Finland

Government advisories

• ☐ United States: level 1/4 — Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
• ☐ United Kingdom: level 1/4
• ☐ Canada: level 1/4 — Exercise normal security precautions

Health notices

• ☐ Global Measles (level 1)

Entry requirements

☐ The visa policy of the Schengen Area is a component within the wider area of freedom, security and justice policy of the European Union. It applies to the Schengen Area and Cyprus, but not to EU member state Ireland. The visa policy allows nationals of certain countries to enter the Schengen Area via air, land or sea without a visa for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Nationals of certain other countries are required to have a visa to enter and, in some cases, transit through the Schenge

Practical

• ☐ Plug type C/F, 230V — bring an adapter if yours differs
• ☐ Drives on the right
• ☐ Emergency (police): 112
• ☐ Emergency (ambulance): 112
• ☐ Emergency (fire): 112
• ☐ SIM: As you'd expect from Nokia's home country, mobile phones are ubiquitous in Finland. Modern 4G/5G networks blanket the country, although it's still possible to find wilderness areas with poor signal, typically in Lapland and the outer archipelago, and the net may at times be congested elsewhere. The largest operators are Telia, Elisa (a Vodafone partner) and DNA. Most locals use packages with data,
• ☐ Money: The vast majority of payments in Finland are electronic, and most Finns use a debit card for their daily purchases. Credit cards (mainly VISA and MasterCard) are widely accepted and contactless payment readers that also accept Google and Apple Pay are commonplace. Increasing numbers of businesses and vending machines accept only card. If you don't have a chip and PIN, expect a hassle – personnel i
• ☐ Tipping: As a rule, tipping is entirely optional and never necessary in Finland; restaurant bills already include service charges. Indeed tipping is almost unheard of outside restaurants with table service and taxi fares; the latter are occasionally rounded up to the next convenient number. Cloakrooms (narikka) in nightclubs and better restaurants often have non-negotiable fees (usually clearly signposted,

Laws that could get a tourist arrested

• ☐ Prohibited Self-Defense Weapons — Carrying weapons for self-defense, including pepper spray, is illegal. Self-defense is only permitted as a last resort and must not involve excessive force.
• ☐ Strict Drug Laws — Police and customs maintain a strict stance on all drugs, including cannabis. Sniffer dogs are deployed at ports and airports, and a positive marking leads to a full search.
• ☐ Mandatory Identity Checks — Police, border guards, and customs officials have the legal authority to check your identity and verify your right to stay in the country.

Before you go

General trip-prep, not specific to Finland — the same short list applies anywhere.

• ☐ Register with your embassy's traveler program if one exists
• ☐ Check your passport's validity and blank-page requirements on your destination's official entry-rules page
• ☐ Photograph/screenshot your passport, visa, and travel insurance documents
• ☐ Download offline maps for your destination
• ☐ Confirm your bank/card issuer knows you're traveling
• ☐ Check whether your phone plan needs a travel add-on or a local SIM