Helsinki: Finland Government made few changes to the restrictions on entry at external borders based on current incidence rates. The Government adopted a decision on the matter on Thursday (Aug 19) and the decision will enter into force on Monday (Aug 23). The restrictions will continue until 19 September. However, people may still enter Finland from all countries upon presenting an approved certificate of a full vaccine course.
External border traffic refers to traffic between Finland and non-Schengen third countries. Restrictions on an entry will be reinstated for residents of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Canada in traffic arriving in Finland from these countries. If a person arriving from these countries has not received a full vaccine course, the accepted reasons for entry are returned travel to Finland, return travel to other EU or Schengen countries, transit on regular, scheduled flights at an airport or other essential travel.
The Finnish Government has also approved an amendment to the decree allowing entry into Finland without the health security measures laid down in the Communicable Diseases Act. The amendment to the decree will enter into force on Monday (Aug 23).
Persons arriving in Finland from countries or regions where the incidence of COVID-19 or the prevalence of virus variants does not pose a particular risk of spreading the epidemic will not be required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 or of recovery from COVID-19 within the past six months or to take a COVID-19 test upon entry.
The decree has now been amended in light of the changed epidemiological situation. The situation has deteriorated in the following countries and they will be removed from the decree: Albania, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Romania. At the same time, the municipality of Övertorneå in Sweden will be included in the decree, because no new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the municipality over the past four weeks.
Under the government decree, people arriving in Finland from the following countries and regions will not be required to be tested or show a certificate: Hong Kong, China, Macao, Poland, Taiwan, Hungary, New Zealand and the Vatican, and the Norwegian municipalities of Storfjord, Kåfjord, Nordreisa, Kautokeino, Karasjok, Tana, Nesseby and Sør-Varanger and the Swedish municipality of Övertorneå. In these countries and regions, the incidence of new COVID-19 cases is less than 10 per 100,000 inhabitants in the previous 14 days.
No other changes will be introduced to the restrictions on entry. Internal border control was lifted on 26 July, which means that persons arriving in Finland from the EU and Schengen countries can enter the country without travel restrictions.
