Finland will issue by 50% less visas to Russians than a year before

According to estimations of the General Consulate of Finland in St. Petersburg, this year the Russians will be given about half a million Finnish visas, which is twice less than in the last year, according to the Finnish portal yle.fi. The main reasons for this decline in demand for Finnish visas are the fall of the ruble and anti-Russian sanctions.

According to the consulate, now they take daily about 4 thousand visa applications. "This is the first time since the Soviet collapse, when the number of issued visas will decrease. We have become accustomed to growth", the consul Mikko Kivikoski said.

The consulate noted that the decline began last year, and it is impossible to predict how long it will be. In the period from January to May 2015, Finland was entered by 2.1 million Russians. It is about a quarter lower than a year earlier.