Finland to refuse non-biometric passports issued by Russia as of 1 June 2026

Finland to refuse non-biometric passports issued by Russia as of 1 June 2026

From 1 June 2026, Finland will not accept non-biometric passports issued by the Russian Federation, with the following exceptions:

1) Finland will accept non-biometric passports issued to persons under the age of 18;

2) Finland will accept non-biometric passports if Finland has granted the holder of the passport a residence permit before 1 June 2026. Therefore, it will still be possible to apply for an extension of a residence permit issued by Finland with a non-biometric passport

3) where there is a special reason, a non-biometric passport of a person who applies for an entry permit to Finland or who resides in Finland, may be accepted based on individual consideration.

Transition period from 1 June to 31 December 2026

During the transition period, Finland will accept non-biometric passports issued by Russia when they contain a valid visa that was issued by Finland before 1 June 2026. During the transition period, Finland will also accept non-biometric passports that contain a valid visa or a residence permit that was issued by another EU Member State or Schengen country before 1 June 2026.

Non-biometric passports are passports that do not have a chip in which biometric identifiers are stored. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs recommends that holders of a non-biometric passport prepare for the change well in advance if they plan to apply for a visa or a residence permit.

The objective of the decision is to ensure that the travel documents approved by Finland are as reliable as possible. The transition period and the exceptions mentioned above are designed to make it easier for people to prepare for the change and to uphold family life, for example.

Finland transitioned to biometric passports in 2006. Russia has issued biometric passports alongside non-biometric ones since 2006.

Finland has restricted the entry of Russian citizens by issuing two government resolutions, the first in 2022 and the second in 2023: non-essential travel by Russian citizens to Finland and through Finland to the rest of the Schengen area is banned for the time being.