Finland Visa Guide: Eligibility, Documents, Process for Indians

Acquiring Finland Visa

Famous Finland

The Republic of Finland is a country which falls on the northern side of Europe. It crosses the Baltic Sea between Norway to the north, Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden to the northwest and Gulf of Finland between Russia to the east. Finland is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. It is a Nordic country. Helsinki is the capital of Finland as well as the largest city among Espoo and Tampere. It is considered to be the eighth-largest country in Europe as well as the most populated country in the European Union. Finland adopted the policy of neutrality when it joined the United Nations in 1955. It is a sovereign state with a parliamentary republic. Its central government is based in the city Helsinki. Majority of Finns are part and members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. They enjoy the freedom of religion under the Finnish Constitution.

It covers the total area 338,424 km2 constituting of about 168,000 lakes and 179,000 islands in the surrounding. The total population of the country is 5.52 million. Among which 1.41 million people live in the Greater Helsinki metropolitan area itself. Their income contributes to one-third of Finland’s GDP. Total GDP of the country is $257 billion, and Per capita income is $46,559.

Helsinki is known to have the cleanest tap water of all cities in the world and Kilpisjarvi in Lapland is proved to have has the cleanest air in Europe.

Some of the main attractions being Helsinki, Espoo, Hameenlinna, Imatra, Kittila, Koli National Park, etc. and many more places to list in. The best thing you would love to do there is Skiing.

Finland Idea

Finland attracts tourist in large number because of its beautiful lakes and islands. People love to explore that side of Finland before covering other countries. The only thing which differs is the rules and visa type for different citizens based on their nationality. Indian citizens have to take a visa for 90 days for tourism and business purposes. For that, your passport should be valid for six months or beyond your actual stay. As an Indian citizen, you don’t need any extra formalities for obtaining Schengen visa. If needed, you can even extend your Schengen visa after reaching there and completing some due formalities.

Schengen Visa

After a lot of hustle and tussle, European nations came up with an idea of Schengen visa. The idea was to make one valid formal visa for all the European countries. They invited all European counties, and from them, 26 countries took the lead. Today, all 26 European states have a common visa known as Schengen visa. It is the main document issued to the traveller or business person who is willing to visit any of the European countries.

The list includes Finland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Schengen visa is issued if the purpose of the visit in with 90 days of arrival. One cannot stay for a longer duration. If one is willing to stay longer for travel or business purposes, then he or she needs to apply for a long term visa.

Types Of Visas

Once you have decided your destination, the very next step is to collect information and understanding the process of application through a proper medium and source. However, before anything else, you need to get to know about the type of visa needed for your purpose of travel to Germany.German visas are always in demand as it allows one to visit multiple counties with just one visa in hand. That makes it easy for the people to try in because the process is too lengthy and one would like to avoid such hard times again and again. The type of visa depends solely on the purpose and duration of stay.

You can get some clear idea about your visa type by going through the following categories:

Tourist Visa:

Indians are fond of travelling. We live on simple grounds. Hustle, earn and travel. The parks and islands contribute as a high attraction tourist point. Those who wish to visit the place would require 90 days of Tourists visa to enjoy the skies.

Family And Friends:

People who have their friends and relatives in Finland will definitely wish to visit them someday. By mentioning this reason, you can apply for the visa. It is sometimes covered under the segment of the tourist visa.

Student Applicant Visa:

Indian students are fond of taking their higher studies in Finland. You need to opt for a student applicant visa after applying to the college or university.

Student Visa:

A student visa is issued to the students who have already been selected in the University. You just need to submit a simple document, letter or copy of email stating the proof of admissions. It is just taken as the clarification of the purpose.

Job Visa:

Finland has amazing jobs. Most of the service sector caters to gaming and tourism. The business sector consists of glass manufactures. If any of this sector interests you, then you can go to Finland and have your dream job. You need to apply for a temporary or permanent job visa. Just the procedures with being different and the documents required would be different.

Working Visa:

Finland is full of opportunities for the working class. Finland is considered the main gaming hub. It even has a good scope for other developments. You need to apply for a working visa of 90 days at first. It has some different requirements than job visas. It is necessary to submit documents related to your previous work experience too.

Business Visa:

Again Finland has many opportunities for the working class. Finland is still developing, and most of its income circulates through tourism and IT sector. So, there is much scope for other business forms. All you need is to apply for a business visa with the embassy. It is mandatory to state the type of business one is planning out. After checking all the legalities, you will be granted your visa.

Other Purposes

There can be many reasons for going to Germany. Not all purposes are covered under visa directory. So, when your purpose or reason is not covered under any of the above categories, you can apply for the visa under the miscellaneous category and claim your visa. However, you have to be very clear while narrating your purpose in front of the officials. If your reasons are not justified to be valid under the norms, your visa can be denied under such situations.

How to Apply for Finnish Visa:

If you want to apply for Finnish visa, then you should not worry much. The process is pretty straightforward, especially compared to the visa application process of various other countries such as the US among others. One of the first things you should do is thoroughly review the eligibility requirements for a Finnish visa. The reason to do so is that the requirements may change depending on the type of visa you are applying for. To apply for a Finnish visa, you will need to submit your visa application to The Embassy of Finland at New Delhi.

You will need to select the visa category that you wish to apply for depending on your visit’s nature and purpose.

Then you will need to book an appointment at the visa application centre before you submit your application. At the visa application centre you will need to submit your completed visa application form along with all the relevant and required documents. One of the major advantages of the Finnish visa application centre is that you can request a courier delivery to save yourself a second trip. Therefore, you will receive your documents after they are processed without having to leave the comfort of your home.

Lastly, a receipt will be provided to you that will have the fees charged for the service along with a number that you can use to check the status of your visa.

Where to Apply for Finland Visa?

In order to apply for a visa to Finland, you will need to visit The Embassy of Finland in New Delhi. Additionally, as mentioned on the Embassy of Finland website, you can also visit the offices of VFS Global Services in Delhi, Gurgaon, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmadabad, Chandigarh, Kochi, Goa, Hyderabad, Pune, Puducherry, and Trivandrum. The addresses are given down below:

What is Estonian Tourist Visa

You can also clarify any doubts that you may have by contacting them on:

Phone Helpline: +91 22 67866008

Email Id: info.ausin@vfshelpline.com

How to Book Appointment?

In order to submit your application of Finnish visa, you will need to visit the visa application centre personally. You will not have the option of completing and apply online for a Finland visa. You can book the appointment by visiting the centre or you can call the visa application centre or book it online.

Make sure that you do not miss your appointment as rebooking an appointment or changing the date may not be possible. Furthermore, ensure that you reach before your allotted time to avoid any last minute hassle.

You will also be required to pay a fee for the service in cash in India Rupees after your appointment. Furthermore, you will be required to submit biometric data.

How to Check Status of Finland Visa

You can click here to check the status of your application. After checking the status of the visa, you can either collect it directly in person from the visa application centre or you can request courier delivery. If you are unable to collect it in person or you cannot apply for courier delivery, you can ask an authorized representative to collect it for you.