Finland will tighten visa restrictions for Russian athletes and other Russian citizens travelling to the country for short-term work, including professional sports, as the government seeks to limit activities it considers contrary to the country’s national interests.
The new restrictions, announced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, will take effect on Monday, 16 November 2026. They will give Finnish authorities greater grounds to consider the purpose of travel when assessing visa applications and deciding whether Russian citizens should be allowed to enter Finland.
The measures target short-term professional activities carried out under a visa. Professional sports are specifically included, meaning Russian athletes seeking to compete or work in Finland will face additional entry restrictions.
“As long as Russia’s war of aggression continues, Russian athletes have no business in Finland. Their entry into the country would be a threat to Finland’s international relations. The same is true of other short-term work under visas that are not essential to Finland’s national interests,” Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen (NCP) said in the ministry’s announcement.
The changes will affect decisions made by Finnish authorities, including the Border Guard and Finland’s diplomatic missions abroad. Officials will be able to take the new restrictions into account when processing visa applications from Russian citizens and assessing whether individuals who already hold visas can enter the country.
The rules will also cover Russian citizens travelling through Finland on their way to other countries in the Schengen area. This means that transit through Finland will not automatically exempt travellers from the restrictions.
The decision comes amid renewed debate over the participation of Russian athletes in international competitions. The issue has become particularly relevant following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) earlier in November, which found that Russian teams must be allowed to return to international ice hockey tournaments.
The ruling has raised questions about how countries that maintain restrictions on Russian participation in international sport will respond to possible returns to competition.
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Finland’s Foreign Ministry has linked its position to Russia’s use of sport during the ongoing war against Ukraine. In its announcement, the ministry argued that Russia uses sporting events as a propaganda tool and seeks to promote the objectives of its war through international sports participation.
The restrictions will therefore also apply to athletes competing under neutral status. This means that competing without officially representing Russia will not, by itself, remove an athlete from the scope of the new measures.
The announcement reflects Finland’s continued effort to limit certain forms of travel and professional activity involving Russian citizens while Russia’s war against Ukraine continues. The new rules give Finnish authorities additional grounds to assess whether short-term work and other visa-related activities are compatible with Finland’s national interests.
