COVID-19 Information | U.S. Embassy in Finland

Updated: April 1, 2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for most European countries, including Finland. The CDC recommends that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Finland.
Visit the CDC’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) website for updates and recommendations.

On March 27, 2020, the Government of Finland enacted movement restrictions on entry to and departure from the Uusimaa region. These restrictions will be in effect for the period of March 28 to April 19, 2020. The official announcement may be viewed on the Government of Finland’s website. The Police of Finland have issued guidance confirming that U.S. citizens may travel from outside of Uusimaa to the Helsinki Vantaa airport to return to the United States. Travelers should be prepared to show documentation of the travel reservation and should not be accompanied by non-travelers. The Police of Finland recommend traveling to the airport by public transportation.
Finland is subject to the Department of State’s Global Level 4 Health Advisory – Do Not Travel.
The Government of Finland has declared a state of emergency for the period of March 16 to April 13, 2020, resulting in significant closures and restrictions. On March 31, 2020, the Government of Finland requested that the legislature expand and extend those restrictions until May 13, 2020. The Government of Finland further requested that the legislature close restaurants and bars for most services from April 4, to May 31, 2020.
The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare reports that a number of laboratory-confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) have been diagnosed in Finland

On March 27, 2020, the Government of Finland announced additional health screening of passengers arriving from abroad would go into immediate effect.
At present, international commercial flights continue to depart Helsinki-Vantaa airport and Mariehamn airport. U.S. citizens seeking to depart Finland should work with the airlines to arrange travel. Departing U.S. citizens should monitor the entry and exit requirements of any third country they are transiting, available on the U.S. Embassy’s COVID-19 Information page for that country.
Effective March 19, 2020, the Government of Finland is restricting entry to citizens and lawful residents of Finland. Foreign visitors, including citizens of the United States, are permitted to leave the country. International air travel is limited to the Helsinki-Vantaa, Mararianhamina, and Turku airports. Limited land borders and seaports remain operational. Details on these restrictions are available at the Finnish Border Guard’s website.
For guidance on its entry requirements, please visit the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland’s website.
The Finnish Immigration Service recommends that foreign visitors who are unable to depart Finland before their visas expire “Contact the local police department in your area. The police may extend the validity of your visa. Visa extension matters are always assessed case by case.”

Under the state of emergency, Finnish citizens and permanent residents returning from abroad will be placed in quarantine-like conditions for two weeks. Additionally, as a general guideline, persons over 70 years of age must refrain from contact with other persons to the extent possible, in quarantine-like conditions.
The Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health includes COVID-19 on its list of generally hazardous communicable diseases. Per the Communicable Diseases Act, a person can be placed in isolation if they have been exposed to a generally hazardous communicable disease.
At-risk travelers experiencing symptoms of acute respiratory infection, such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath, within 14 days of returning from an affected region are advised to contact medial authorities.

U.S. Embassy in Finland