Finland : Formalities and administrative procedures

Finland : Organize your stay

Money Finland

Finland has been using the euro since 2002. Please note that 1 and 2 euro cent coins are not legal tender in the country. Prices are therefore systematically rounded.

Credit card payments are accepted everywhere, and generally require no minimum amount.

Budget & Tips Finland

From an overall point of view, life in Finland is more expensive than in France. The destination is therefore not particularly economical. In the north of the country, prices are lower except for petrol, which is sold at really prohibitive prices. In Helsinki, filling up the tank is about the same price as in France (a little higher). If the destination is expensive, a few tricks will help to lighten the budget. For accommodation, prefer for example renting cottages to large hotels... Fruits and vegetables, mostly imported from distant continents in winter, become quite expensive.

Passport and visas Finland

For EU citizens, a valid passport or national identity card is all you need to enter the country. For stays longer than three months, you need to report to the local police office.

Driver's license Finland

A European or French driving license is all you need to rent a car. Be sure to check the type of card (credit or debit) required by rental agencies.

Health Finland

There are few risks involved in traveling to Finland. No vaccinations are required. Just check that your vaccinations (D.T. Polio...) are up to date. For information on the country's health situation and advice, contact the Société de médecine des voyages at the Institut Pasteur medical center at www.pasteur.fr/fr/centre-medical/preparer- son-voyage/finlande or visit the Cimed website: www.cimed.org.

Small worries: mosquitoes and augusts. The center and north of the country are infested with mosquitoes in summer (June, July and August). Make sure you bring long-sleeved clothing, mosquito nets and insect repellent, so you don't spend your stay slapping your thighs and cheeks... Although not carriers of transmissible diseases in Finland, mosquitoes are voracious. Augustflies are rife at the same time, and you can have suitable creams prescribed before you leave. In winter, the other main risks are hypothermia or frostbite. Make sure you're well equipped to protect yourself against the cold.

The European Health Insurance Card allows EU nationals to benefit from emergency medical assistance.

Time difference Finland

+ 1h. When it's 10 a.m. in France, it's already 11 a.m. in Finland. Daylight saving time is also applied.

Spoken languages Finland

Finland's two official languages are Finnish and Swedish. Swedish is spoken by only 5% of the population, concentrated mainly in the southwest, on the southwest coast of the Gulf of Bothnia and on the Åland Islands. Saami, meanwhile, is spoken only in the north of the country, in Lapland, by the Saami population, and represents just 0.04% of the languages spoken in the country. Most Finns have a good command of English. If you didn't manage to learn Suomi before you arrived, you'll be speaking Shakespeare's language most of the time.

Communication Finland

No need to worry about getting connected: Finland, after the USA, has one of the densest Internet networks in the world.

Electricity and measurements Finland

We weigh in grams and measure in meters. Finland is connected to 220 volts like the rest of Europe.

Luggage Finland

In all circumstances, don't forget your bathing suit for those who want to take a dip in the cold water before heading to the sauna, or for the simply prudish!

If you're planning a trip to Lapland in winter, remember to pack clothes that are adapted to the sometimes very low temperatures that prevail there at this time of year (-10°C on average). The idea is not to pile on layers of clothing, but rather to use the onion technique, with two or three highly insulating layers (especially the first, right next to the skin) and an easily removable outer layer. It may be worth investing in quality brands. Beware: Finnish equipment is expensive, so buy before you leave!

Finland : Daily life

Hello? Finland

Finland to France: 00+33 + 9-digit number (without initial 0).

Finland to Belgium: 00 + 32 + 8-digit number (without initial 0).

Finland to Switzerland: 00 + 41 + 8-digit number (without initial 0).

France, Belgium and Switzerland to Finland: 00 + 358 + area code + 8- to 10-digit number without the leading 0. Please note: for this type of call, do not dial the 0 of the area code.

For a local call: dial the correspondent's number only.

For province-to-province calls: dial the area code (0 followed by 1 or 2 digits), then the correspondent's number. Some area codes: (09) for Helsinki, (04) for Tampere, (02) for Turku, (018) for Aland Islands, (03) for Central, (05) for South Karelia, (017) for North Karelia, (016) for Lapland.

