Finland stiffens visa restrictions for Russian athletes

Finland has tightened restrictions on the entry of Russian citizens into the country, said the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in a press release on Thursday.

The government on Thursday issued a resolution, which stated the threat that the entry of Russian citizens into the country poses to Finland’s international relations.

The new restrictions apply to short-term work carried out under a visa, including professional sports.

As of 16 November 2026, public authorities will take the new resolution into account when considering visa applications and assessing the conditions for entry and short-term stay.

“As long as Russia’s war of aggression continues, Russian athletes have no business in Finland. Their entry into the country would be a threat to Finland’s international relations. The same is true of other short-term work under visas that is not essential to Finland’s national interests,” said Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen in the press release.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland’s missions abroad will be responsible for implementing the restrictions on the issuance of visas, while the Finnish Border Guard will be responsible for matters relating to entry into the country. The Finnish Border Guard and the police will assess conditions for short-term stay in connection with monitoring of foreign nationals.

Public authorities will implement these restrictions regardless of the country from which a Russian citizen is travelling to Finland or through Finland to other parts of the Schengen area.

Under the Aliens Act, a foreign national can be denied admittance or stay if they do not meet the conditions for stay. This may apply to a person staying in Finland under a Schengen visa issued by another Member State contrary to Finland’s national restrictions.

In future, Russian citizens will only be allowed to work under a Schengen visa in tasks that are essential to Finland’s national interests, such as security of supply.

These restrictions also apply to the entry of Russian athletes and other sports professionals into Finland.

The entry restrictions also apply to athletes competing under neutral status.