A visit to Finland, like any other European country, provides for a visa. This can be done, for example, by visiting the Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow (Kalanchevskaya, 13).
Where do I apply for a visa?
To obtain a visa to this Scandinavian country, citizens of the Russian Federation must write an application to the consular service of the Finnish embassy or the nearest visa center.
To unload from the influx of visitors Embassy of Finland in Moscow, the visa center is engaged in the reception of documentation, which is then transferred to the consular service, as well as the issuance of ready-made documents after a positive response on the visa.
The functions of this center are only of a technical service nature: reception and issuance of documents. The employees themselves cannot make any decision on issuing a visa; they have no opportunity to influence the consular officers.
A visa can be issued only after obtaining permission from the embassy.
For convenience, such visa centers are organized throughout Russia. In addition to Moscow, they can be found in such regional, republican and regional centers as Kazan, Ufa, St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Krasnodar, Irkutsk, Yekaterinburg and some others.
Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow
Residents of the capital and the Moscow region can apply to the Moscow center using an appointment, and not just a live queue, as in other such institutions. The Finnish Visa Application Center in Moscow has an online service that allows you to pre-schedule an interview with the center's employees and directly with the embassy staff.
In case of revealing the fact of the use of false information by the applicant, the consular service will cancel the record without any additional notifications.
The visitor himself can decide on the time of reception, if necessary, refuse the visit, monitor the degree of readiness of documents on the center’s website. As an additional service, informing via SMS message by phone can be paid.
About the work of the institution
The Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow, whose address is well known to many Muscovites - travel enthusiasts, receives visitors on weekdays. It opens for visitors at 8 in the morning and closes at 16 in the evening.
The center has been operating for more than five years. In total, the institution employs about fifty employees, at the height of the tourist season their number is increasing.
The task of the center employee is to accept and verify the correctness of filling out the documents, and upon completion of the check in the consular service of the embassy, issue the applicant with a passport with a ready visa.
The employee himself does not know about the result of the decision made at the embassy.
The service time of each visitor should not exceed half an hour. Waiting time - no more than fifteen minutes.
The reception area is equipped with a coffee machine, a vending machine with water, and photocopying machines.
A fee of 21 euros can be paid at the box office located right there.
Innovations in the visa issuance procedure
On September 14, 2015, Russia introduced a new Visa Information System, which relates to Schengen states.
For applicants applying for a visa, this resulted in the need to surrender biometric data: photographs and fingerprints of all ten fingers.
The process of submitting documents to the Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow began to require filling out an online application form, which is printed out together with a barcode. This document is valid for 14 days.
From whom is the visa application accepted
An application may be filed by the person intending to travel abroad.
It can be taken from a close relative for family members when confirming family ties, this may apply to father, mother, adult children, grandparents, grandfathers, brothers, sisters and second spouse.
It is permissible to submit an application from organizations for their employee through their representatives. In this case, an employment record must be presented for confirmation, and for a foreign citizen - admission to work with the indication of the employer.
It is possible from the organization to apply for a visa for the wife / husband or minor child of her employee, in case of joint submission of documents.
When a group is organized, the members of which have the same goals and terms of travel, the documentation can be submitted by one trip participant immediately from the whole team. Documentation from travel agencies accredited by the embassy is allowed.
It is impossible to submit documents via mail, including electronic, by means of a power of attorney, courier service and fax.
On the timing of the consideration of documents
Before contacting the Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow (Kalanchevskaya Street, Building 13), you should decide on the dates of your planned trip. The application is accepted no earlier than three months before the day of the proposed departure. It is recommended to submit documents a couple of weeks before departure.
In order for an application for a visa to be considered in an expedited manner, it is necessary to prepare and submit an appropriate written justification to the Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow. This is done at the time of application. Expedited review lasts three business days. If the documents are already accepted for consideration, acceleration of their execution is impossible.
For travel with a tourist purpose, the acceleration procedure is usually not applicable. Visa centers located in other cities of Russia do not deal with expedited visa processing. This is permissible only in Moscow.
Citizens of the Russian Federation who live at a distance of more than five hundred kilometers from the capital (except for the Northwest region), who personally arrived at the Finland Visa Application Center in Moscow, should expect to receive a visa usually no more than three days. They also have the right to submit documents to close relatives (second spouse, minor child). With an accelerated visa application you will have to pay 70 euros.
