We will update this page 13 July 2021. Meanwhile you can examine the instructions and recommendations in Finnish.
Travel and the coronavirus pandemic (in Finnish)

Rapid changes in the COVID-19 epidemic situation are still possible. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) therefore calls for extra care when travelling to the EU and Schengen area. 

We also continue to recommend avoiding unnecessary travel outside the EU and Schengen areas, with the exception of countries for which the Government has lifted entry restrictions.  In addition, THL continues to recommend avoiding all travel to Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa due to the coronavirus variants that have spread in these countries. 

The instructions and recommendations on this page apply to both Finnish and non-Finnish citizens. The recommendations related to health examinations after entry into the country will change on 12 July 2021 due to changes in the Communicable Diseases Act. The instructions and recommendations will be supplemented in accordance with the changes in the epidemic situation, the Communicable Diseases Act and the Government Decrees.
Recommendations related to travel will change on 12 July 2021

The instructions and recommendations below apply to passengers who have entered Finland at the Finnish Border Guard’s checkpoint.

On this page

• From which countries and under what conditions can passengers enter Finland
• Do you come to Finland from a high-risk country or from a country with a low-incidence of coronavirus? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)
• Persons arriving from high-risk countries are directed to undergo a health examination and possibly to take a coronavirus test (recommendation until 11 july 2021)
• Who do not need to submit to a health exam? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)
• Coronavirus test as part of health examinations (recommendation until 11 july 2021)
• Do I need to take a coronavirus test 72 hours after arriving in Finland? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)
• When is voluntary distancing from other people recommended? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)
• Can I travel abroad?
• Recommendations related to travel will change on 12 July 2021
• Questions and answers about travelling

From which countries and under what conditions can passengers enter Finland 

The Government decides on the control of internal and external borders and restrictions on entry. Restrictions on entry into Finland have been tightened to prevent the spread of the coronavirus epidemic and the new virus variants. 

The Finnish Border Guard carries out border checks and decides in connection with the border inspection whether the passenger is allowed to enter Finland.  See the Finnish Border Guard website for information on who and under what conditions may enter Finland.
Entry to Finland as of 12.7. (The Finnish Border Guard)

The Finnish Border Guard advises citizens on border crossing by telephone and email. The service is available in Finnish, Swedish and English on weekdays at 8-16 at 0295 420 100. You can also send questions by e-mail to rajavartiolaitos(at)raja.fi.

According to the Constitution, citizens and residents of Finland always have the right to return to Finland.

Do you come to Finland from a high-risk country or from a country with a low-incidence of coronavirus? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

If you come from a country with a low incidence of coronavirus, you do not need to undergo a health examination or take coronavirus tests, nor do you have to avoid contact with other people.  Countries with low coronavirus incidence are marked in green on the table at the page linked below.
Further information: Traffic light model for assessing the corona risk related to travel

Remember, however, to maintain adequate safety distances, wash your hands and use a face mask in accordance with current recommendations. This helps prevent the spread of coronavirus.

If you come from a high-risk country, fulfil the entry conditions and may enter Finland, you can be directed to undergo a health examination at the point of entry. 

High-risk countries are ones where the incidence of COVID-19 has been more than 25 cases per 100,000 inhabitants within the past 14 days. If you have been in such a country within two weeks of entering Finland, you will be directed to receive a health examination.

You can check which countries are high-risk on the table at our traffic light model page. Red and grey countries are high-risk. The countries marked in green are not. 
Traffic light model for assessing the corona risk related to travel

Persons arriving from high-risk countries are directed to undergo a health examination and possibly to take a coronavirus test (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

Depending on the decision of the Regional State Administrative Agency, receiving a health examination may be either compulsory or voluntary. The arrangements vary among the points of entry. 

The authorities at the entry point decide and provide instructions on health examinations and other measures at the entry point. If necessary, the Border Guard also directs passengers to undergo compulsory health examinations ordered by the Regional State Administrative Agencies.

A health examination includes the check of certificates and a possible corona test (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

The health examination checks whether you have a certificate of a negative coronavirus test, of having had the disease or having been vaccinated.  Starting 22 June, Finland’s residents may use the EU's green certificate, which is available from My Kanta. 

• Coronavirus certificate (My Kanta)
• COVID-19 vaccination certificate FAQ

We have recommended that all transport and shipping companies require from all passengers arriving in Finland any of the above-mentioned certificates.
THL’s recommendation to all transport and shipping companies operating in Finland of 6 January 2021 (pdf 51 kt) 

If you do not have any of the above-mentioned certificates, you will be directed to get tested or you will be given instructions on how to apply for the test, in connection with the health examination.

If you refuse to take part in a mandatory health examination, you may receive a fine or be punished with a maximum of three months' imprisonment for a health protection violation.

