Image: Kare Lehtonen / Yle
Up until this week, Russian citizens who have wanted to spend time at their Finnish summer cottages have been required to demonstrate compelling reasons to enter the country, due to coronavirus-related restrictions.
As of Monday, that requirement has been lifted.
Russian holiday home owners had been pressing for easier access to their properties in Finland for some time. With the approach of the summer holiday season, a group of over 40 Russian owners sent a letter to Prime Minister Sanna Marin (SDP) asking for a clarification and easing of entry regulations.
“We collected 42 signatures on the letter in one day. There would certainly have been more, but we did this on a fast schedule,” Igor Kostenko, a Russian citizen who owns a cottage in the Saimaa lake district told Yle early in June.
Article continues after the photo.
![Travel to Finland eases for Russian cottage owners 2 - Travel Pass Venäläisen Igor Kostenkon kirjoittama kirje Suomen pääministeri Sanna Marinille, jossa perustellaan hänen tuloaan Äitsaarella sijaitsevalle mökilleen. Koronarajoitusten takia mökille on ollut hankala päästä.](https://traveltrade.xyz/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/39-81516660b8a92d41a5e.jpeg)
A letter to Prime Minister Sanna Marin from a group of Russian holiday cottage owners.
Image:
Mikko Savolainen / Yle
The letter called for Russian citizens to be treated in the same way as property owners from EU countries, and for family members to be allowed accompany owners.
Vesa Blomqvist, commander of the Southeast Finland Border Guard, said that while the easing of restrictions is important for individual cottage owners, it is unlikely to significantly boost overall cross-border traffic.
“I can’t see border crossings increasing enormously because of this,” he said.
Blomqvist also speculated that many Russians who held visas for entry into Finland have seen them expire since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and it may take some time to obtain a new visa. Any increase in the number of border crossings, he noted, is likely to be gradual.
He added that only a few people Russian travellers arrived at border crossing points on Monday, the first day of easier entry.