Travel documents
Passport or another form of identification
You must carry a personal identity card with you when travelling in the Nordic countries and Finland. The documents accepted are a passport, a picture identity card or a driving licence. When travelling outside the Nordic countries, the required travel document is usually a valid passport. The IATA Travel Centre provides information on the passport, visa and health requirements for different countries.
Border controls for air traffic between the new Schengen countries and the current Schengen area were discontinued at the end of March 2008. The national legislation of all Schengen countries however requires that individuals travelling between these countries carry a valid passport or the new European identity card at all times.
Tips:
- Make sure, well in advance, that your travel documents, including a passport and a visa, if needed, are in order.
- Check that your first and last name are spelled in the same way on the flight ticket, passport and any frequent flyer card.
- Many countries require that the passport is valid for 3–6 months after your trip has ended. Verify the required validity at the nearest embassy of your destination country.
- In some cases, children can be included on a parent's passport. Instructions regarding the children's age limit and potential photograph requirements are country-specific, so be sure to verify them before the trip, at an embassy or on a website of the destination country.
- Make copies of your tickets, driving licence and credit cards, as well as other travel documents, and take them with you on your trip. For example, a copy of your passport's photo page helps if you lose your passport. Keep the copies separate from the originals.
- The police on duty at Helsinki airport can, with certain restrictions, issue you a new passport for Finnish citizens if you have left your passport at home.
The travel documents accepted on Finnair flights
Citizens of Finland and Scandinavia
Flights within Finland and Scandinavia
- Passengers 16 years of age and older must carry a passport, picture identity card, picture social security card (Kela) or a driving licence (an older cardboard-type card is accepted).
- Passengers under 16 years of age travelling with their parents are not required to have an identity card of their own.
- Passengers 12–15 years of age travelling alone must carry either a passport, picture identity card or a picture social security card (Kela).
- Passengers under 12 years of age travelling alone and carrying a properly filled-in form for a child travelling alone are not required to have an identity card of their own but the person seeing them onto the aircraft and meeting them must prove their identity.
Other flights within the Schengen region1) and EU countries + Switzerland:
- Passport or a new picture identity card introduced on March 1, 1999 complying with the EU standards that indicate the individual's nationality and card validity (not a driving licence).
- 1) Belgium, Bulgaria, Spain, Holland, Ireland, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Portugal, Poland, France, Romania, Germany, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary and Estonia.
Flights to destinations outside of the EU
- Passport and, when necessary, a valid visa.
Other EU nationals and citizens of Switzerland
Flights within Finland and the Schengen and EU regions:
- Passport or a picture identity card, complying with the EU standards, indicating the individual's nationality and card validity.
Flights to destinations outside of the EU
- Passport and, when necessary, a valid visa.
Citizens of other countries
Flights within Finland:
- Passport.
Flights to destinations in other countries
- Passport and, when necessary, a valid visa.
Visa
Many countries require a passport and a visa for entry. If you are planning a package holiday, your tour operator or travel agent can give you more information on visa regulations. When you travel independently, you should contact the destination country authorities to find out if you need a visa and how to apply for it.
Airlines are not required by law to inform their passengers of visa requirements at the sale of the tickets, nor are they liable for any expenses caused to the passengers by fees levied by authorities or other expenses incurred due to insufficient travel documents.
More information on travel documents is available at the Embassy or Consulate of your destination country.
The travel documents and advance information required by the United States
- The US immigration authorities require that passengers travelling under the Visa Waiver Program carry a machine-readable passport.
- In addition, passports issued on and after October 26, 2009 have to be electronic. The passport is electronic when it includes a microchip and is marked with the following symbol on the front cover:
- If a child is included in the parent’s passport there is no information in the machine-readable zone on the child and therefore children are required to have their own electronic passport when travelling to the USA.
Statutory advance information
The United States Customs and Border Protection has a statutory right to receive certain information from the reservations made on Finnair flights to, from and via the United States. The authorities will use the passenger information when conducting risk analysis in order to identify and stop potential terrorists and to prevent other threats to public safety. Passengers are informed of this at the time they make their reservations.
Frequently asked questions and answers on the right of the United States Customs and Border Protection to require passenger manifest information from flights between the European Union and the United States, can be found here.
- The United States Department of Homeland Security requires, as of December 1, 2005, that airlines submit, in advance, passenger information including the address information of persons travelling to the United States. We request that all passengers submit to us their complete address information of their first place of residence in the United States, no later than seven days before departure. Citizens of the United States only have to submit passport information, not address information.
