COVID-19 Information

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Travel.Gov health alert

Updated: August 29, 2022

*** As of 12:01 a.m. EDT June 12, 2022, the CDC order requiring all persons aged two and above to show a negative COVID-19 test result or documentation of recovery from COVID-19 before boarding a flight to the United States, is rescinded. Starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT on June 12, 2022, the CDC will no longer order air passengers to show a negative COVID-19 test result, or show documentation of recovery from COVID-19, prior to boarding a flight to the United States. Of note, CDC’s Order requiring proof of vaccination for non-U.S. citizen nonimmigrants to travel to the United States is still in effect. For more information see Requirement for Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination for Air Passengers.
Check the CDC website for additional information and Frequently Asked Questions.

Country-Specific Information 

Travelers arriving in Finland are no longer required to hold vaccination or COVID-19 test certificates, and COVID-19 tests are not carried out at border crossing points. Travelers arriving from non-EU and non-Schengen countries must still have acceptable travel documents such as a passport and any necessary visas. Updates to these guidelines should be checked with the Finnish Border Guard.

EU COVID-19 passports are no longer in use in Finland to gain access to public events. U.S. citizens who were vaccinated in Finland may get a digital certificate from My Kanta. U.S. citizens residing in Finland but vaccinated outside of the EU may request an EU Digital COVID Certificate from their municipality, if available. More information can be found on the websites of municipalities in Finland such as Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa.

COVID-19 Testing 

  • Are PCR and/or antigen tests available for U.S. citizens in Finland? Yes 
  • If so, are test results reliably available within 24 hours? Yes 
  • U.S. citizens can obtain COVID-19 tests via various private clinics, including (but not limited to) Mehiläinen, Terveystalo, Aava, 9Lives, Pikkujätti and Pihlajalinna.  
  • There are also two options for departing passengers at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport:
    • Private provider Aava Medical Centre offers testing (PCR and antigen) at the airport. The center is open Mondays 04.30-17.00 and Tue-Sun 05.00-17.00 and is located at Terminal 2, 3rd floor.
    • Private provider 9Lives offers testing (PCR and antigen) at two airport locations: outside for drive-in passengers between Terminal 1 and P3 and inside for walk-up customers at the end of Terminal 1.
  •  Those arriving to Finland from abroad can arrange coronavirus testing free of charge through the FINENTRY service.
  • Approximate cost of private testing is 100 to 300 Euro and must be paid up front.
  • Test results are normally delivered via text message or by email.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information: 

COVID-19 Vaccination Waiver for Travel to U.S.

If you are a non-U.S. citizen who is a nonimmigrant (not a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, or traveling to the United States on an immigrant visa), you will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before you travel by air to the United States from a foreign country.  Some categories of noncitizen, nonimmigrants are excepted from this requirement. If you meet the criteria for one of these categories, you will need to fulfill additional requirements to travel by air to the United States.  For information on exceptions please see the CDC’s website and scroll down to the heading “Exceptions.”

The CDC may grant a humanitarian or emergency exception in limited circumstances only when an individual must travel to the United States to preserve health and safety (e.g., emergency medical evacuations) and is unable to become fully vaccinated before travel. Individuals who fit the exception criteria described in the Presidential Proclamation and CDC’s Order may contact the U.S. embassy or consulate in or nearest the country from which they are departing for the United States. The embassy will then transmit this information to the CDC for consideration.

To facilitate the review of a humanitarian or emergency exception request, the following information should be provided by email to Embassy Helsinki for each passenger traveling from Finland for transmission to the CDC:

  • Name (family name/surname, given name)
  • Passport #
  • Nationality
  • Cell phone number (including country code) of passenger or head of household if family unit
  • Email address of passenger or head of household if family unit
  • US destination address
    • Is US destination home address?
  • Flight itinerary, including any connecting flights
    • Airline
    • Flight #
    • Departure airport and date of departure
    • Arrival airport and date of arrival
  • Vaccination Status
    • Fully Vaccinated
      • Name of vaccine product (or products if a combination)
      • Date of first dose
      • Date of second dose (if a two-dose series)
      • PDF or photograph of vaccination record
    • NOT Fully Vaccinated
  • Purpose of travel to the US and a brief explanation of why urgent travel is needed
  • Justification for humanitarian or emergency exception to providing proof of being fully vaccinated (e.g., vaccine availability, passenger ineligible for vaccine at location, insufficient time to become fully vaccinated)
  • Documentation to support justification (e.g., medical records, orders for emergency evacuation)
  • Information regarding any other solutions that were sought prior to application (e.g., flight changes, testing en route, assistance in obtaining testing/vaccination, etc.)

Entry and Exit Requirements 

  • Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? No

Movement Restrictions 

  • Is a curfew in place? No 
  • Are there restrictions on intercity or interstate travel? No 

Quarantine Information  

  •  Are U.S. citizens required to quarantine? No 

Transportation Options 

  • Are commercial flights operating? Yes 
  • Is public transportation operating? Yes 

Consular Operations 

U.S. citizen services:

  • Emergency services: Available for U.S. citizens in distress. Please contact us.
  • Passports and Consular Reports of Birth Abroad: Appointments are available, but please note that wait times are currently longer than normal due to increased demand. Those seeking an earlier appointment should check the online scheduling system often for cancellations and openings.
  • Emergency passport appointments: Available only in the event of life-or-death emergency involving the traveler (and will require evidence of such). Please only email us at HelsinkiACS@state.gov for an earlier appointment should you have a life-or-death emergency involving the traveler.
  • Renunciation or relinquishment of U.S. citizenship: Please e-mail HelsinkiACS@state.gov to schedule an appointment.
  • Notarial services: Please check our website for available appointments.

Immigrant visa services:

Non-immigrant visa services:

  • Interview appointments are available for non-immigrant visa services. Please utilize the mail-in option if you are eligible; note that a much wider scope of applicants are now eligible for interview waiver, including certain first-time applicants. Those requiring in-person interview appointments should prepare for significant wait times.

Local Resources:

Other Links:

By | 27 July, 2022 | Topics: Alert, Messages for U.S. Citizens, News, Notification | Tags: , ,

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