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 home town 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 at 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 had applied through Migri (https://migri.fi/en/home) way back in July 2020. As the Embassy was closed due to Covid, nothing materialised initially. But suddenly in October, I received an email directly from Embassy to visit them for biometric and documents 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 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 permit can avail the bubble flight via Germany/Netherlands and for both these countries, no transit visa is required.
Border control:
Literally, no questions asked except at Delhi where the officials were unsure of Finland issuing residence permit card without even visiting the country once.
Corona:
Finland mentions the requirement of Covid test to be either carried by the passenger or be done at Helsinki airport. I had Covid negative report but was not asked at any point during travel.
At Delhi airport, I was given a declaration form by Lufthansa official to be filled and submitted at Frankfurt immigration but it was not collected.
At Finland, it is recommended to self-isolate for 10 days which can be shortened by taking a second Covid test 72hrs 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 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 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 utilise 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 will. 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 require to open a bank account in Finland, do not expect a walk-in and walk-out service. Opening bank account takes time. So while relocating to Finland bring sufficient money as cash or forex card or keep 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. More pics coming soon.
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