Finnish Government Seeks to Tighten Visa Rules for Russian Citizens

With direct connections between Russia and EU suspended, Finland has become a transit country for Russians seeking to travel further into Europe, which many Finnish politicians see as a “circumvention of the sanctions regime”.

The Finnish government plans to review its policy on granting tourist visas to Russian nationals, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto of the Greens has said.

As flights from Russia to the EU have been grounded, Finland, alongside Turkey, has become a transit country for many Russians seeking to travel further into Europe. Pekka Haavisto stressed that many see it as “circumvention of the sanctions regime”.

Numerous Finnish politicians representing the entire political spectrum have expressed broad support for tightening visa requirements for Russians due to Russia's ongoing special operation in Ukraine to demilitarize and de-Nazify the country and protect the inhabitants of the Donbass Republics, which Finnish media, in line with the rest of the West, portray as “invasion”.

This move is supported by more than half of Finns (58 percent) who said the country should stop issuing visas to Russian tourists in a recent survey carried out by pollster Taloustutkimus on behalf of the national broadcaster Yle. By contrast, nearly a quarter opposed such a measure while 18 percent did not express a view on the matter.

According to Haavisto, the tightening will in sync with other Schengen countries, which is why it will be discussed at a meeting with fellow EU foreign ministers at a meeting scheduled at the end of the month.

“It is not enough for Finland to make such a decision independently, we need to have the same rules throughout the Schengen area”, he told national broadcaster Yle.

Finland has already introduced some restrictions, including refusing to grant multiple-entry visas to first-time applicants and limiting the number of applications to 1,000 per day. Current laws, however, prevent a total suspension of visa processing or the annulment of such travel documents which have already been issued.

By contrast, EU nations like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland stopped accepting tourist visa applications from Russia in recent months, citing the conflict in Ukraine.

In weeks since COVID-19 border restrictions were relaxed earlier this summer, Finland is estimated to have granted some 10,500 new turist visas.

In response, Russia has warned that it would take countermeasures if Finland stops or restricts the issuing of tourist visas to Russian citizens.

Earlier, Finland seized nearly a thousand freight cars belonging to Russian companies, citing EU sanctions, to the tune of “at least 82 million euros” ($84 million)