Do I need a visa to enter Finland for my connecting flight?
I am traveling from Tallinn, Estonia to Lahore, Pakistan with a connecting flight in Helsinki. My temporary resident card expired a month ago. According to the laws of Estonia, I can stay up to 186 days after the expiration of my temporary resident card.
Do I need a Finland visa to get my connecting flight to Doha, which is an hour layover and from there to Lahore, Pakistan? Kindly guide me!
Best regards.
Best Answer
Usually, an Estonian residence permit allows you to travel freely to other Schengen countries, including Finland. The 183 days 'grace period' granted by Estonian authorities, allowing you to stay in Estonia after the expiration of the residence permit does however only apply to Estonia. You are with your expired residence permit not allowed to travel to other Schengen countries. When travelling from Estonia to Pakistan with transit in Finland, there will be no immigration control between Estonia and Finland, but you have to go through an immigration checkpoint in Finland when leaving the Schengen area. With an expired residence permit, Finnish border police will likely assess that you have overstayed.
Your easiest solution to the problem is to 'formalise' the grace period by the Estonian immigration authorities. For a 30€ fee, you will be issued a regular type D visa for the remaining grace period, which will allow you to travel to other Schengen countries as well and allow you to transit Finland on your way back to Pakistan. You can get current information on how and where to apply for a formalisation from the Police and Border Guard.
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Do I need visa for layover in Finland?
You must submit a completed and signed Schengen visa application form. In the online form indicate 'airport transit' as the main purpose of your journey. Each person travelling with you on your travel document must submit their own visa form.Do you need a visa when taking a connecting flight?
Re: Do I Need A Visa For A Connecting Flight Through The US? Yes. There is no transit at US airports and you will need to clear both Immigration and Customs at your first point of entry into the US regardless. You will need either an ESTA or a Visa.Which countries require transit visa for connecting flights?
Countries whose nationals are required to be in possession of an airport transit visa when passing through the international transit area of airports situated on the territory of each Schengen Member State are the following: Afghanistan....- Estonia.
- Finland.
- Hungary.
- Iceland.
- Liechtenstein.
- Lithuania.
- Latvia.
- Malta.
Can I transit through Finland?
After you arrive in Helsinki, we ask you to remain in the transit area. Leaving the transit area or terminal or moving from the non-Schengen area to the Schengen area is possible only if you are eligible for entry to Schengen area via Finland.How to use Enter Finland
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