Europe 1 with AFP 5:13 p.m., August 16, 2022
The Finnish government announced on Tuesday that Finland will limit the number of visas issued to Russian tourists to 10% of the current volume from September 1, due to growing discontent in the country over the war in Ukraine.
Priority would now be given to "other types of visas".
Finland will limit the number of visas issued to Russian tourists to 10% of the current volume from September 1, due to growing discontent in the country over the war in Ukraine, the Finnish government announced on Tuesday.
"Tourist visas are not going to stop completely, but their number will decrease significantly," Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told reporters.
Reduced opening hours for visa applications
According to the Minister, the opening hours allocated to tourist visa applications will be reduced, which will allow a drop in the number of applications, since an outright ban on visas based on nationality is not possible.
He explained that priority would now be given "to other types of visas: visits to relatives, family contacts, work, studies".
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Finland is currently processing nearly 1,000 visa applications a day from Russia, Pekka Haavisto told Finnish public television YLE.
The country will also examine the establishment of a specific category of humanitarian visa, which currently does not exist in the country.
"It could make the situation much easier in certain circumstances for journalists or people working in NGOs," said Pekka Haavisto.
More and more Russian tourists in Finland
The Minister of Foreign Affairs also announced that he was in favor of stopping the European visa facilitation agreement with Russia, which could increase the price of tourist visas by 35 to 80 euros.
Finland plans to raise the issue at the next meeting of European Union foreign ministers scheduled in the Czech Republic on August 30.
The Nordic country has applied for NATO membership, backed by growing political and popular support following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.
Finland, however, remains the only European country neighboring Russia that does not apply tourist visa restrictions for Russian citizens.
After Russia lifted Covid-related travel restrictions on July 15, the number of Russian tourists traveling to Finland steadily increased, sparking discontent in the country.
"It is not normal that Russian citizens can enter Europe, the Schengen area, be tourists (...) while Russia is killing people in Ukraine. It is not normal ", Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Monday.