A Schengen visa is a permit to enter the Schengen area for a temporary stay of up to 90 days in a period of 180 days. Visa can be issued for single, double or multiple entries. When the visa validity period expires, the person must exit the Schengen area. Visa holders are not allowed to work in the Schengen area.
The Schengen countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
A Schengen visa should always be applied at the consulate or the embassy of the country of the jouney's main destination.
More information from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs website
The applicant must always submit the visa application in person and give his or her biometrics (passport photograph and fingerprints).
An appointment for the Visa Application Centre can be booked by in advance either on the website of the VFS Global Visa Application Centre or through the Call Centre. VAC and the Call Centre serve customers in English and in Nepali.
The appointment booking at the Visa Application Centre is not mandatory, as the Centre also serves walk-in customers.
It is advisable to complete the application form online.
Please note that as before, the residence permit applications are submitted at the Embassy, not at the Visa Application Centre.
| Finland Visa Application Centre | |
| VAC website | http://visa.finland.eu |
| E-mail enquiries | info.finp@vfshelpline.com |
| Helpline telephones | 1800 0910 120 or +977 981 7011 745 |
| from 8:00 to 15:00 Monday to Friday | |
| Call Centre | |
| From Nepal | Toll Free 18000910120 |
| From other locations | +977 9817011745 |
| Working hours | 08.00– 16.00 Monday to Friday |
| Address and working hours of the VAC | |
| Address | Academy of Culinary Arts Building, |
| Submission of applications | 08:00 to 12:00 Monday to Friday |
| Pass back time | 13:00 to 15:00 Monday to Friday |
The Embassy will accept applications on Tuesdays by appointment only. Appointments are booked on the above mentioned website of the VAC or through the Call Centre.
The applicant must always submit the application in person and give his or her biometrics (passport photograph and fingerprints).
Schengen-visa application form completed, dated and signed
For closer information on the additional documents needed, please see below the checklists for each group of applicants. Please note that no other documents are needed, unless the Embassy specifically asks to provide something.
Business, Conference and Exhibition
Short-term exchange studies (max. 90 days stay)
To be taken into account when submitting the application
When applying at the Visa Application Centre:
When applying at the Embassy:
Please note that the visa processing fee is non-refundable.
The visa fee is waived for children under 6 years of age and for the family members of a citizen of Finland.
Visa processing time is 15 days, but it might be substantially longer in case any documents are missing.
All Schengen visa applicants must submit biometric identifiers – fingerprints of all ten fingers and a photograph – when filing an application. A photograph of the applicant can be taken at the Visa Application Centre, but at the Embassy there is no photo service available. Biometric identifiers are stored in a common “Visa Information System” (VIS) database. VIS is an information system that helps Schengen States to share visa application data. More information is available at the European Commission website.
The applicant can track online the process of the applications submitted to the Finland Visa Application Centre. When the decision is made, the passport can be collected from the VAC.
If the application is submitted at the Embassy, the applicant can inquire the visa decision by contacting the Embassy (tel. +977 1 4416 636 or tai visa.kat(at)formin.fi ) ten days after the application appointment time.
The information regarding the process of a visa application and decision will be given to the applicant only. By signing a proxy, the applicant can authorize the inviter or someone else to manage his or her visa application process and to receive the same information as the applicant would. A proxy is a free-form document which must indicate the names of the applicant and the person receiving the proxy, and it must be signed and dated by the applicant.
Applicant does not have the right to obtain a visa merely on the basis of having submitted the application even if the applicant in principle would seem to fulfill the basic requirements for obtaining a visa. Visa can be issued according to the requested type and duration, shorter than the requested duration, with single, double or multiple entry, or the visa can be refused.
A refusal to a visa application is always given in writing by using a form outlined by the Schengen regulations.
Although a Schengen visa has been granted, the conditions of entry are re-evaluated upon arrival into the Schengen area. When entering a Schengen country, a visa holder should be able to show to the border control authority a valid travel document, visa, travel insurance and other necessary documents such as the letter of invitation. In addition, a visa holder must have sufficient funds for the duration of the stay and for the return to the country of origin.
The recipient of a decision made by a Finnish mission to refuse, to annul or to revoke a visa (otherwise than at the request of the visa holder), may request rectification of the decision from the mission. Instructions for a rectification request are appended to the decision. The rectification request must be lodged within 30 days of notice of the decision on the visa application. The rectification request must be made in writing in Finnish or Swedish.
A decision of a Finnish diplomatic or consular mission on a rectification request may be appealed to the Helsinki Administrative Court. The right of appeal applies to rectification request decisions that are made on 1 April 2016 or later. Instructions for appeal are appended to the decision on the rectification request. The appeal document must be lodged with the mission that made the decision. The mission submits all the appeal documents to the Helsinki Administrative Court. The appeal must be lodged within 30 days of notice of the decision on the rectification request. The appeal must be made in writing in Finnish or Swedish. The Administrative Court fee of the appellate proceedings is EUR 250.
In visa matters relating to the free movement of EU citizens and their family members, the applicant may appeal to the Administrative Court without a rectification request procedure.
Updated 4/19/2018
