Finnair already accepts vaccination certificates for travel to Finland

From Tuesday 11 May 2021, the Finnish flag carrier Finnair accepts a coronavirus vaccination certificate when traveling to Finland.

The Finnish Border Guard and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have updated the requirements for entry to Finland. Air travelers can also travel with a negative Covid-19 test or similar, the airline said in a press release.

"As of 11 May 2021, we accept a coronavirus vaccination certificate for all coronavirus vaccines approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Medical Agency (EMA). You need to have received the vaccination latest 21 days before the travel date," Finnair said in the press release.

According to the airline, one dose of vaccine is sufficient for the certificate.

Finnair "strongly" recommends that travelers show a vaccination certificate in English. However, certificates in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Estonian or Swedish will be also accepted when the journey starts from these countries or from a country in which one of these is an official language.

"Other languages than the previously mentioned eight, are not accepted, as the Finnish Health Authorities must be able to understand the certificate on arrival in Helsinki. Certificates in Finnish cannot be accepted when travelling to Finland from abroad, as the check-in/gate agent will not be able to understand the text. However, we accept a screenshot of your coronavirus vaccine information page in Finnish or Swedish from the Finnish Omakanta healthcare system."

Vaccination certificate requirements

The vaccination certificate must contain the traveler's full name (as in the travel document), date of birth, name of the disease vaccinated against (in this case Covid-19), date, time and place of vaccination, the name of the vaccine brand and the party (company) issuing the certificate.

If the public health service provider in the traveler's country does not include the date of birth in the vaccination certificate issued, the certificate can still be accepted for travel to Finland, provided that the other mentioned details are included and the holder's identity matches with the travel document.

This exception applies, for example, to the vaccination card issued by NHS in the UK and the Finnish Omakanta record.

Other valid certificates

In line with the recommendation by the Finnish health authorities, Finnair also allows travel with a certificate of a negative coronavirus test or a doctor’s certificate stating that the traveler has already passed the Covid-19 disease within the past 6 months, but is now without symptoms and fit to travel.

The requirement applies to all travelers, including Finnish citizens, on Finnair international flights to Finland.

The requirement complements other comprehensive measures to travel safely during the pandemic, Finnair says.