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Schengen Convention

What does the Schengen Convention mean?

The purpose of the Schengen Convention is to facilitate the free movement of persons in the territory of the EU. Therefore border checks for example have been abolished at internal borders of the EU area. All the old EU member states, apart from Great Britain and Ireland have acceded to the Schengen Convention.

Norway, Iceland and Switzerland are not member states of the EU, but they have made an associate agreement, on the basis of which it is possible to travel to these countries under the same conditions as when travelling to other EU countries.

The Schengen Convention does not apply yet to the new EU member states Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus.

The Schengen Convention and its visa regulations have been applied in Finland since 25 March 2001.

How long can one reside in the Schengen area without a residence permit?  

A citizen of a non-EU state can reside in the Schengen area without a residence permit for the period his or her visa is valid. A person entitled to travel without a visa may reside in the area for a maximum of three months during the six months following thedate of first entry.

The time limit relates to the combined residence in the entire Schengen area, not just in one state.

For further information about visa issues relating to entering Finland and movement within the Schengen area, see the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs

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