Changes to border traffic and travel recommendations, non-essential travel should be avoided

At its session on 23 July, the Government decided on changes to border traffic restrictions and travel recommendations. Internal border control will be reinstated for traffic between Finland and Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland. All traffic is allowed from certain non-European countries. Persons returning from abroad should follow the quarantine instructions issued by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.

These decisions(Link to another website.) (Opens New Window) will be in force from 27 July until 25 August. The Government will reassess the need for and extent of the restrictions on entry in approximately two weeks based on the epidemiological situation. 

Countries from which people are free to travel from Finland

The Government still recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to other countries than those for which the restrictions on entry have been lifted. However, the general recommendation to avoid non-essential travel does not apply to the following countries: 

Andorra, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, San Marino, Slovakia, and the Vatican; as well as the following non-European countries: Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay. The Government recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to China until reciprocity is confirmed in the EU.

People are allowed to travel from Finland to these countries without self-isolation after returning to Finland. 

Finnish citizens always have the right to return to Finland, and everyone has the right to leave Finland if they so wish, provided that there is no legal impediment to this. It is always up to you to decide whether to travel or not.

However, it is good to be aware of the possibility that countries may have their own restrictions on entry into the country. Before travelling, always check the current entry regulations in your travel destination from the local authorities, for example from the nearest mission of the country in question.