- The Unites States Security Administration (TSA) requires, as of October 31, 2009, that the passenger’s reservation includes the following information: complete name (as in passport), date of birth and gender.
- All the information required above can be added to the reservation by filling in the electronic form on the page Manage my booking.
- Passengers travelling to US without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program also have to apply for an electronic ESTA approval (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) before their journey. (see next chapter)
ESTA approval for travel to the United States
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has launched the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and to assess whether such travel poses any law enforcement or security risk.
Effective January 12, 2009, the use of ESTA is mandatory for temporary business or pleasure travellers under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Current VWP countries include: Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
VWP travellers are required to receive an electronic travel authorization through ESTA prior to boarding a US-bound airplane. Accompanied and unaccompanied children, regardless of age, are required to obtain an independent ESTA approval. Individuals who possess a valid visa will still be able to travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose it was issued. Individuals travelling on valid visas will not be required to apply for an ESTA.
The DHS recommends that ESTA applications be submitted no less than 72 hours prior to travel. An approved ESTA application is valid for a period of two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever comes first. If the flight number or first address is different on the next journey, the new information has to be entered in the ESTA application. Travellers who have not received ESTA approval may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing, or be denied admission at a US port of entry.
In order to apply for an ESTA authorization, go to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/, follow the instructions to answer all the required questions, and submit an application for a travel authorization. The ESTA system is available also in other languages than English.
If an ESTA application is denied and the traveller wishes to continue with the trip, the traveller will be required to apply for a non-immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate. For more about visa application procedures, please visit www.travel.state.gov.
Travelling without a visa
A citizen of Finland can continue to travel to the United States without a visa provided that:
- he or she has a valid machine-readable passport
- he or she is travelling for business or tourism purposes
- the duration of the trip is not longer than 90 days
- he or she has a confirmed return ticket or a ticket for a connecting flight (or an e-ticket/receipt)
- he or she has enough funds to cover the entire stay
- he or she fills in the immigration form I-94W, available from the airline or at the destination airport and
- he or she arrives in the USA on an airline participating in the so-called Visa Waiver program, such as Finnair.
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Upon leaving the USA you should keep in mind that if the stub of the I-94 form is left in your passport and not submitted to the border protection authorities, you may encounter problems on your next journey. The authorities will no have information of your departure from the country and may then deny entry the next time. More information on this. |
The travel documents and advance information required by Canada
The Canada Border Services has a statutory right to receive certain information on passengers who have reservations on Finnair flights to, from and via Canada. The authorities will use the passenger information when conducting risk analysis in order to identify and stop potential terrorists and to prevent other threats to public safety. Passengers are informed of this at the time they make their reservations. The decision made by the EU Commission can be viewed here.
- When a child, under 18 years of age, travels with his or her parents, to Canada, he or she should carry proof of him or her being his or her parents' child – especially if the child and either parent has a different last name.
- When travelling alone or with only one guardian, parent or other person, the child under 18 years of age must carry the written consent of the other or both parents or guardians attesting that the child is allowed to travel without them. Without this consent the immigration authorities may deny the child's entry into the country. The required official document.
Health care for travellers in the EU, EEA countries and Switzerland
The holder of a European Health Insurance Card has the right to receive health care that becomes necessary, in another EU or EEA country and Switzerland. Health care will be available in the case of, for example, acute illness or if a chronic illness requires urgent treatment. Travellers will receive health care services corresponding to those that the nationals of the destination country receive, with the same deductibles and procedures. A person entitled to Finnish sickness insurance cover is eligible to apply for the European Health Insurance Card at a Kela office.
Travel insurance
We recommend that passengers take out personal travel and baggage insurance for the trip. If you travel regularly, you may want to consider a continuous travel insurance policy. All major insurance companies offer travel insurance. The airline is not responsible for valuables, fragile or perishable items transported in checked baggage.
Help prevent human trafficking
Human trafficking is a form of organised crime, in which the victims are recruited under false pretences and transported against their will for the purpose of slavery or forced labour. The exact number of victims is unknown, but every day thousands of people are transported across borders to serve the benefit of others. By learning how to recognise victims of human trafficking, you can help them - and help prevent this ruthless and cruel form of organised crime. Find out more by watching the video.
Keywords
Travel documents
Visa
Passport
Identification
Identity card
Health care for travellers
Travel insurance
Border controls
Schengen countries
