Finland promises not to cancel issuance of tourist visas to Russians

Finnish Acting Prime Minister, Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen has said that Finland does not intend to stop issuing tourist visas to Russian citizens in connection with Russia's "special military operation".

Some MPs stand for introducing restrictions on issuing Finnish visas in Russia, Kommersant reports.

The EU has restricted the issuance of tourist visas in some countries. Russians cannot get visas in the Baltic countries, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, and Germany.

The complete cessation of visa issuance, however, with some adjustments while applying for a visa, did not affect such countries as Finland, Italy, Greece, France, Spain, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, Norway, and Slovenia.

“Finland’s policy is to support the common EU sanctions policy. The issuance of tourist visas in Russia should be agreed upon at the level of the EU and the Schengen countries. The EU has already frozen part of the visa facilitation agreement between the EU and Russia. There is also readiness for other actions,” she said by commenting on the situation.

The minister noted that Finland is not preparing its own measures.

Finland began issuing Schengen visas to Russians on July 1, 2022, after lifting of restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before COVID-19, Finland was in the lead in the ranking among the countries issuing visas to Russians and ranked third among the countries most visited by Russian citizens.