Finland Visa from Dubai: VFS, AED 385 Fee, Documents and Appeals

The short answer: Emiratis don't need a visa for Finland: they can stay up to 90 days in any 180. Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals living in the UAE need a Schengen visa. You apply at VFS Global in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, and the Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi decides. The visa fee is AED 385 for adults, plus a VFS service fee of AED 85. Processing takes at least 15 calendar days, and the checklist asks for three months of bank statements.

Helsinki's design shops, islands and saunas draw some visitors, but Lapland in winter, snow, huskies, reindeer and the chance of the northern lights, is the main reason UAE residents travel to Finland. Finland issues Schengen visas, so a Finnish visa also covers the other Schengen countries, as long as Finland is your main destination.

Finland visa for UAE residents at a glance

Question	Answer (October 2026)
Emirati passport	No visa, up to 90 days in any 180
India, Pakistan, Philippines, Egypt, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka	Schengen visa before travel
Who decides	The Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi
Where to apply	VFS Global, Wafi Mall in Dubai or the World Trade Centre mall in Abu Dhabi
Visa fee	AED 385 adults, AED 190 children aged 6 to 11, free under 6
VFS service fee	AED 85
Processing	At least 15 calendar days, up to 30, exceptionally 60
Bank statements	Last 3 months, original and stamped by the bank

Who needs a visa for Finland

Whether you need a visa depends on your passport. UAE citizens have been able to visit Finland and the rest of the Schengen area without a visa since May 2015. They will need the EU's ETIAS travel authorisation once it starts; it hasn't yet, and the EU says it will announce the date several months ahead.

Indian, Pakistani, Filipino, Egyptian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan nationals need a Schengen visa, and so do most other nationalities living in the UAE. EU rules say you apply in the country where you legally live, so UAE residents apply in the UAE, not at home.

Apply to Finland if it is your main destination, where you spend the most nights. Five nights in Helsinki and Rovaniemi and two in Stockholm is a Finnish application; the reverse is a Swedish one. If your nights are split evenly, apply to the mission of the country you enter first. See our Schengen visa guide for how the rule works.

How to apply from Dubai or Abu Dhabi

1. Fill in the Schengen application form on finlandvisa.fi, where you can also check the current document checklist without logging in. Print and sign it; for a child under 18, the form is signed by both parents.
2. Book an appointment with VFS Global, by its website or on +971 4 205 5907. VFS's centre serves both Dubai and Abu Dhabi residents; the embassy doesn't publish a rule tying you to the centre in your own emirate.
3. Attend your appointment at VFS in Wafi Mall, Dubai (first floor, Phase 5, Horus, Umm Hurair 2) or the World Trade Centre mall, Abu Dhabi. You hand in your documents, give fingerprints and pay the fees.
4. Wait at least 15 calendar days. The Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi decides, then returns your passport to the VFS centre. You can collect it there or pay for courier delivery.

The embassy's own consular section, for passports, notarial work and appeals rather than visa submissions, is at Etihad Towers, Office Tower 3, Corniche Street West, Abu Dhabi, where it moved in mid-2024. The embassy's site also warns that the security situation in the Middle East can affect Finnish missions and VFS centres in the region, and that appointment availability may be temporarily limited, so book as early as you can, especially for a winter Lapland trip.

Documents

VFS's checklist for tourism and visiting family or friends in the UAE asks for:

• The signed application form
• Passport and a copy, with at least two blank pages side by side, issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen area
• UAE residence visa, with a copy, and copies of any previous Schengen visas
• One recent colour photo meeting ICAO standards, taken within the last six months, on a white background
• A letter from your employer, no more than one month old, stating your position, salary and start date, or your trade licence if you're self-employed
• Hotel booking for your whole stay. If you're staying with family or friends, their invitation letter covers your accommodation instead.
• Bank statements for the last three months, original and signed or stamped by the bank
• Travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 of cover, valid for your whole trip across the whole Schengen area. Submit the policy document itself, not just an insurance card.
• Return flight reservation, valid throughout the application process

Visiting family or friends

Your host's invitation letter needs to name both of you, state how you're related, and give their address and your accommodation details. VFS's checklist says the letter is valid for three months from the date it's signed, so don't get it stamped too early.

Children

For a child travelling without both parents, VFS's checklist for minors asks for the child's birth certificate and a parental authorisation, either signed in front of a visa officer or legalised, plus copies of both parents' passports. Ask VFS to confirm this applies to your tourism application before your appointment.

