Current affairs

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

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.

Finland allows recreational travel to Finland from those European countries where the number of coronavirus infections is at a sufficiently low level. People are able to travel to these countries and to return to Finland from them without self-isolation. On 15 June, the restrictions on non-essential travel were lifted for Denmark, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway and will be lifted on 13 July for Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Malta, the Netherlands, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland, and the Vatican.

Nepalese schools have been closed since March. The Nepalese authorities have drawn up a response plan to reopen schools and searching ways to provide distance education as the corona pandemia continues. Finland and other donors support Nepal's efforts to continue educating children. Finland will contribute EUR 2.5 million by decision of the Minister for Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Ville Skinnari.

The Government plans to lift the internal border control from 13 July for those countries where the incidence of COVID-19 is at a sufficiently low level. Based on the current development of the epidemic, internal border control could be lifted for the following countries: Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

Due to the coronavirus epidemic, Finland suspended the reception of ordinary visa and residence permit applications starting on 19 March 2020. The reception of ordinary visa applications continues to be suspended but activities relating to residence permit applications were gradually resumed in the missions on 16 June 2020.

Coronavirus and its spread are still a global risk. Starting on 15 June, internal border control and quarantine recommendations will change in respect of certain countries, but it is recommended to avoid non-essential travel to other countries. The changes will apply to travel to Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Although Finland has abandoned internal border controls and quarantine recommendations for certain countries, the country of destination may have its own restrictions on the entry of tourists. Always check the up-to-date entry regulations from the authorities of the country of destination, for example from the country’s nearest mission.

Clean water and hand hygiene are key in efforts to prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Rural Village Water Resources Management Project (RVWRMP) aims to improve availability of and access to clean water and sanitation in remote areas in Nepal – also during the pandemic. The project in Far West Nepal is supported by Finland and the European Union.

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.

Migrant workers’ remittances to their home countries have declined due to the coronavirus crisis. In Nepal, more than half of households depend on remittances from abroad that account for over one quarter of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). We interviewed Pertti Anttinen, Ambassador of Finland to Nepal, on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on remittances in Nepal.