Finland revokes visa of Russian man sought by Lithuanian authorities

Press release 185/2011
21 July, 2011

On July 20, Finland’s embassy in Moscow revoked the Schengen visa of Russian citizen Mikhail Golovatov. The visa had been issued in 2009. The action was taken immediately after Finnish authorities were informed of a so-called SIS warrant issued by Lithuania for the man holding the visa. The visa had been used for travel in the Schengen Area, including Austria, where Golovatov was arrested last week and released soon thereafter.

When issuing a visa, Finnish embassies check the Schengen Information System (SIS) for data about every third-country citizen applying for a visa. Golovatov’s visa was issued by Finland’s embassy in Moscow, at which time SIS contained no information about him.

The SIS warrant for Golovatov did not arouse notice at the external borders of the Schengen Area, either, since Golovatov’s name had been entered into the SIS using a different spelling than the one found in his passport and on the visa issued by the embassy in Moscow.

At Finnish border stations, third-country citizens are always checked on the SIS, which shows whether the name of the person as written in the passport matches with a name found in the SIS. In Finland the National Bureau of Investigation is responsible for managing the SIS.

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland has been in contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania in this matter.

For more information: Deputy Director Mr. Vesa Häkkinen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland, Unit for Passports and Visas, tel. +358 40 726 1379