Russian citizens told to apply for Finnish visa with biometric passport

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Monday advised the holders of passports issued by Russian Federation, who plan to apply for a visa or residence permit from May 1, said the ministry in a press release.

The Ministry issued the advisory for holders of non‑biometric passports, who plan to apply for a visa or residence permit to prepare well in advance regarding a change to the visa procedure effective from June 1.

Earlier in March this year, the ministry decided that Finland will not accept non-biometric passports issued by the Russian Federation with few exceptions from 1 June 2026.

The objective of the decision is to ensure that travel documents are as reliable as possible.

The Ministry cannot guarantee that it will be able to process later applications before the decision is applied, the press release added.

There are three exceptions to the decision. The non-biometric passports issued to persons under the age of 18 will be accepted. Non-biometric passports will be also accepted, if Finland has granted the holder of the passport a residence permit before 1 June 2026. Where there is a special reason, a non-biometric passport of a person who applies for an entry permit to Finland or who resides in Finland, may be accepted based on individual consideration.

The decision includes a transition period from 1 June to 31 December 2026.

During the transition period, Finland will accept non-biometric passports issued by Russia when they contain a valid visa that was issued by Finland before 1 June 2026. During this period, Finland will also accept non-biometric passports that contain a valid visa or a residence permit that was issued by another EU Member State or Schengen country before 1 June 2026.

Finland has restricted the entry of Russian citizens by issuing two government resolutions, the first in 2022 and the second in 2023 when non-essential travel by Russian citizens to Finland and through Finland to the rest of the Schengen area is banned for the time being.