Passports & visa
Finland accepts an officially issued and valid identity card in place of a passport from the citizens of all EU countries, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Monaco and Switzerland. All other nationalities require a valid passport.
Entry documents are required of foreign nationals. The entry into and residence in Finland of foreign nationals is subject to the provisions of the Finnish Aliens Act and Aliens Decree and the Schengen Agreement and Convention. Entry documents refer to visa, residence permit and work permit. Nationals of some countries are required to present a visa, while others are granted access without a visa. Foreign nationals need a visa in the Schengen area and travel documents in Finland. General enquiries about travel documents accepted by Finland and visa issues should be E-mailed to the passport and visa unit in Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Enquiries about the progress of visa applications or about the application procedure itself should be made directly to the Finnish embassy processing the matter (visas.passports@formin.fi). These instructions are meant to apply to foreign nationals travelling or planning on travelling to Finland. Separate instructions are given on entry that requires a visa and on entry without the visa requirement. As a rule, foreign nationals who require an entry visa are requested to apply it from either the Finnish mission or a mission of a Schengen country that represents Finland in their home country. In exceptional cases, residence permits and work permits as well as extension of visas can also be applied in Finland.
Banks
All banks are open Mon-Fri 9:00–16:30 (office hours may vary regionally) and closed on weekends. Foreign currency and travellers’ cheques can also be exchanged at the currency exchange offices at the Helsinki Central Railway Station, open Mon-Fri 8:00–0:00 Sat-Sun 9:00-19:00, and Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, open daily 5:30–1:00. There are also exchange offices in the largest cities.
Currency
The Finnish currency unit is the euro (EUR)
Travellers’ cheques
Traveller’s cheques are accepted at all banks, travel agencies and hotels as well as in some major shops. The Eurocheques are accepted in banks and some shops.
International credit cards
Most international credit cards (Visa, Eurocard, Access, Mastercard, Diner’s Club, American Express) are accepted in most Finnish hotels, restaurants, car rentals, department stores, gas stations, and many more. Check first at the cash registry.
Emergencies
Dial 112 for an emergency.
Time difference
The time in Finland is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The time difference between Eastern US Standard Time and Finnish Standard Time is 7 hours. Then Finland is 3 hours ahead of GMT. The 24-hours timetable is followed.