In a separate communiqué published on 4 March by specialist outlet VisasUpdate, Finnish authorities spelled out the operational details of the new non-biometric-passport ban for Russian citizens. The document lists the exact crossing points affected—from Vaalimaa to Helsinki-Vantaa Airport—and notes that even air-transit passengers must carry a chip-embedded passport after 1 June 2026. Unlike earlier press releases, the gazette specifies that there will be “no humanitarian or family-reunification exemptions”, except for narrowly defined diplomatic cases pre-cleared with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Carriers transporting non-compliant travellers face fines and return-to-point-of-origin obligations. The notice emphasises harmonisation with Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, making Finland the fifth Schengen country to apply the rule. It also warns dual nationals who habitually travel on a Russian passport that they should switch to an EU passport to avoid problems. For corporate mobility teams, the clarification ends speculation about possible grace periods for frequent fliers. Travel managers are now issuing alerts to Russian staff and updating booking systems to flag non-chip passports automatically.
Source: VisasUpdate
