Number of Visa Applications Filed at Finnish Missions Abroad Increases
A total of 895,679 visa applications were processed by Finland in 2019, showing a 14 per cent increase in the number of visas processed compared to the 2018 that counted 768,978 visa applications.
From the total of 895,679 of visa applications, 5,854 visas to Finland were processed by foreign missions from other Schengen countries representing Finland, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Up to this point, the main number of foreign citizens interested in visiting Finland came from Russia.
The number of Russian applicants for Finland visa in 2019 was 786,407, with an average of 0.7 per cent visa applications rejected.
The consulate in St Petersburg received most visa applications from Russians wishing to visit Finland, with 644,844 visa applications. The second busiest Finish mission in Russia was the Embassy in Moscow with 75,716 applications received. The increase in the number of applications at the Embassy in Moscow was 4 per cent compared to the previous year.
The third Finnish mission that marked an increase in the number of citizens interested to visit Finland is Petrozavodsk with 39,849 applications and increase of about 23 per cent, followed by Murmansk with 25,998 applications and a 15 per cent increase.
The number of passport holders from China and the United Arab Emirates interested in visiting Finland has also increased compared to previous years.
The number of visa applications to Finland filed at the Beijing mission increased by 15% while the number of applications filed at the mission in Shanghai increased slightly more, by 18 per cent.
The growth of visa applications by the United Arab Emirates nationals has shown a 45 per cent increase compared to 2018.
Statistics by SchengenVisaInfo.com show that while, Russian, Chinese and United Arab Emirates have shown an increase in the number of applications, the number of Ukrainians interested in visiting Finland has decreased by 43 per cent. This decree comes because the majority of Ukrainians have biometric passports that grant them the right of visa-free travel to the Schengen area.
