A Finland visa is searched for most from Azerbaijan in winter: Lapland, Rovaniemi, Santa Claus’s village and the northern lights. But Finland has no embassy in Baku, and that confuses applicants. For Schengen visas Finland is represented in Azerbaijan by Lithuania: the documents are handed in at the Lithuanian embassy or at Lithuania’s visa centre in Baku.
In this article we explain how the Finland visa process actually works, the timing trap of the winter season, the documents and the ways of reaching Rovaniemi.
Finland visa: brief facts
| Visa type | Type «C» Schengen visa |
| Who decides? | Lithuania (representing Finland) |
| Where are documents handed in? | The Lithuanian embassy, 23 Izmir avenue, or the Lithuanian visa centre, 37 Khojaly avenue |
| Consular fee | 35 euros, free under 12 |
| Processing time | Usually 15 days, longer in winter |
| Direct flight | None, via Istanbul, Warsaw or Riga |
Why is a Finland visa obtained through Lithuania?
Under the Schengen rules a country without a consulate can be represented by another member state. Finland has given that authority in Azerbaijan to Lithuania. Lithuania’s embassy in Baku accepts documents for a short-stay «C» visa to Finland from citizens of Azerbaijan and from third-country nationals permanently resident in Azerbaijan. The documents can be handed in both at the embassy and at Lithuania’s visa centre in Baku. The official explanation is given on the Azerbaijan page of Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Lithuania may be written on the visa as the issuing country; this is an ordinary Schengen visa. But there is a subtlety: on the application you must give Finland as the main country of the trip and confirm that with a hotel booking in Finland. When the Lithuanian consulate decides on Finland’s behalf, it looks at that particularly closely.
The winter trap: when should you apply for a Finland visa?
Trips to Lapland fall in the months of December to February, and that is the busiest visa period in all of Europe. In Rovaniemi the hotels and the Santa Claus village programmes fill up in October, and an appointment at the visa centre is hard to find in November. The Schengen rule allows you to apply up to 6 months before the trip. For a December trip, starting in September or October is normal, while starting in November is risky. This is the most frequently repeated mistake with Finland.
Documents for obtaining a Finland visa
Read next: An Estonian visa is obtained through Latvia: the representation and the Baltic route
How do you get from Baku to Helsinki and Rovaniemi?
There is no direct flight. People fly to Helsinki with Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, LOT via Warsaw and airBaltic via Riga, and the whole journey takes 7–9 hours. To Rovaniemi the domestic flight from Helsinki is 1 hour 20 minutes, while the night train takes 12 hours and is an experience in itself. Baku–Helsinki ticket prices double in December, so buy the ticket as soon as the visa comes through.
Putting a Lapland trip together yourself is expensive and complicated: the snowmobile, the skiing, the reindeer farms and the Santa Claus village are all booked separately. That is why many go on a ready-made programme; around New Year, Lapland tour packages are among the most asked about, and on such tours the tour operator prepares the visa documents together with you.
Frequently asked questions about the Finland visa
How many days does a Finland visa take?
Usually 15 days, and up to 30 in the winter season. Adding the wait for an appointment, for a December trip the whole process can take 6–8 weeks.
Can you cross to Estonia and Sweden on a Finland visa?
Yes, both are in Schengen. From Helsinki there is a 2-hour ferry to Tallinn and a night ferry to Stockholm. The condition is that the main part of the trip is in Finland.
I am travelling with a child; are extra documents needed for the Santa Claus village?
Not for the visa, but if the child is travelling with one parent, the other parent’s notarised consent is needed both for the visa and at the border.
In closing
For a Finland visa it is enough to know two things: the documents are submitted through Lithuania, and preparation for a winter trip has to start in the autumn. The Viza.az team helps with getting an appointment at the Lithuanian centre, preparing the documents and documenting the Lapland programme to meet the visa requirements.
You can read more about the Finland destination or fill in the application form.
Note: the information here is as of the publication date. Representation agreements can change, so look at the official pages once more before applying.
