after the announcement, but applicants do not need to stand in queues. In addition, the visa center increased the number of available appointments over the summer.

Some details are reported by fontanka.ru

Consulate General of Finland: The rules for issuing visas for Russians have been changed at the request of the European Commission
The Finnish consul in St. Petersburg denied the information that Suomi aims to complicate the lives of Russian travelers. Innovations, she said, came from Brussels.

“Last summer, the European Commission conducted an inspection of the visa processing and issuance process at the St. Petersburg Consulate General and issued an opinion. [We] were required to be guided by general rules Schengen agreement<...>. It was necessary to change the procedure for issuing visas, but we did not want to make changes before the summer holidays and decided to postpone them until the fall,” Anne Lammila said on August 8.

According to her, Finland’s goal was not to tighten the rules for Russians. “Russians for us belong to the first class of travelers, and we are waiting for them in the future,” the Consul General assured.

Lammila recalled that tourists now need to provide with their visa application a description of the planned trip and confirmation of availability financial resources. The plan can be free, and the tourist can confirm his solvency with an account statement, a certificate from work or real estate documents. Previously, such documents were requested “if necessary.”

“More than 99% of applicants fulfill the requirements of the Schengen zone and receive visas,” Lammila concluded.

On August 1, Helsinki announced that they would bring their requirements for the package of documents for a visa in accordance with what all other members of the Schengen agreement request from Russians. An updated list of documents will be published on the Suomi Visa Application Center website in English and Russian during August 2019. The tightening of the rules has already caused a stir at the Finnish visa application center.

The most frequently asked questions from tourists when applying for a Schengen visa. The main difficulties in interpreting the Schengen rules: country of first entry, transit, etc.

Is it possible to travel with a Schengen visa obtained at the Finnish consulate, for example, to Germany?

To answer this and many other questions you need to know 3 Schengen rules

First: The visa says “valid for Schengen” (The visa is valid for visiting any Schengen countries - Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland , Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Czech Republic, Sweden, Estonia That is, with this visa you have the right to travel to any of these countries.)

Second: The visa is issued at the consulate of the country you have chosen as your “main place of stay.” If your main goal is to go shopping in Finland, you need to apply for a visa at the Finnish consulate. If your main goal is to buy a car in Germany, even if you are going to get to Germany by ferry from Finland and Finland will be the first Schengen country on your way, you must apply for a visa at the German consulate.

Third: If everyone knows the two previous provisions, they usually do not pay attention to the third: After receiving a visa, YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE MAIN PURPOSE OF YOUR STAY. That is: You were planning to go to Finland for two weeks to ski, booked a cottage, received a Schengen visa from the Finnish consulate. And then your friends from Germany called you: “Come urgently! We found you a car." Your plans change. You have a Schengen visa. The Germans will not issue you a second Schengen visa for the same period. What to do? According to Schengen rules, you must go to the Finnish consulate, cancel your current Finnish Schengen visa, and then go to the German one and apply for the exact same Schengen visa at the German consulate.

Many tourists have friends or their own experience when people Finnish visa they traveled by train, bus, or plane directly to Germany and were allowed through. Some - even without sad consequences, such as refusal of a visa the next time you submit documents to the consulate, but we are writing about “rules” and not about exceptions, even if they occur quite often.

Another fairly common misconception is that you can go to Finland once on a Finnish visa for one day, and then calmly fly to Spain for a week. Indeed, if you have a multiple-entry Finnish business visa and have already traveled to Finland once on business, next time you can fly to other Schengen countries. But provided that your main purpose (main place of stay) remains the same as what you stated when submitting your application form to the Finnish consulate.
When your visa expires and you take your passport to one of the consulates of the Schengen countries, you may be asked and checked by border stamps, where you went on a previous visa, and if it turns out that, for example, German stamps and trips to Germany You had more than for Finland, and you received your visa at the Finnish consulate - they may even give you a “refusal”.

The concept of “main place of stay” is very arbitrary. How to determine by the number of days or the number of trips (for example, you spent two weeks on this visa in Spain and went to Finland 10 times for one day each)? It is obvious to everyone that in this case the main goal is Finland, despite the fact that you spent more days on this visa in Spain. But the final decision in each specific case rests with one of the consulate employees who examines your application form and passport. And no one knows what this employee will decide in your particular case. Most likely, they will not consult with you or invite you to an interview for explanations about previous trips. They will simply give you a visa or put a visa refusal stamp in your passport.

Is it possible to get a one-time Schengen visa for a few days at the Finnish consulate and fly on a FINNAIR plane from Russia to Italy?

No. You are flying, for example, on the route St. Petersburg - Helsinki - Rome. At Helsinki Airport, Finnish border guards will check your visa, ask for the purpose of your visit and ask to show your ticket. The ticket will include the entire route to Rome. Your visa will be canceled and sent home. Although there were exceptions when it was possible to “explain”, we are writing about the rules.