• Further information: Traffic light model for assessing the corona risk related to travel
• Also see: Frequently asked questions about travel (Government)

Who do not need to submit to a health exam? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

The following persons do not need to participate in a health examination

• Persons who have spent two weeks before arriving in Finland in a country that is green on the table, i.e. in a country with a low incidence of coronavirus.
• Children born in 2005 and after, if the Regional State Administrative Agency has so decided
  Tarkista ajantasainen tilanne aluehallintoviraston Usein kysyttyä koronaviruksesta -sivulta
• Cargo transport and logistics personnel. Separate health safety guidelines have been drafted for them.

Other people from high-risk countries must participate in a health examination if the Regional State Administrative Agency so requires. 

Coronavirus test as part of health examinations (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

If you come from a high-risk country and do not have a certificate of a negative coronavirus test, of having had the disease or of having been vaccinated, you may be tested for the coronavirus in connection with a health examination. The test is free of charge. 

If you do not have any of the above-mentioned certificates, we recommend that you take the first test before you arrive in Finland. We also recommend the use of the Finentry service before entering Finland.  With the service you can, for example, book an appointment for a first and second test in Finland. Use of the service, an appointment for a coronavirus test made through the service, and the test itself are all free of charge.
FINENTRY service

When arriving from a risk country, you will not be directed to take a coronavirus test in the following cases (recommendation until 11 july 2021):

• You have a certificate of having had one dose of a two-dose series of vaccines, and at least two weeks have passed since the vaccination. Please note, that in spite of this, you should have a coronavirus test no earlier than 72 hours after arriving in the country.
  See a list of approved vaccine products 
• You have a certificate that you have been given the full series of coronavirus vaccines, and at least two weeks have passed from the last vaccination. 
  See a list of approved vaccine products 
• You have received two different coronavirus vaccine preparations. When at least two weeks have passed since your most recent dose of the vaccine, you will be considered a traveller that has been fully vaccinated. 
• You have a certificate that you have been infected by coronavirus disease and have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.  When at least one week has passed from your coronavirus vaccine, you will be seen as a passenger with a full series of vaccines. 
• You have a certificate of a negative coronavirus test (PCR or antigen test) taken a maximum of 72 hours before arrival in Finland. 
• You have a medical certificate that you have had coronavirus disease less than six months earlier, or that at least 11 days have elapsed since a positive coronavirus test. Do not travel if at least 11 days have elapsed from a positive coronavirus test, but you have symptoms of coronavirus disease.
• You are regularly employed, in accordance with valid restrictions between Finland and Sweden or Finland and Norway, and you have a certificate of a negative coronavirus test that is at least seven days old.
  Entry to Finland as of 12.7. (The Finnish Border Guard)
• You were born in 2005 or thereafter.
• You have spent two weeks before arriving in Finland in a country that is green on the map, i.e. in a country with a low incidence of coronavirus.

Health officials will ask for your contact information if you need to take a coronavirus test 72 hours after arriving in the country. This will enable the infectious disease physician of the municipality where you live or where you are visiting to advise you where you can take a test, and your information can be used for tracing infections. Providing contact information is mandatory.  

When transferring from the point of entry to your home or place of accommodation, using your own car or taxi is the best choice. If using public transport is unavoidable, remember to maintain distance from others. Use a face mask and practice good hand hygiene.

Do I need to take a coronavirus test 72 hours after arriving in Finland? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

We recommend that you have yourself tested for coronavirus 72 hours after arriving in the country at the earliest, if:

• you come from a high-risk country, you have not been infected with the coronavirus and you have not had any coronavirus vaccinations. If you do not have a certificate of a negative coronavirus test result when you arrive in Finland, you must take a test when entering the country.
• you come from a high-risk country, you have not been infected with the coronavirus and you have received only one dose of a coronavirus vaccine from a series of vaccines that consists of two doses

The test is important for the timely detection of a possible infection. This also helps prevent the spread of coronavirus variants.

Check on the website of your municipality of residence or where you are visiting how to book a time for a coronavirus test and where the tests are conducted.  If you do not live in Finland, you can get instructions either at the point of entry, or from a person who will contact you later and guide you to another test. Tests at testing locations of private health care are free of charge.

If you do not take a coronavirus test we strongly recommend that you voluntarily avoid contact with people other than those who live in the same residence or place of lodging for 14 days after arrival.

We strongly recommend that you stay at home or in your place of lodging voluntarily until you get a negative result from the 72-hour test. 

When is voluntary distancing from other people recommended? (recommendation until 11 july 2021)

A strong recommendation to avoid contacts applies to those who arrive in the country and who are advised to take a test no earlier than 72 hours after arrival. 

