Finland Is Bound by the Visa List With No Protocol and No Recital, and Its Own Act Still Calls That Regulation a Council Regulation
Answer
The general rule applies to you
No exception is recorded for citizens of Spain on this topic. That is the answer, not a gap - everything below is the rule you get, unchanged.
147 exceptions recorded across 54 countries · none match Spain to Finland · Visiting as a tourist
Who needs a visa for Finland is decided by Regulation (EU) 2018/1806: Annex I nationals need one, Annex II nationals do not for 90 days in any 180-day period. Finland is bound by it as an ordinary member state - there is no Finnish protocol, and the word Finland does not appear anywhere in the Regulation, preamble included. The Aliens Act does not reproduce the ninety days as a right. Section 11(2) says the entry conditions for a stay of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period are laid down in the Schengen Borders Code, and the only place the figure appears in Finnish law is the definition of a short-stay visa in section 3(4b). What section 18(2) does say is that the states whose nationals need a visa, and those whose nationals do not, are laid down by a Council regulation - and Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 is a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. That sentence has carried no amendment marker since the Act was enacted in 2004, when the instrument it described was Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001.
At a glance
- Free stay for a visa-exempt national
- 90 days in any 180-day period
Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806. Section 11(2) of the Aliens Act points at the Schengen Borders Code for the conditions of such a stay rather than stating the right itself.
- Where the ninety days appear in Finnish law
- In the definition of a short-stay visa, section 3(4b) of the Aliens Act
The subsection defines a short-stay visa as permission to enter and stay for at most 90 days in a 180-day period. No section of the Act grants the visa-free period in those words.
- What the Act says decides the visa list
- A Council regulation, in section 18(2)
Regulation (EU) 2018/1806 is a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council. Section 18 carries no amendment marker; the instrument it described in 2004 was Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001.
- Nordic citizens
- Enter without a passport when coming directly from Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark
Section 157(1) of the Aliens Act. Subsection 2 still requires identity and nationality to be shown reliably.
- Union citizens
- Three months without registering, on an identity card or a passport
Section 158(1) of the Aliens Act.
- When the free period runs out
- You need a visa or a residence permit; there is no extension of the free stay
Section 19 of the Aliens Act, which counts the free period across the Schengen area rather than in Finland alone.
- Is Finland named in the Regulation
- No - not in any article and not in any of the thirty-nine recitals
The Official Journal text was searched in full. It names Ireland and the United Kingdom as outside the Regulation and says nothing about Finland or Denmark.
Requirements
- A valid travel document accepted for crossing the border
- A visa if your nationality is in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/1806
- No visa for 90 days in any 180-day period if your nationality is in Annex II
- Funds for the stay and the return or onward journey, or the ability to obtain them lawfully
- No entry ban, and no threat to public order, security, national security, public health or Finland's international relations
In detail
Why there is no Finnish recital
Denmark is bound by this Regulation only because article 6 of Protocol No 22 cuts the visa list out of its opt-out, and Ireland is expressly outside it. Finland has neither arrangement. It joined the Union in 1995 and the Schengen area without a protocol of its own on the area of freedom, security and justice, so the Regulation applies to it the way a regulation applies - and a reader looking for Finland in the text will find nothing, which is the correct answer rather than a gap in our reading.
A citation that has not been corrected in over twenty years
Section 18(2) says a Council regulation lays down who needs a visa. When the Aliens Act was passed in 2004 that was true: the instrument was Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001. It was replaced in 2018 by Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, made by the European Parliament and the Council under the ordinary legislative procedure, and section 18 was not touched. Nothing turns on it - the subsection is descriptive and the Union instrument applies of its own force - but it is the kind of detail that shows how a national statute ages around a Union rule, and the definitions section two pages earlier shows the contrast: the Schengen Borders Code reference in section 3(21) was updated in 2022 and names Regulation (EU) 2016/399 by number.
Where Finland puts the number, and where its neighbours put it
Denmark writes the ninety days into section 3(1) of its own Aliens Act with the rolling window spelled out in the sentence. Sweden writes a different limit, three months, into chapter 2 section 5 of its Aliens Act. Finland writes neither: section 11(2) refers the whole question of a short stay to the Schengen Borders Code, and the figure survives in Finnish law only inside the definition of what a short-stay visa is. A reader who looks up the Finnish Aliens Act expecting to find the rule will not find it there.
What applies to you
Nothing changes for a citizen of Spain
We have no rule recorded that treats your citizenship differently here, so the general rule above is the one that applies to you. That is an answer, not a gap.