How much money you need to show

Finland doesn't publish a daily amount for UAE applicants. What the checklist asks for is three months of bank statements, so a steady income over that period matters more than one month's balance.

Fees and processing time

Fee	Amount
Visa fee, adults	AED 385
Visa fee, children aged 6 to 11	AED 190
Visa fee, children under 6	Free
VFS service fee, every applicant	AED 85
Total for one adult	AED 470

These are VFS's dirham amounts for the EUR 90 visa fee, the EUR 45 children's fee and its EUR 20 service fee, paid by card or cash at the centre. The embassy's own fee page lists the visa fee as AED 380 and the children's fee as AED 190: the dirham amounts follow the exchange rate and can change without notice. No fee is refunded if you're refused. You can apply up to six months before you travel; Finland's pages don't give a latest date, so apply as early as you can within that window, particularly for Lapland trips in the northern lights season, when appointment slots and flights are both in demand.

If you're refused, you can ask Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs to review the decision within 30 calendar days of receiving it. The request must be in Finnish or Swedish and costs EUR 255; the ministry won't process it until the fee is paid. If the ministry upholds the refusal, you can then appeal to the Helsinki Administrative Court, again within 30 days, for a court fee of EUR 270.

At the border

Since April 2026, Finland and every other Schengen country register non-EU visitors in the EU's Entry/Exit System. On your first trip since it started, you give fingerprints and a photo at passport control instead of getting a stamp.

Flights from the UAE

• Emirates announced in January 2026 that it would start a daily, year-round nonstop flight between Dubai and Helsinki from 1 October 2026, on an Airbus A350. Check that the route has started on schedule before you book.
• Finnair, which has long flown Dubai to Helsinki nonstop, has said it won't operate the route for winter 2026/27, from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, citing the security situation in the region. That gap covers most of the northern lights season, so Emirates looks set to be the main nonstop option for winter trips; confirm current schedules with both airlines.
• There's no nonstop flight from the UAE to Rovaniemi, the gateway to Finnish Lapland. You connect through Helsinki on a domestic Finnair flight, or through a European hub.

Flights between the UAE and Europe were disrupted for much of 2026, so check your flight with the airline before you book, and make sure the reservation you submit matches your application dates.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a Finland visa in Dubai?

At VFS Global's Finland visa centre in Wafi Mall, first floor, Phase 5 (Horus), or at VFS in the World Trade Centre mall, Abu Dhabi. The Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi decides.

How much is the Finland visa fee in Dubai?

AED 385 for adults and AED 190 for children aged 6 to 11 at VFS, plus VFS's service fee of AED 85: AED 470 for one adult. Children under 6 pay no visa fee.

How long does a Finland visa take from Dubai?

At least 15 calendar days, under the EU's common rules that Finland follows. It can take up to 30 days, or 60 in exceptional cases, so apply early, especially before winter.

How many months of bank statements do I need for a Finland visa?

Three months, original and stamped by the bank. Finland doesn't set a minimum balance for UAE applicants.

Can I fly direct from Dubai to Lapland for the northern lights?

No. There's no nonstop flight to Rovaniemi. Fly nonstop to Helsinki, with Emirates or Finnair depending on the season, then connect on a domestic or European flight to Rovaniemi.

Do Emiratis need a visa for Finland?

No. UAE citizens can visit Finland without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180. They will need an ETIAS travel authorisation once the EU starts it.

Planning a trip to Finland

Three days covers Helsinki's design district, the Suomenlinna sea fortress and a sauna by the water; add three or four more in Rovaniemi for Santa Claus Village, a husky or reindeer safari and a chance of the northern lights, best seen away from town on a clear, dark night between late August and early April. Tallinn, across the water in Estonia, is a short ferry ride from Helsinki and in Schengen too, so one visa covers both. See our Schengen visa services for help preparing your Finland application, browse holiday packages, or talk to us about flights and hotels.

Related guides

• Schengen visa for UAE residents
• Sweden visa from Dubai
• Norway visa from Dubai
• Denmark visa from Dubai

Last checked 9 October 2026 against the Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi's website, VFS Global's Finland pages and tourism checklist for the UAE, Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs pages on finlandabroad.fi and um.fi, the EU Visa Code and fee regulation, the European Commission's ETIAS page, eu-LISA on the Entry/Exit System, and airline announcements and reports. This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm the current requirements with VFS Global or the Embassy of Finland in Abu Dhabi before you apply.