Finland toughening entry restrictions on Russian citizens, including athletes

HELSINKI. Nov 12 (Interfax) - The government of Finland at a meeting on Thursday made a decision to toughen entry restrictions for citizens of the Russian Federation, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said.

"On November 12, the government issued a resolution, which stated the threat that the entry of Russian citizens into the country poses to Finland's international relations. The new restrictions apply to short-term work carried out under a visa, including professional sports," the ministry said in its statement.

Under the EU Visa Code and the Schengen Borders Code, a visa can be denied and entry can be blocked if an applicant can pose a threat to the international relations of a member state, the ministry said. In this regard, it said that "Russian athletes have no business in Finland."

"Their entry into the country would be a threat to Finland's international relations. The same is true of other short-term work under visas that is not essential to Finland's national interests," Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen was quoted as saying in the statement.

The Finnish authorities will apply the restrictions regardless of where Russian citizens enter Finland from, whether they travel via Finland to a different country of the Schengen area, the statement said. Under the Finnish law on foreigners, a foreign citizen can be denied entry if the conditions of living in the country are not observed. This may affect persons who live in Finland on Schengen visas issued by different EU member states in breach of the Finnish national restrictions.

In the future, Russian citizens may be allowed to work on Schengen visas only to do jobs that are important for the national interests of Finland, such as ensuring the security of supplies. Entry restrictions also apply to athletes with so-called neutral status, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said.

These measures complement the decision made by the Finnish government on July 6, 2023. It will be taken into account when assessing visas and conditions of entry and short-term stay starting from November 16, 2026, the ministry said.