Norway’s Consulate General in Murmansk issued 4.115 visas more in 2011 than the year before, while the Finnish consulate branch office had an increase of 16.913 over the same one-year period. In other words; the increase in visas to Finland issued in Murmansk was more than four times higher than the Norwegian increase.
In total, the Norwegian Consulate General issued 20.729 visas in 2011, up 25 percent from the previous year, according to the statistics given to BarentsObserver by the visa desk. As reported earlier this week, Finland’s Consulate branch office, loacted just some few blocks away downtown Murmansk, issued 46.363 visas, up 36 percent from 2010.
With last year’s increase, Finland is now issuing twice as many visas as Norway in Murmansk.
The figures are not directly comparable, since the Norwegian figures also include 1.020 visas issued to Sweden and 176 visas to the Netherlands, so the actual visas to Norway as the primary destination is 19.533.
Norway and Finland issues visas also for citizens from the Arkhangelsk region. 1.289 of last year’s Norwegian visas went to Arkhangelsk citizens. People from Arkhangelsk that want visa to Finland apply either via the Finnish Consulate General in St. Petersburg or to the Murmansk office.
Read also: Visa-applicant No. 1000 in Arkhangelsk
Also, when Norway issues more and more visas valid for several years, Finland issues multiple entry visas valid for maximum one year. On the other side, Norway still issues loads of single-entry visas, while Finland automatically issues multi-entry visas.
Same rules - different practice
Both Finland and Norway are Schengen-members and by that in theory have to follow the same rules. The daily practice is however considerable different. It is easier for Russian citizens to obtain a visa to Finland compared with Norway.
Finland requires neither an invitation nor a hotel booking. It is possible to get a multiple entry visa to Finland valid for six months without having any previous visa history either to Finland or any other Schengen member state. When the first six-month multiple entry visa expires, most applicants get a new one-year valid multiple entry visa. In some cases people even obtain visas valid for more than one year.
In other words, while Norway has established a special regime with the Pomor visas limited to citizens in Murmansk and Arkhangelsk regions, Finland has the same non-invitation visa issuing system for all of Russia. And while Norway in addition still issues loads of single-entry visas for specific short-term periods based on detailed written invitations from a Norwegian partner, Finland automatically issues multiple entry visas for longer periods independently of the purpose of the visit; shopping, vacation, business or just visiting friends.
Long drive to Murmansk
Applicants for the Norwegian Pomor visa are required to come to the Consulate General personally to deliver the papers. That is of course easy to handle for people in Murmansk City, but can require a whole day of traveling for people living further away, for instance in the border towns of Nikel and Zapolyarny. Finland does not require visa applicants to show up in person.
Read more: Norwegian visa-bureaucracy hampers cross-border development
While Norway, with the exception of the Pomor visa system, by many are seen as one of the most pedant members of the Schengen regime, Finland actively uses the less-stricter possibilities included in the Schengen Code when issuing visas to Russian citizens. Finland is not alone in reading the Schengen Code more liberally than Norway for Russian visa applicants. Major European countries like Spain, Italy and France are others.
Read also: Russians travel abroad like never before
Finland attractive
There are several reasons why more people from the Murmansk region prefer Finnish Lapland as a foreign destination to northern Norway. Finnish ski resorts in driving distance from the Russian border attract more travelers. Rovaniemi and Tornio-Haparanda has large-scale shopping malls and northern Finland has targeted tourist campaigns directed on the Russian market. In addition, Norway is in general more expensive than Finland.
For longer holidays, Finland makes a shorter driving distance to other western and central European countries and airports in northern Finland have good connections to other European hubs. Some people from Murmansk Oblast even prefer to drive through Finland when heading to and from St. Petersburg because of the better road standards.