What the law says
«Nationals of third countries listed in Annex I shall be required to be in possession of a visa when crossing the external borders of the Member States.»About this source
The Union's legal database. Publishes each act as adopted in the Official Journal and, separately, a consolidated version carrying every amendment to a stated date, identified as 0YYYYRNNNN-YYYYMMDD. The consolidated text marks each amended passage with the instrument that changed it.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: A consolidated text is explicitly not authentic - EUR-Lex says so on the document - and only the Official Journal version has legal force. It also says nothing about how any member state applies the act: a regulation is directly applicable but the border practice, the evidence an officer may ask for and the national exceptions are in national law, which is published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Nationals of third countries listed in Annex II shall be exempt from the requirement set out in Article 3(1) for stays of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period.»About this source
The Union's legal database. Publishes each act as adopted in the Official Journal and, separately, a consolidated version carrying every amendment to a stated date, identified as 0YYYYRNNNN-YYYYMMDD. The consolidated text marks each amended passage with the instrument that changed it.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: A consolidated text is explicitly not authentic - EUR-Lex says so on the document - and only the Official Journal version has legal force. It also says nothing about how any member state applies the act: a regulation is directly applicable but the border practice, the evidence an officer may ask for and the national exceptions are in national law, which is published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«This Regulation constitutes a development of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in which Ireland does not take part, in accordance with Council Decision 2002/192/EC ( 16 ) ; Ireland is therefore not taking part in the adoption of this Regulation and is not bound by it or subject to its application»The preamble names Ireland and, in recital 38, the United Kingdom. Finland is named nowhere in it, which is what being an ordinary member state of the Schengen area looks like in a legal text.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The Union's legal database. Publishes each act as adopted in the Official Journal and, separately, a consolidated version carrying every amendment to a stated date, identified as 0YYYYRNNNN-YYYYMMDD. The consolidated text marks each amended passage with the instrument that changed it.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: A consolidated text is explicitly not authentic - EUR-Lex says so on the document - and only the Official Journal version has legal force. It also says nothing about how any member state applies the act: a regulation is directly applicable but the border practice, the evidence an officer may ask for and the national exceptions are in national law, which is published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Unionin kansalainen ja häneen rinnastettava voi saapua Suomeen ja oleskella Suomessa viisumitta, jos hänellä on Suomessa hyväksytty matkustusasiakirja. Neuvoston asetuksella säädetään valtioista, joiden kansalaiset ovat viisumivelvollisia, ja valtioista, joiden kansalaiset eivät tarvitse viisumia Schengen-alueelle saapumista ja Schengen-alueella tapahtuvaa lyhytaikaista oleskelua varten.»Our translation - not official
A Union citizen and a person treated as one may enter Finland and stay here without a visa if he or she holds a travel document accepted in Finland. A Council regulation lays down the states whose nationals are subject to the visa requirement and the states whose nationals do not need a visa for entering the Schengen area and for a short stay there.
The hinge of this record. The Act names the instrument by the body that made it, and the instrument in force was made by the Parliament and the Council together.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Kolmannen maan kansalaisen maahantuloedellytyksistä jäsenvaltioiden alueella oleskeluun, jonka on tarkoitus kestää enintään 90 päivää minkä hyvänsä 180 päivän jakson aikana, säädetään Schengenin rajasäännöstössä.»Our translation - not official
The conditions of entry for a third-country national for a stay in the territory of the Member States intended to last no more than 90 days in any 180-day period are laid down in the Schengen Borders Code.
Finland sends the reader to the Borders Code rather than writing the ninety days into its own Act, which is where Denmark and Sweden both put their version of the limit.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«lyhytaikaisella viisumilla lupaa, jonka perusteella ulkomaalaisen maahantulo ja oleskelu korkeintaan 90 päivän ajan 180 päivän jaksolla sallitaan muiden maahantulon edellytysten täyttyessä;»Our translation - not official
short-stay visa means permission on the basis of which a foreigner's entry and stay for at most 90 days in a 180-day period are allowed where the other conditions of entry are met;
The only place in the Act where ninety days in a hundred and eighty is written out.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«hänellä on voimassa oleva vaadittava viisumi, oleskelulupa taikka työntekijän tai yrittäjän oleskelulupa, jollei Euroopan unionin lainsäädännöstä tai Suomea sitovasta kansainvälisestä sopimuksesta muuta johdu;»Our translation - not official
he or she holds a valid required visa, residence permit or residence permit for an employed person or a self-employed person, unless otherwise follows from European Union legislation or from an international agreement binding on Finland;
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Ulkomaalainen, jonka viisumivapaa oleskeluaika Schengen-alueella on kulunut loppuun, on viisumi- tai oleskelulupavelvollinen.»Our translation - not official
A foreigner whose visa-free period of stay in the Schengen area has run out is subject to a visa requirement or a residence permit requirement.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Islannin, Norjan, Ruotsin ja Tanskan kansalaisilla on oikeus saapua maahan ilman passia suoraan näistä valtioista ja oleskella Suomessa rekisteröimättä oleskeluoikeuttaan.»Our translation - not official
Citizens of Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark have the right to enter the country without a passport directly from those states and to stay in Finland without registering their right of residence.
