How to apply for a Finland Schengen visa from the UK

Where you apply

Apply to Finland if it is your main destination. The embassy says Schengen visa applications to Finland are submitted through VFS Global, at centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh, each open Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 17:30. Every applicant must book an appointment and come in person; VFS does not accept applications by post. VFS says applications handed in at Manchester or Edinburgh need a few extra days, because they travel to London and back by courier.

You need a valid UK residence permit to apply here: VFS says that if you hold only a UK visitor visa, you apply in your country of residence. On finlandvisa.fi you choose the checklist by the main purpose of the trip: tourism, business, short study or a conference, a private visit to family or friends, or as the family member of an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen. That last category also covers family members of UK nationals who are Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries, and such applicants may apply at VFS or at the embassy itself.

Step by step

1. 1

   Fill in the form on finlandvisa.fi

   Create an account on finlandvisa.fi and fill in the form; the checklist for the United Kingdom is filled in and printed with it. The ministry also accepts the PDF form, filled in by hand or on a computer, but the checklist is still the one on finlandvisa.fi.
2. 2

   Book at VFS Global

   On Finland's VFS page for the UK, in London, Manchester or Edinburgh. Each family member needs their own appointment.
3. 3

   Gather the documents

   In English, Finnish or Swedish. Show the originals at the centre and hand in copies; VFS says documents handed in are not returned, so give originals only where they are asked for.
4. 4

   Attend the appointment

   Hand in the form and documents, give fingerprints (not needed if you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months), and pay the visa fee and VFS's service fee by card or in cash.
5. 5

   Wait for the decision

   VFS says the embassy takes 10 working days and advises applying at least 15 days before you travel; the ministry gives 15 days as the maximum, longer if the file needs closer review. Collect the passport at the centre, or have it returned by Special Delivery.

Documents

The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:

• Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
• Proof of your UK immigration status, such as your eVisa and a share code, valid beyond your return.
• The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
• Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
• Recent bank statements, and a letter from your employer or proof of studies or self-employment.
• A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.

On top of that, Finland's tourism checklist for applications in the UK asks for:

• A UK residence permit valid at least one month after you leave the Schengen Area. Your immigration status share code is accepted if you have no card, or if your digital status runs longer than the card.
• A recent employer letter on headed paper, with the employer's address, telephone number and UK registration number and the signatory's name and position, and your last three months' payslips. The self-employed bring a letter from their accountant, bank or solicitor stating the salary they draw, and their self-assessment.
• Your last three months of UK bank statements, and a credit card statement showing your name, address and monthly limit. The ministry asks for at least €50 a day of your stay.
• A return ticket reservation, and a confirmed hotel booking for the whole stay.
• If a host in Finland pays for the trip, the ministry's proof of sponsorship form, signed before a notary public, with the host's documents, including three months of payslips and bank statements.

Fees and processing time

Visa fee, adults

€90; the embassy and VFS list £76 (November 2026)

Children aged 6 to 11

€45 (£38 on the embassy’s list)

Children under 6

Free

VFS service fee

€20.00 including VAT, per application, as VFS lists it (VFS Global, November 2026)

Processing

10 working days, according to VFS Global; 15 days at most, according to the Finnish foreign ministry, longer if a file needs closer review (up to 45 calendar days, VFS says)

Both fees are paid at the centre on the day, by card or in cash, and VFS says neither is refunded if the visa is refused. Return by Special Delivery costs £14.95 per application and must be requested when you apply.

Applications and refusals

In 2025, the consulates of Finland in the UK received 4,309 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 0.8% of all those lodged in the UK, and the 14th most of any Schengen country. They refused 21.3% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UK the rate was 10.5%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.

Applications, 2025

4,309

Rank in the UK

14th of 28 Schengen countries

Refused

21.3%

All Schengen countries in the UK

10.5% refused

The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so these are residents of the UK of many nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.

What applicants reported

13 applicants in the United Kingdom have reported their Finland visa to Visa Catcher's statistics. The median time from appointment to passport back was 7 days.

Reports

13

Appointment to passport back (median)

7 days; typically 6–11 days

Approved

100% of 13 with a known outcome

Validity granted (median)

6 months

Multiple entry

38%

See every Finland report from the United Kingdom · how the statistics work

How often new dates appear

London. Our monitors saw new Finland appointments appear in London 63 times in the last 90 days, on 35 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 13 hours. The latest release we saw was on 9 November at 19:47 UK time. Over the past year (275 releases) they were spread across the week and the day, with no day or hour that stands out: new dates can appear at any time.

Getting the appointment

The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date with VFS Global: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear. In the last 90 days our monitors saw new dates appear in London 63 times, typically about 13 hours apart.

These are the ways to get a date, including ours:

Each Finland route we track has its own page, and every route is on the UK appointment board page. For how the booking systems work, see how to book a Schengen visa appointment in the UK.

• Finland visa appointment, London
• Finland visa appointment, Manchester
• Finland visa appointment, Edinburgh

Questions

Where do I fill in the Finland visa form from the UK?

On finlandvisa.fi, the Finnish foreign ministry’s portal, which also gives the checklist for applications in the United Kingdom; print the form with the checklist. The ministry also accepts the PDF form filled in by hand or on a computer, but the documents to bring are still the ones on finlandvisa.fi.

Where can I apply for a Finnish visa in the UK?

At VFS Global in London, Manchester or Edinburgh, by appointment. VFS says applications from Manchester and Edinburgh take a few extra days because they travel to London by courier. The Embassy of Finland in London decides them.

How long must my UK residence permit be valid for a Finnish visa?

At least one month after you leave the Schengen Area, according to Finland’s checklist for the UK. A share code from the Home Office is accepted if you have no residence card, or if your digital status is valid longer than the card.

How much money do I need for a Finnish visa?

Finland’s foreign ministry asks for at least €50 a day of your stay. From the UK you show it with your last three months of UK bank statements and a credit card statement, as the UK checklist asks.

What is the refusal rate for Finland Schengen visas in the UK?

In 2025, the consulates of Finland in the UK refused 21.3% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 10.5% across all Schengen countries in the UK, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 4,309 applications, the 14th most of any Schengen country.

Sources

• Embassy of Finland, London: where and how to apply for a visa
• Embassy of Finland, London: customer service
• Embassy of Finland, London: service fees
• Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland: a visa to visit Finland
• finlandvisa.fi: Finland’s online Schengen visa application
• finlandvisa.fi: tourism checklist for applications in the United Kingdom
• VFS Global: Finland visa application centres in the UK
• VFS Global Finland, UK: Schengen visa fees, insurance and processing time
• VFS Global Finland, UK: centres and opening hours
• VFS Global Finland, UK: FAQ
• VFS Global Finland, UK: appointments only through the online portal (25 September 2025)
• EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
• European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
• European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)

Rules and fees are set by the consulates and their visa centres and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Our coverage, prices and release statistics on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with any visa centre, embassy, consulate or government.