Hello from Finland!
I have relocated to Finland to join as an Early Stage Researcher (ESR) at the University of Eastern Finland. And this would mark my first travel outside India. After 3 years of getting the Indian passport, it finally got stamped at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi on 3rd December 2020. I started my journey from my hometown in Tura, Meghalaya early morning on 3rd December for Guwahati – the nearest operational airport. From Guwahati (GAU) I flew to Delhi (DEL) and from there onward to Kuopio (KUO) via Frankfurt (FRA) and Helsinki (HEL). My flight exiting Delhi was in the early morning at 3.35 a.m (IST) on 4th December and reached Kuopio the same day at around 9.00 p.m. (IST). Here I present a summary of all the preparations, experience, and tips for first-time international travellers like me or someone who would like to come to Finland. Apart from my experiences, I have also listed some other resources that will be helpful while travelling in Finland and international travel as a whole.
Permit
As mentioned earlier, I am in Finland to join as an ESR and hence was issued a residence permit for researcher for two years. I applied through Migri (https://migri.fi/en/home) way back in July 2020. As the Embassy was closed due to COVID-19, nothing materialized initially. But suddenly in October, I received an email directly from the Embassy to visit them for biometric and document verification. Usually, the appointment has to be taken through VFS Global but due to covid crisis and probable backlogs, the Finnish Embassy directly scheduled the appointments (probably only for students, researchers, and other work permits). After this, within one month I was ready to relocate to Finland. Again, it should be mentioned here that according to Migri, issuing a residence permit requires one to two months depending on the rush but in my case, it was accepted within a week. Also, they directly send the residence permit card instead of first issuing a temporary visa and then the permit after entering the country as in several other European countries.
Flight
Guwahati (GAU) – Delhi (DEL) : Indigo 6E-2158 (₹5,897/-)
Delhi (DEL) – Frankfurt (FRA) – Helsinki (HEL) : Lufthansa LH761/LH848 (₹35,946/-)
Helsinki (HEL) – Kuopio (KUO) : Finnair AY643 (€82.98/-)
Transit
Persons on EU/EEA-issued residence permits can avail of the bubble flight via Germany/Netherlands and for both these countries, no transit visa is required.
Border control
Literally, no questions were asked except in Delhi where the officials were unsure of Finland issuing residence permit cards without even visiting the country once.
Corona
Finland mentions the requirement for COVID test to be either carried by the passenger or be done at Helsinki airport. I had a negative report but was not asked at any point during travel. At Delhi airport, I was given a declaration form by a Lufthansa official to be filled and submitted at Frankfurt immigration but it was not collected. In Finland, it is recommended to self-isolate for 10 days which can be shortened by taking a second COVID test 72 hours after arrival.
Currency exchange
At Delhi, Punjab National Bank and Central Bank of India seem to offer better rates than Thomas Cook and Exycash. All these counters are in the departure area in Terminal 3 of Delhi airport. Still, it is better to exchange beforehand at banks as airport rates even in bank counters are higher.
Forex card
Using State Bank Foreign Travel Card. Issue charge ₹105.
Problem with reloading online. Option temporarily unavailable on onlinesbi.com.
Airports
Guwahati – North East India connector
Delhi – Connecting India to the World
Frankfurt – hub
Helsinki – one of the most beautiful
Kuopio – small and limited
SIM card
In Finland, prepaid mobile SIM cards can be easily purchased without documents from store chains like R-Kioski, K-market, etc. At Helsinki airport, it can be purchased from the R-Kioski at arrival terminal 2A. There are no stalls at Kuopio Airport. I purchased from a departmental store (K-Market) near my residence. As I had to be in self-isolation I took the only available one – DNA for €4.9 with €5 balance. Other operators here are Elisa and Telia. There are two major types of prepaid subscriptions here. The unlimited subscription pack (e.g., DNA Rajaton) offers unlimited calls, SMS, and internet for a fixed amount that is charged every day irrespective of whether you utilize them or not. The flexible subscription (e.g., DNA Super Prepaid) on the other hand charges as per use. There are provisions for add-on packs with unlimited internet/calls.
Indian number
Airtel and BSNL prepaid (NESA numbers) could not latch to any network in Finland and Germany despite Airtel promising it would. As per two different Airtel sources, I was told to maintain a balance of ₹200 monthly or ₹1000 yearly. A monthly recharge of ₹49 would keep the number active and can receive incoming SMS.
BSNL and Vodafone told me to shift to postpaid.
Tips
- Carry a travel adapter for Indian plugs while in Europe. I forgot to bring one and facing a huge difficulty. It’s difficult to get one in Kuopio. Online charges get almost doubled due to the delivery charge.
- If you are required to open a bank account in Finland, do not expect a walk-in and walk-out service. Opening a bank account takes time. So while relocating to Finland bring sufficient money as cash or a forex card or keep a valid international debit/credit card. Also keep your bank informed of international transactions or else they may block your card, just as SBI did mine.
Here are some of the YouTube channels that have helped me a lot in understanding Finland and making relocation easier. Also, the Tourist Helpline group on Facebook has always been a source of first-hand experiences regarding travel. I hope these resources will help you too.
Pictures from the journey are available on my Instagram.
DFickleMind 