With exactly one year until the EU’s electronic travel-authorisation (ETIAS) system goes live, Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs used 26 October to remind Finns living abroad that an expired EU passport will block entry—even if they also hold a non-EU passport.
Under ETIAS, carriers must verify that travellers from visa-exempt third countries have either a valid EU passport or an ETIAS approval. Dual nationals cannot apply for ETIAS and must therefore rely on their EU document. The ministry’s press note reiterated that many embassies are already facing appointment backlogs and advised applicants to allow up to 12 weeks for biometric issuance.
Corporate mobility managers welcomed the clarity, noting several cases in which employees with Finnish-US dual citizenship had attempted to enter the bloc on a US passport, triggering secondary checks. Travel-management companies are rolling out passport-validity dashboards to flag risks 180 days before expiry.
Legislative work to extend Finnish passport validity from five to ten years is under way but will not be completed before ETIAS’ late-2026 soft launch, officials confirmed.
Under ETIAS, carriers must verify that travellers from visa-exempt third countries have either a valid EU passport or an ETIAS approval. Dual nationals cannot apply for ETIAS and must therefore rely on their EU document. The ministry’s press note reiterated that many embassies are already facing appointment backlogs and advised applicants to allow up to 12 weeks for biometric issuance.
Corporate mobility managers welcomed the clarity, noting several cases in which employees with Finnish-US dual citizenship had attempted to enter the bloc on a US passport, triggering secondary checks. Travel-management companies are rolling out passport-validity dashboards to flag risks 180 days before expiry.
Legislative work to extend Finnish passport validity from five to ten years is under way but will not be completed before ETIAS’ late-2026 soft launch, officials confirmed.
