Next week’s scheduled visit of the United States President, Joe Biden, to Finland, has led the latter’s authorities to temporarily reintroduce internal border controls.
The US President will hold meetings with the leaders of all Nordic countries in Helsinki on Thursday, July 13, as a result, the Finnish government announced that internal border controls will be kept in place from July 8 to July 15.
“President of the Republic Sauli Niinistö will host United States President Joe Biden’s visit to Finland and the US-Nordic Leaders’ Summit in Helsinki on 13 July 2023. Border control will be reinstated temporarily at Finland’s internal borders due to the visit. Internal borders are the borders between countries in the Schengen Area,” the statement of Finland’s Ministry of Interior says, noting that a decision on the matter was taken on July 6, 2023.
However, border controls will not be carried out on all travellers, but authorities will decide who should be checked, according to Finnish authorities.
Internal border controls will neither affect pleasure craft traffic, according to the Finnish Border Guard. The same stressed that internal borders of Schengen States can be crossed everywhere, taking also into account from Finland to Norway or Sweden, at any location, as long as passengers have no goods to declare.
In addition, the traffic along Finland’s land border with Norway and Sweden that is not included at the border crossing points will also be excluded from the tightened border checks.
According to the statement of Finland’s Border Guard, the reintroduction of frontier checks does not include the right of freedom of movement laid down in Finland’s Constitution.
“Those crossing the internal border must be prepared for border checks at border crossing points. The decision does not change the obligation to carry travel documents. When traveling within the Schengen area, you must always carry a passport or an identity card,” the statement of the Interior Ministry reads.
Finland’s President, Sauli Niinistö, will host a meeting in which will also participate the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, as well as his counterpart from Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, and Iceland, Katrin Jakobsdóttir
Based on the Constitution, citizens of Finland cannot be denied entry into the country. However, they are obliged to provide proof of identity, such as an Identity Cord of a valid passport.
Besides, all persons are eligible to leave the state, unless they are subject to a travel ban or subject to restricted travel rights, in line with the country’s law.
However, the regular movement between borders will resume after July 15 once the measures are officially abolished.
