Travellers applying at the Chinese Visa Application Service Centre (CVASC) in Helsinki received an early Christmas present on 23 December: Beijing has waived the fingerprint requirement for short-stay visas (up to 180 days) issued in Finland until 31 December 2026. The policy covers the most popular categories for business (M), tourism (L) and family visits (Q2/S2).
Applicants for long-term visas—such as work (Z), student (X1) or journalist (J1)—must still provide biometrics. Chinese authorities say the measure is designed to revitalise two-way business travel and people-to-people exchanges in the post-pandemic era, and follows similar pilots rolled out this year in Germany and France.
For Finnish companies with supply-chain links or joint ventures in China, the waiver removes a logistical hurdle that typically forces staff to travel in person to Helsinki for biometric capture. Mobility teams can now prepare e-packets for courier submission, shaving days off the application timeline and reducing costs.
![China Suspends Fingerprinting for Short-Term Visa Applicants in Finland Until End-2026]()
VisaHQ, a leading online visa processing platform, can streamline this new, fingerprint-free Chinese visa procedure for applicants based anywhere in Finland. Through its Helsinki portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/), travellers or corporate mobility teams can generate up-to-date document checklists, lodge courier submissions and track status in real time—eliminating the guesswork that often accompanies shifting consular rules.
However, travellers should note that fingerprints will still be taken on arrival for stays exceeding 30 days, and that China has retained mandatory consular interviews for certain sensitive sectors. Experienced visa vendors warn that appointment slots at CVASC may fill quickly once word spreads; early booking is essential for January kick-off trips.
HR departments should update internal visa guidelines and remind staff that passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended stay and contain two blank visa pages, even though fingerprints are temporarily off the table.
Applicants for long-term visas—such as work (Z), student (X1) or journalist (J1)—must still provide biometrics. Chinese authorities say the measure is designed to revitalise two-way business travel and people-to-people exchanges in the post-pandemic era, and follows similar pilots rolled out this year in Germany and France.
For Finnish companies with supply-chain links or joint ventures in China, the waiver removes a logistical hurdle that typically forces staff to travel in person to Helsinki for biometric capture. Mobility teams can now prepare e-packets for courier submission, shaving days off the application timeline and reducing costs.
VisaHQ, a leading online visa processing platform, can streamline this new, fingerprint-free Chinese visa procedure for applicants based anywhere in Finland. Through its Helsinki portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/), travellers or corporate mobility teams can generate up-to-date document checklists, lodge courier submissions and track status in real time—eliminating the guesswork that often accompanies shifting consular rules.
However, travellers should note that fingerprints will still be taken on arrival for stays exceeding 30 days, and that China has retained mandatory consular interviews for certain sensitive sectors. Experienced visa vendors warn that appointment slots at CVASC may fill quickly once word spreads; early booking is essential for January kick-off trips.
HR departments should update internal visa guidelines and remind staff that passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended stay and contain two blank visa pages, even though fingerprints are temporarily off the table.