Don't worry if you're a kännykkä (cell phone) addict: you'll get through! Whatever your network, it's adapted to Finland. The network covers the whole of Finland, including many national parks. Since 2017, roaming charges called roaming are no longer charged to cell phone users traveling abroad in the European Union. The same applies to mobile data use (internet, in other words), which is now mostly included in an annual quota.

Accessibility Finland

Finland is a forerunner when it comes to infrastructure for the disabled. Legislation requires all restaurants, trains and buses, as well as the pathways to certain national parks, to be equipped with handicapped-accessible toilets. Wheelchair ramps can be found in almost all Helsinki museums and department stores. The dedicated website www.finlandforall.fi will help you make the most of your trip.

Health Finland

In Helsinki, several useful numbers:

AAVA PRIVATE MEDICAL CENTER, Annankatu 32, +358 1 0380 3838, www.aava.fi
Consultation by appointment (by Internet or telephone, telephone service open daily from 6am to 10pm). Secretariat open Monday to Friday 7am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 5pm and Sunday 10am to 6pm.
Private medical center located in the city center, with a few French-speaking doctors. Check with the switchboard for their presence. Wide range of services: endocrinology, pregnancy, gynecology, orthopedics...

+358 9 10 023: 24-hour number in Helsinki. If you have a health problem, you can ask the medical staff for advice. For more urgent cases, the service provides a list of the nearest hospitals and can arrange for a doctor to come to your home.

+358 9 47 11: the switchboard of this university hospital will direct you to the right care center or service (www.hus.fi).

+358 9 4711: Haartman Hospital is open 24 hours a day for emergencies.

Pharmacies: the green Apteekki signs are easy to spot on the street. The Yliopiston Apteekki pharmacy in the city center opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m., while the one in Töölö is open 24 hours a day. For further information, visit www.yliopistonapteekki.fi.

Emergency numbers Finland

112: free number for ambulances, fire department and police, open 24 hours a day.

+358 91 00 23: 24-hour number in Helsinki. If you have a health problem, you can ask the medical staff for advice. For more urgent cases, the service provides a list of the nearest hospitals and can arrange for a doctor to come to your home

+358 9 47 11: the switchboard of this university hospital will direct you to the right care center or the appropriate service (www.hus.fi).

Pharmacy: the green Apteekki signs are easy to spot on the street.

Securty Finland

Honesty prevails in Finland, so the country is very safe. But don't leave your car unlocked to test the locals... The only possible danger is the omnipresence of nature. So, when hiking in a desert area, be sure to take basic precautions. Notify information points of your passage by signing tourist registers. In the worst case (!), this will make it easier to find what you're looking for if you get lost. There's no need to get paranoid, though: just be vigilant and use common sense when planning your excursions. Snow can fall in Lapland as early as October. It then covers all (ground) hiking trail markings. In case of trouble, and without a compass, don't rely on your excellent sense of direction. Instead, wait for help at the nearest refuge. The wild and beautiful countryside can quickly turn hostile. The eastern and south-eastern regions of Finland are also still home to bears. Although accidents are rare, bears are more likely to fear you than the other way round, so it's best not to come across a female bear in springtime with her offspring. Very protective, she can be aggressive. On the contrary, try to blend in with nature as much as possible. Play dead. Motorists should be extremely cautious on the roads of Lapland, and throughout the country. Elks cross the road without warning. Far more massive than reindeer, the impact is formidable. So respect the speed limit and keep an eye on the roadside.

Over the weekend, tourists to Helsinki will come across quite a few people who are very drunk, but rarely violent. It's their way of de-stressing. It's forbidden to drink in the street, but it's tolerated as long as you behave properly.

LGBTQ Finland

Finland is a country where people don't effuse in public. If you respect this mentality, and sometimes the somewhat religious and conservative Karelian one, you won't have any problems, as Finland is one of the most tolerant countries when it comes to homosexuality. In 2001, Finnish law granted people of the same sex the right to a form of civil union (like the Pacs), but called it "registered partnership" before adopting same-sex marriage in 2017.

