Current affairs

The repatriation flights arranged by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs as a result of the COVID-19 crisis have ended. Altogether 16 flights were carried out, with a total of 3,227 tourists returning to Finland or through Finland to their home country in Europe. Around 2,000 of the passengers on the flights were tourists returning to Finland.

We have put together frequently asked questions with answers about travel and coronavirus.

The coronavirus crisis exacerbates the position of people who were already in a vulnerable situation before the outbreak of the pandemic. This shows for example in Lebanon, which has the world’s highest refugee population in proportional terms, and in South Africa, which is one the most unequal societies of the world.

The Embassy of Finland in Beirut is closely following the developments relating to the COVID-19 outbreak in Lebanon and wants to support Lebanon in these exceptionally challenging times. As an immediate response, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland is announcing one million Euros in new assistance to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Lebanon.

Due to the prevailing emergency conditions based on the Emergency Powers Act, the Government has decided to restrict traffic at Finland’s external borders starting on Thursday 19 March at 00.00. Finns travelling abroad are encouraged to return to Finland as soon as possible.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Finland’s Missions are monitoring the impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic in cooperation with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), and they are in constant contact with key actors with regard to the situational picture and any necessary measures.

The EU is revising its Visa Code in order to facilitate visa procedures for travellers and to respond more effectively to the challenges posed by illegal migration. Finland will start applying the new Visa Code on 2 February 2020 together with other Schengen countries.

All Finnish missions abroad and organisations issuing visas, including the Border Guard, Finnish Customs and the Police, started to use the new EU visa sticker on 11 November 2019

The Fund for Local Cooperation (FLC) is a funding instrument managed by Finnish Embassies in eligible countries to support sustainable development cooperation efforts by civil society, mainly local Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Community-based Organisations (CBOs), and the private sector. This year the FLC focuses on promoting the rights of women and girls in Lebanon.