Visa extension

A visa is a permit granted to visitors to Finland to allow them to enter and remain in Finland for a short period of time. 

The Ministry for Foreign Affairs grants visas to Finland, but the police also handle certain tasks related to visas. The police may extend the visa for those who are in Finland, and the police may also revoke or annul a visa if necessary. 

The police can extend your visa and/or the duration of your stay in Finland if

• you cannot leave Finland or the Schengen area due to an event beyond your control or humanitarian reasons before your issued visa and/or permitted period of stay expires
• you can prove that a visa extension is necessary for compelling personal reasons. 

In addition to the above, you must have enough money to cover your stay and a valid insurance so that your visa can be extended. 

If you cannot leave Finland or the Schengen area

Being unable to leave Finland or the Schengen area must be due to a humanitarian reason or an event beyond your control so that your visa can be extended. In such cases, the visa will be extended free of charge.

Humanitarian reasons include 

• sudden illness of the visa holder, which makes travelling impossible
• sudden serious illness or death of the visa holder’s relative, who lives in a Schengen country.

Examples of events beyond your control include 

• flight cancellation due to a strike or weather conditions. 

Compelling personal reasons

The period of validity of an issued visa and/or the duration of stay may also be extended if the visa holder can prove compelling personal reasons justifying the extension of the visa or the duration of stay. 

You may have a compelling personal reason to stay if

• important negotiations you are involved in take longer than expected 
• you have a relative with health problems and their condition suddenly worsens. 

The charge for a visa extension for compelling personal reasons is EUR 30.00.

If you need to extend your visa, please contact your nearest police station.