The border control and customs formalities vary based on where you are coming from and where your destination is.

See more instructions on border control and the required travel documents on the Finnish Border Guard website. For more information on customs inspections as well as on the import and export restrictions, see the Finnish Customs website.

Check with the embassy or consulate of your destination country or with your travel agent or airline if you need a visa.

Automatic border control is fast and convenient

At Helsinki Airport  EU, EEA, Switzerland as well as Japan citizens who have a biometric passport can use the fast and convenient automatic border control. You will recognise a biometric passport by a specific symbol on the cover - see the image on the right.

For more information on automatic border control, go to the Finnish Board Guard website.

Temporary passport

All passengers must have a valid travel document, for example a passport or a a standard photo ID, with them at all times. The Airport Police can issue a temporary passport for Finnish citizens who have left their existing valid passport at home.

More information

If you are a foreign national arriving in Finland, see more information on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland website.

See the contact information for the Border Guard, customs and the police at Helsinki Airport.

How to go through automatic border control

Please see the video on the Finnish Boarder Control's web page.

1. Check that you have a biometric passport.

2. Place your passport on the reader.

3. Keep your passport on the reader until the gate opens.

4. Remove your glasses and look at the screen. Wait until the second gate opens.

Passengers travelling with an infant or with a wheelchair still need to choose the manual border control line.

The automatic border control system is based on the biometric identification of passengers. A biometric passport contains a chip, and the information on it is checked by the system's reader. In the process a real life picture is taken to compare individual facial dimensions with the photograph held on the chip in the passport.