COVID-19 Information

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Travel.Gov health alert

Updated: November 24, 2021

*** Effective November 8, 2021, all non-immigrant, non-U.S. citizen air travelers to the United States will be required to be fully vaccinated and to provide proof of vaccination status prior to boarding an airplane to the United States. U.S. citizens and Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs) who are eligible to travel but are not fully vaccinated will need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test one (1) day before their flight. U.S citizens and LPRs who are fully vaccinated will need to present airlines with proof of vaccination and of a negative COVID-19 test three (3) days before their flight. Exemptions will be considered on an extremely limited basis. Please contact your nearest embassy or consulate to apply for an exemption. Please visit the CDC webpages for more information about exemptions and the requirement for proof of negative COVID-19 test or recovery from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving in the United States.

Country-Specific Information 

  • Cases of more transmissible virus variants have been reported throughout the country, and infections and hospitalizations have been on the rise. Certain national and regional restrictions and recommendations are in place to prevent further spread.
  • Some U.S. citizens have reported issues with the integration of U.S. vaccination records into the EU system. In Finland, the EU Digital COVID Certificate can currently be obtained only with regard to COVID-19 vaccinations carried out in Finland. The Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare advises that those who received vaccinations in non-EU countries can obtain a vaccination certificate from the country where the vaccination was carried out. Digital COVID certificates from certain non-EU countries can be checked digitally in the EU countries. The Government of Finland is working on a solution to grant the EU Digital COVID Certificate in Finland to those vaccinated outside of Finland. Additional information will be shared here when available.

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 72 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 Waivers for travel to U.S.

COVID-19 Vaccination Waivers

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.)

COVID-19 Test Waivers

Waivers to the testing requirement may be granted by the CDC on an extremely limited basis when extraordinary emergency travel (like an emergency medical evacuation) must occur to preserve someone’s health and safety, and testing cannot be completed before travel. There are no waivers available for individuals who test positive for COVID-19. Individuals – or air carriers seeking to allow boarding by potentially qualifying individuals – who believe they meet the criteria for a waiver should contact the U.S. Embassy Helsinki and provide the information below. The U.S. Embassy will then submit the request to the CDC for consideration.

The following information must be provided by email for each passenger:

  1. Name (family name/surname, given name), passport number and country
  2. Cell phone number including country code of passenger or head of household if family unit
  3. Email address of passenger or head of household if family unit
  4. U.S. destination address
  5. Is U.S. destination home address?
  6. Departure date
  7. Flight itinerary
  8. Name of submitting entity if different from passenger
  9. Name of company submitting on behalf of passenger(s) (if applicable)
  10. Name of point of contact submitting on behalf of passenger(s) (if applicable)
  11. Phone and email address for POC submitting waiver request on behalf of passenger(s) (if applicable)
  12. Purpose of travel to the U.S. (provide brief explanation of why urgent travel is needed and how travel will contribute to health and safety of passengers(s))
  13. Justification for testing waiver (e.g. no testing available, impact on health and safety)
  14. Documentation to support justification for test waiver, if available (e.g. medical records or orders for medical evacuation)

Entry and Exit Requirements 

  •  Are U.S. citizens permitted to enter? Maybe 
    • Vaccinated travelers from all countries (including the United States) are now permitted to enter Finland.
    • To qualify as a vaccinated traveler, you must have received the last dose of a valid COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days prior to arrival.
    • A list of vaccines accepted in Finland is provided by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare.
    • Non-vaccinated travelers from the United States are permitted to enter Finland for essential reasons only. More information can be found here.
    • Regarding unvaccinated children, the Finnish Border Guard says: “A person who can provide the aforementioned certificate may enter the country accompanied by an under-age child of whom they have permanent custody. The health security measures of the under-age child are determined according to the health safety guidelines that are in force at the time.”
    • Please direct any questions to the Finnish Border Guard and/or the Embassy of Finland in the United States.
  • Is a negative COVID-19 test (PCR and/or serology) required for entry? Maybe
    • Vaccinated travelers are not required to provide negative COVID-19 test results.
    • Unvaccinated travelers from the United States must provide a negative COVID-19 test result or evidence of recent recovery from COVID-19. Alternatively, you may take two COVID-19 tests upon arrival. More information can be found here.
  • Are health screening procedures in place at airports and other ports of entry? Yes 
    • Vaccinated travelers are not subject to additional health screening procedures.
    • Unvaccinated travelers may be asked to undergo a health examination upon arrival.

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 
    • Masks or face coverings are required on most forms of public transportation. 

Consular Operations 

Please note that masks are required.

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: Not currently available.
  • Notarial services: Extremely limited appointments available for U.S. citizens only.

Immigrant visa services:

Non-immigrant visa services:

  • We are scheduling appointments for all non-immigrant visa services. However, applicants should prepare for longer than usual appointment wait times due to backlogs.

Local Resources:

Other Links:

By | 17 November, 2021 | Topics: Alert, Messages for U.S. Citizens, News, Notification | Tags: , ,

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