According to our information, there are no border controls at ports and airports within the Schengen countries. When you enter Finland by bus, your visa is checked by Finnish border guards. Then you can come to the airport, buy a Helsinki-Milan ticket and fly away calmly. You will no longer meet border guards either in Helsinki or Milan. This will be a domestic flight, the same as flying from Helsinki to Turku. You will not have border stamps from Helsinki and Milan airports. This does not mean that there are no police at the airport. Eat. But the police are not border guards, and although citizens Russian Federation Usually visible from afar, it is unlikely that after checking your documents, the police will decide to cancel your visa, unlike border guards who have such a practice.

Is it possible to travel to Germany in transit through Finland with a “German” Schengen visa?

Can. You can open a German visa and buy a ticket for the Finland-Germany-Finland ferry to travel to Germany via Finland. At the same time, you will not violate any Schengen rules and you will be allowed through at the border. But to open a visa next time, leave your used tickets, in case the consulate is interested in where you went on your last visa. Questions may arise, since you will only meet border guards at the border between Russia and Finland and your passport will only have Finnish border stamps. But there will be no German stamps.

Finally: There can be no clear answers or guarantees in “visa” issues.
Here we express our point of view and tell how we ourselves would act in certain situations based on formal logic and the experience of tourists traveling, using published documents of the Schengen agreements.

To travel around Europe, it is very profitable to apply for a multiple-entry Schengen visa for up to 5 years. It is especially convenient to obtain Schengen for Russians living in regions bordering European countries. Thus, many residents of the Kaliningrad region apply for Polish Schengen, residents of the Pskov region - Estonian and Lithuanian visas, Murmansk residents - Norwegian Schengen, and residents of the North-West (Karelia, Leningrad region, St. Petersburg) territorial proximity allows you to quickly and quite simply apply for Finnish Schengen. Our article tells you what beginners need to know about obtaining a Finnish visa.

The list of Schengen countries to which a Finnish visa applies includes 26 European countries, but, in addition, according to the Finnish Schengen Russian citizens allowed to stay under the same conditions in Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus.

Finnish Schengen is issued through visa centers Finland in St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vologda, Petrozavodsk, Vyborg, Veliky Novgorod and Pskov. The cost of the service is 60 euros, including Visa fees in the amount of 35 euros.

Those who do not want to overpay for the services of a visa center or intermediary companies can try to obtain a visa on their own at the Finnish Consulates General in St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk and Murmansk, as well as at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow. In this case, you will only pay the visa fee and can save 26 euros, which is especially important for those who are applying for a visa for the whole family. True, registration for those wishing to obtain a visa in this way is kept at the consulates from a week to a month before the date on which you can submit the documents. But the most difficult thing is to track the beginning of the registration: consulates open registration on weekdays by phone or on the website at any arbitrary time from 8 am to 20.00, and the registration itself lasts no more than 20 minutes. However, there is a way out: enthusiasts have come up with services that track appointment times at Finnish consulates and inform subscribers about email when this recording began. We discovered this service for monitoring records at the Finnish consulate http://www.getfinvisa.ru/

House visa with fingerprints? It's possible

An alternative to consulates, visa centers and intermediary firms wishing to obtain a visa not only to Finland, but to any country, can be a service that has no analogues. Incredibly, to get a visa through Visatohome you don’t need to fill out long forms - just send scans necessary documents, and what’s more, you don’t have to go to visa centers or consulates to get fingerprinted; the service has a mobile biometrics service - your fingers will be taken in any convenient place! The service's courier can deliver a ready-made passport with a visa directly to your home or work, and lastly, the prices for Visatohome services are quite competitive with the services of travel agencies.

Myths about Finnish Schengen

Having received the Finnish Schengen, you must mandatory first visit Finland (open a visa), and only then will it be possible to travel to other countries of the Finnish Agreement.

The so-called rule of first entry, according to which it is necessary to open a visa in the country that issued it, was abolished back in 2013. Tested from my own experience. You can safely enter any Schengen country using the Finnish Schengen visa, and then “roll back” your visa in Finland.

A tourist who has received a Finnish Schengen visa must spend more days in Finland than in other Schengen countries.

If you spent two weeks of your holiday in Spain using Finnish Schengen, this does not mean that you must spend at least 15 days in Finland. In fact, when driving in other countries on a Finnish visa, you must remember that the number of entries into Finland must be no less than the number of visits to other countries on this visa. For example, if you visited Italy, France, Estonia during the annual period of validity of the Finnish Schengen, then the number of entries into Finland should be at least equal to or greater than in other countries.

Finland does not issue visas to unemployed citizens or citizens with criminal convictions.

Finland is one of the few countries that does not require any financial security travel, no hotel reservations and tolerates criminal convictions.