Embassies and consulates Finland

AMBASSADY AND CONSULATE OF FRANCE: Itäinen Puistotie 13, Helsinki. +3589618780 (Monday to Friday, 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm), www.fi.ambafrance.org, contact.helsinki-amba @ diplomatie.gouv.fr

Kaivopuisto stop in front of Saint-Henri Church on streetcars 1A, 2, 3. Consular office open to the public Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. by appointment. The embassy is located in the embassy district (Kaivopuisto), accessible to pedestrians and motorists. Tramway 3 or 2 stops nearby (Kaivopuisto stop in front of Saint-Henri church). If your papers are lost or stolen, or in an emergency, you can contact the consular section of the French embassy.

Mail Finland

Post offices are generally open weekdays from 9am to 5pm, and on Saturday and Sunday mornings in larger towns. Stamps can be purchased at post offices, bookshops and Kioski.

To receive your mail poste restante, simply have it addressed as follows:

First name, last name, poste restante, name of town (free service). The poste restante office is always located at the main post office of the town in question. See also: www.posti.fi

The cost of a stamp to send a card in France is €1.30.

Local media Finland

Finnish press. Here are a few figures to give you an idea of the extent of press readership in Finland. With 3.3 million copies sold every day or week, Finland ranks second in Europe and third in the world after Norway and Japan in terms of population. Helsingin Sanomat has the largest circulation of the daily press, with 426,000 copies (www.hs.fi). Founded in 1889 and conservative in outlook, it belongs to the WSOY group. It reports on international and daily events in the Helsinki metropolitan area (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and surrounding municipalities). The same newspaper also provides information on theaters and cinemas. WSOY, a major publishing house, also controls the country's second-largest daily newspaper, Ilta-Sanomat (186,000 copies - www.iltasanomat.fi).

Swedish press. Hufvudstadsbladet dominates the landscape of Swedish-language dailies, with a circulation of 51,000 (www.hbl.fi).

English-language press. TheHelsinki Times is an English-language Finnish weekly (www.helsinkitimes.fi).

French-language press. The international press, particularly the French-language press ( Le Monde, Le Soir, etc.), can be accessed at airports, railway stations, major cities and main tourist centers, with random delays.

Radio. There are eight national radio stations in Finland, operated by the national broadcasting company YLE (Yleisradio Oy - www. yle.fi). Six stations broadcast exclusively in Finnish. Programming covers a wide range: culture, classical, rock or commercial music, news, sports. Two of them broadcast in Swedish (Radio Vega and Radio X3M). YLE also broadcasts in English, German, French, Russian and Latin on Capital FM in Helsinki (97.5 MHz). In addition to the national networks, there are a large number of local radio stations in Helsinki, including Radio City (96.2 MHz), NRJ (96.8 MHz), Groove FM (91.1 MHz) and Radio Sputnik (106.9 MHz). Radio programs are listed in all major daily newspapers. See also Internet: www.tvradioworld.com.

Television. Finland has four national channels, two of which are public: YLE 1 and YLE 2 (www.yle.fi). MTV3, a private channel, was launched in 1993 (www.mtv3.fi). At the same time, most towns have a local station. Cable and satellite TV are also widespread. There is also access to foreign channels such as TV4 (Sweden), BBC, RTL Plus and 3 SAT (Germany), TV5 (France), TVE Internacional (Spain), Euronews, Eurosport, Discovery and MTV. Foreign programs are never dubbed. All programs are broadcast in their original version, with Finnish subtitles. Like the other Nordic countries, Finland boasts a high-quality audiovisual offering. Television programs are advertised in the daily newspapers.

INSTITUT FRANÇAIS (www.france.fi). The official portal for France in Finland (embassy, consulate, culture, economy) provides general information about the country and the French expatriate community. Useful links for planning your trip.

ULAPLAND (www.ulapland.fi - [email protected]). The site of the University of Rovaniemi may inspire you to spend a few months in Lapland, to study for example.

VISIT FINLAND - LAPLAND (www.visitfinland.com/lapland). The Finnish Lapland section of the National Tourist Board website.

VOICI LA FINLANDE (www.voicilafinlande.fi) A highly specialized website in French, covering the country's history, culture and news, with many links to other information sites.