Via embassy

Finland visa for citizens of South Africa

Citizens of South Africa need a visa for Finland that is issued through the embassy or a visa centre: it can’t be obtained online, because you must attend in person to submit documents and biometrics. Visago fills in the form, prepares your documents and books your appointment. The service costs $49.

For citizens of South Africa: the passport opens 60 countries visa-free; Pretoria — Helsinki: ≈ 9,560 km, about 12.5 hours of flying.

Checked by visa analyst Albert Brown, 13 years of experience · September 26, 2026

99% of the applications we submit are approved

How we achieve this

After payment, a manager will contact you.

Choose your visa

Document preparation and appointment bookingWe fill in the form, prepare your documents and book the visa centre appointment$49

The consular fee of $103 is paid separately when you apply.

Apply in 10 minutes

Can I travel to Finland without a visa on a South Africa passport?

No: citizens of South Africa need a visa, issued by the embassy. We prepare your documents and book the appointment for just $49.

Apply for a visa

Finland visa rules at a glance

With a South Africa passport you can visit 60 countries visa-free, 29 with a visa on arrival and 39 with an e-visa; 70 more require an embassy visa.
By the number of visa-free destinations, the South Africa passport ranks 96th of 199.
South Africa passport: visa-free access to 60 countries; Finland passport: 122.
Citizens of South Africa and Finland can travel together visa-free to 51 countries, for example: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Angola, Mauritius, Seychelles, Palestine, Gambia, Tunisia, Georgia, Brazil, and Uruguay.
Citizens of Finland, in turn, don’t need a visa for South Africa. South Africa visa for citizens of Finland

Travelling to Finland: good to know

Pretoria — Helsinki: about 9,560 km in a straight line; a direct flight takes roughly 12.5 hours.
Time difference with your country’s capital: +1 hour.
Local time: Pretoria 12:00 — Helsinki 13:00.
Local currency: Euro.
Languages: Finnish and Swedish.
Exchange rate: $1.00 ≈ €0.88.
Finland is the 140th closest of 197 destinations open to citizens of South Africa.