How to Get a Finland Tourist Visa
Located in the northern part of Europe, Finland is one of the most popular countries in Europe for tourism. Finland has borders with Russia to the east, Norway to the north, and Sweden to the west. If you have been planning a trip to Finland with your family this summer, then you must ensure that you apply for the Finland tourist visa at the earliest. Finland is one country in Europe that really gives a unique experience to its travellers in terms of what it has to offer! Beautiful natural beauty, rich culture, history and art – Finland has something for everyone.
Also known as the land of thousand lakes, Finland has almost 190,000 lakes. Every year the country sees an increasing influx of foreign tourists and a rise in the demand for the Finland tourist visa. If you are thinking of visiting Finland for your next holiday, you will need to get the Finland tourist visa, which is basically a Schengen visa that gives you entry into all 26 countries in the Schengen region of Europe. This visa will give you access to the region for 90 days or 3 months, after which you need to renew it if you wish to stay for a longer duration. It takes around 10-15 days to get the visa processed and sometimes even longer during peak tourist seasons. Hence, it is advisable to always apply well ahead in time to avoid disappointment later.
However, if you are not a national of any of the EU countries, UK, USA, Singapore and the Vatican City, it is mandatory for you to apply for a Finland tourist visa to gain entry into the country. But there’s nothing to worry! In this article, we will guide you and help you understand how you can get this visa completely hassle-free.
HOW TO APPLY FOR A FINLAND TOURIST VISA?
The Finland tourist visa application process is pretty straightforward. All you have to do is ensure that you have all the correct documents and follow the steps explained below.
Prepare visa application – The first step that you need to complete is to fill out your Finland tourist visa application form correctly with all relevant information and collect all necessary documents as listed below. You need to be very sure that you have secured all the correct documents required for the visa application. From our experience, we have noticed that most travellers face issues with 3 specific documents – proof of accommodation, flight reservation and travel insurance. We will explain how to obtain these documents in the next sections.
Getting an appointment – Once you have all your documents in order, it is time to make an appointment with the embassy so you can submit your application. Keep in mind that Finland tourist visa applications are accepted only if you make prior appointment, otherwise not.
Online submission of Applicant’s information – After you submit the application and it is verified to ensure it is complete, all your information is entered into the embassy’s online database. Once this is done, a printed copy of the same is given to you for your approval and signature. This is also the step when you pay up the Finland tourist visa fees. A receipt will be handed to you after payment is completed.
Collection of Biometric Data – this is the final step in the application process where every applicant’s biometric data is collected after submission of application form. Post this, your application is sent off for processing.
For applying for a Finland tourist visa, you need to ensure all the documents you need to submit are in order. Don’t forget that if any one of the documents is not correct or is missing, your visa may be rejected. The next section will help you make a list of the documents you need to submit.
REQUIREMENTS FOR FINLAND TOURIST VISA:
- Completed application form – You must ensure that you are filling out the correct application form for Finland tourist visa and all questions are accurately answered. Your application will not be accepted if you don’t answer all questions on the form.
- Valid passport – Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the expiry of the visa you have requested for.
- 2 passport-sized photos
- Letter of invitation from a local resident of Finland (if applicable)
- Proof of sufficient income or funds to sustain yourself in Finland. This can be shown by submitting bank statements from the previous 3 months
- Confirmed hotel reservations
- Proof of adequate travel insurance with coverage of minimum EUR 30,000
- Confirmed flight reservations or travel itinerary
Original documents must be submitted to qualify for the Finland tourist visa. You must also ensure that you allow enough time for visa processing – at least 2-3 weeks depending on your nationality.
HOW TO GET FLIGHT AND HOTEL RESERVATION FOR FINLAND TOURIST VISA?
By now you may have already started thinking about all the documents you need to produce in order to get your Finland tourist visa. This is one part of the application process you need to be really meticulous about. In this section, we will help you understand how you can get a flight itinerary and hotel reservation for visa application without putting your money at risk.
The Finland embassy requires you to book flight tickets, hotel accommodation and travel insurance in order to be eligible for the visa. It is fair if you think from their perspective – this is their way to confirm if you are a genuine traveller visiting Finland only for tourism purposes. They need to confirm your travel dates and overall itinerary and match it with what you have claimed in your application form. Having said that, it is quite a gamble at your end to pre-purchase flight tickets and pre-book hotel accommodation because you don’t even know for sure if your visa will get approved and on time for you to travel with the tickets you have bought.
To help you through this Finland tourist visa application process, at Visa Reservation, we provide flight reservation for visa and hotel reservation for visa application that comes at a minimal service charge. Our team will create authentic flight and hotel reservations for you and your family, which you need not pay for upfront. These reservations come with a unique booking ID which can be used by the embassy to verify your reservation. This makes complete sense because once your visa gets approved, you can simple let us know and we will confirm the flights and accommodation on your chosen dates. In case your visa doesn’t come through, these reservations can be easily cancelled or postponed, as opposed to pre-purchased flight tickets and hotel rooms. Therefore, you only pay for your flights and hotel once your visa is approved and your travel plans are confirmed.