We strongly recommend that you avoid contact with people other than those living with you in the same household or place of lodging, until you have had a negative result from a coronavirus test conducted no earlier than 72 hours after arriving in the country.  Avoiding contact is voluntary. It is, nevertheless, especially important to prevent the spread of variants of the coronavirus.

• We strongly recommend remaining inside and avoiding using public transport, going to your workplace, a shop or going anywhere else outside your home. It is a good idea to agree with your employer on how to avoid contacts.
• If you have dealings with other people, keep a sufficient safety distance and use a face mask according to current recommendations. Follow instructions given by health officials in other respects as well.

Regardless of the recommendations, you may deal with essential business, such as medical appointments. Remember to maintain safe distances and to wear a face mask even then.

• Read instructions on good hand and coughing hygiene
• Transmission and protection

Can I travel abroad?

Rapid changes in the COVID-19 epidemic situation are still possible. For this reason, THL calls for extra caution when traveling to the EU and Schengen area. 

We also continue to recommend avoiding unnecessary travel outside the EU and Schengen areas, with the exception of countries for which the Government has lifted entry restrictions. 

In addition, THL continues to recommend that all travel to Brazil, India, Russia and South Africa should be avoided due to the coronavirus variants that have spread in these countries. 

If you are planning to travel abroad, please note that countries may be restricting entry. Check the current regulations governing entry and quarantine from the officials of your destination country before travel, for example, from the nearest diplomatic mission of that country.

It is also a good idea to check in advance if a negative coronavirus test is required of arriving passengers. For example, some countries require a negative result from a PCR test or an antigen test. Some countries also require a negative IgM antibody test result.

• Ministry for Foreign Affairs travel advisories A- Ö
• Questions and answers on travel and the coronavirus (Ministry for Foreign Affairs)

When you return to Finland, you may have to undergo a health examination and take one or two coronavirus tests, and to keep physical distancing voluntarily, until you get a negative result from the 72-hour test. The instructions and recommendations on this page therefore also apply to Finnish citizens and other residents of Finland.

Recommendations related to travel will change on 12 July 2021

The Finnish Border Guard carries out border checks and decides in connection with the border inspection whether the passenger is allowed to enter Finland. The instructions and recommendations below apply to passengers who have entered Finland at the Finnish Border Guard’s checkpoint.

See the Finnish Border Guard website for information on who and under what conditions may enter Finland.
Entry to Finland as of 12.7. (The Finnish Border Guard)

The recommendations related to health examinations after entry into the country will change on 12 July 2021 due to changes in the Communicable Diseases Act.
The Communicable Diseases Act (in Finnish)

When you come to Finland from a country with a low incidence of coronavirus OR you were born in or after 2006, you do not need to take part in a health examination or coronavirus tests, present certificates related to coronavirus or voluntarily avoid contact with other people after entering the country.

When you arrive in Finland from a high-risk country, during your health examination you will be asked for a certificate on a negative coronavirus test, on having recovered from COVID-19 and/or on being vaccinated. 

On arrival from a risk country starting from 12 July:

• if you have a certificate of an acceptable coronavirus vaccination series or on having recovered from COVID-19 within the past 6 months, you do not need to take the coronavirus test at the entry point or within 3-5 days of arrival in Finland. 
• If you have a certificate of having tested negative for the coronavirus no more than 72 hours before arrival in Finland or of having received the first dose of a coronavirus vaccine series at least 14 days before arrival in Finland, you will be referred to the test within 3-5 days of arrival in Finland.
• If you do not have any of the above-mentioned certificates, you will be referred to the coronavirus test during a health examination at your entry point and within 3-5 days of arrival in Finland.

If the entry point cannot carry out a coronavirus test, you will be contacted within 24 hours and referred to a test, which will be taken no earlier than 72 hours after arrival. If you are aged 18 or older and refuse a to participate in a compulsory health examination, you may be fined under the Communicable Diseases Act.

Traffic light model to help in the assessment of risks associated with foreign travel

Exceptions to the obligation to present a certificate or to take a coronavirus test starting 12 July

In addition to what is mentioned above, when entering the country, the following persons do not need to present certificates related to the coronavirus or participate in coronavirus testing from 12 July onward:

• employees of foreign government missions or members international intergovernmental organisations who have personal immunity and their family members, as well as holders of diplomatic or official passports accredited outside Finland when travelling through Finland to a place of employment or their home country.
• passenger or freight transport drivers or logistics sector personnel, crew of ships, aircraft or trains in their duties and replacement crew when transferring to work or duties.
• persons whose entry is based on the prevention of a sudden risk to the infrastructure of society threatening health or safety.
• passengers travelling by air when they do not leave the airport.
• customs authorities at the Finnish and Norwegian border in their essential official duties.
• the Sámi people who practise their livelihood or culture in the Sámi Homeland. 

The Communicable Diseases Act (in Finnish)

Questions and answers about travelling