Narrower on its face than Denmark's section 1, which lets a Nordic citizen enter and stay without permission and says nothing about where the journey started.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Islannin, Norjan, Ruotsin ja Tanskan kansalaisen on luotettavalla tavalla kyettävä osoittamaan henkilöllisyytensä ja kansalaisuutensa.»Our translation - not official
A citizen of Iceland, Norway, Sweden or Denmark must be able to establish his or her identity and citizenship in a reliable manner.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Unionin kansalainen saa oleskella Suomessa rekisteröimättä oleskeluoikeuttaan enintään kolme kuukautta ilman muita edellytyksiä tai muodollisuuksia kuin se, että hänellä on voimassa oleva henkilökortti tai passi.»Our translation - not official
A Union citizen may stay in Finland without registering his or her right of residence for at most three months, with no conditions or formalities other than holding a valid identity card or passport.
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
«Rajavartiolaitosta ja muuta viranomaista, jolla on oikeus henkilöiden liikkumista rajojen yli koskevasta unionin säännöstöstä (Schengenin rajasäännöstö) annetussa Euroopan parlamentin ja neuvoston asetuksessa (EU) 2016/399, jäljempänä Schengenin rajasäännöstö, tarkoitetun rajatarkastuksen tekemiseen;»Our translation - not official
the Border Guard and any other authority entitled to carry out a border check within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2016/399 of the European Parliament and of the Council on a Union Code on the rules governing the movement of persons across borders (Schengen Borders Code), hereinafter the Schengen Borders Code;
The definition that identifies the Borders Code section 11(2) points at. This one was amended in 2022; section 18 was not.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
Practical notes
Neither Annex I nor Annex II is reproduced here, and neither is in Finnish law. The Finnish Aliens Act does not list a single country.
The Schengen Borders Code itself was not read for this record. Section 11(2) and section 12(1) of the Aliens Act point at it, and what it says about the conditions of a short stay is taken on the Act's word rather than on ours.
Nothing published by the Finnish Immigration Service or by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs was read for this record. Everything here is from the Act and from the Union instrument.
- consolidatesUlkomaalaislaki, consolidated text of 26 June 2026
Finlex, oikeusministeriö · consolidated to 2026-06-26
About this source
Finland's state legal information service, run by the Ministry of Justice. It publishes the Suomen säädöskokoelma - the statute series, where an Act takes effect on publication - and, separately, the ajantasainen consolidated text of each Act with later amendments worked into it. Every statute carries an ELI identifier that states the date of the consolidated version, so the cut-off is on the page rather than inferred: the Aliens Act 301/2004 was read at http://data.finlex.fi/eli/sd/2004/301/ajantasa/2026-06-26/fin. The site is bilingual by law and serves Finnish and Swedish texts of the same statute at the same address; Finnish is the language quoted here. It also carries unofficial English translations under /lainsaadanto/saadoskaannokset/.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The English translations are not the instrument and must never be quoted as one - they are produced by ministries, carry their own amendment cut-offs separate from the Finnish text's, and several are years behind it. The consolidated text is the right thing to quote for what the law is now, but it prints provisions that are not yet in force alongside those that are, each marked with its own commencement date: the Nationality Act consolidation of 16 June 2026 carries the 2027 citizenship-exam wording of section 13 directly beneath the wording in force. A reader who takes the first paragraph they see has a one-in-two chance of reading next year's law. The consolidation also lags the statute series, and each statute's page lists the government bills pending on it; those bills are not law and must not be cited as if they were. The original statute as enacted is a different document at a different address under /lainsaadanto/saadoskokoelma/ and does not carry amendments.
We re-read it every 60 days. More about this source
- consolidatesRegulation (EU) 2018/1806, consolidated text of 30 December 2025
EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union · consolidated to 2025-12-30
About this source
The Union's legal database. Publishes each act as adopted in the Official Journal and, separately, a consolidated version carrying every amendment to a stated date, identified as 0YYYYRNNNN-YYYYMMDD. The consolidated text marks each amended passage with the instrument that changed it.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: A consolidated text is explicitly not authentic - EUR-Lex says so on the document - and only the Official Journal version has legal force. It also says nothing about how any member state applies the act: a regulation is directly applicable but the border practice, the evidence an officer may ask for and the national exceptions are in national law, which is published elsewhere.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
- consolidatesRegulation (EU) 2018/1806, as published in the Official Journal
EUR-Lex, Publications Office of the European Union
About this source
The Union's legal database. Publishes each act as adopted in the Official Journal and, separately, a consolidated version carrying every amendment to a stated date, identified as 0YYYYRNNNN-YYYYMMDD. The consolidated text marks each amended passage with the instrument that changed it.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: A consolidated text is explicitly not authentic - EUR-Lex says so on the document - and only the Official Journal version has legal force. It also says nothing about how any member state applies the act: a regulation is directly applicable but the border practice, the evidence an officer may ask for and the national exceptions are in national law, which is published elsewhere.
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