Practical Information
Currency
The Finnish currency unit is euro
Languages
Finland has two official languages: Finnish and Swedish. Sami (Lappish) is the mother tongue of about 1700 people
Population
In Finland:
5,3 million, 15,5 inhabitants per square kilometre
In the NFFC region:
457 000, 8 inhabitants per square kilometre
Time Zone
Finland is 2 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GTM). Daylight Saving Time (DST) is in effect during the summer as in the rest of the European Union.
Public holidays
New Years Day (January 1st)
Epiphany (January 6)
Good Friday
Easter Monday
May Day (May 1st)
Ascension Thursday (40 days after Easter Sunday)
Midsummer Day (Saturday between June 20-24)
All Saint´s Day (Saturday between Oct 31st - Nov 6th)
Independence Day (December 6th)
Christmas Day (December 25th)
Boxing Day (December 26th)
Shooting permits
No permit is required for filming in public places. Filming on private property requires a permit either from the owner or from city authorities. A permit from the police is needed if the filming requires special traffic arrangements (i.e. re-routing or stopping traffic). Filming of works (objects) protected by copyright law requires the consent of the copyright owner unless the works are publicly accessible and not the main focus of filming.
Visas
Citizens of EU member countries enjoy free and unhindered passage to Finland.
In accordance with the Schengen agreement passport holders from the following countries do not need a visa to visit Finland: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel,Japan, Republic Of Korea, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Vatican and Venezuela.
For more information: http://formin.finland.fi/public/
Working in Finland
EU citizens and citizens from Iceland, Liechtenstein,Norway and Switzerland can freely work in Finland for a maximum of three months after which they must register their right to reside in Finland. The citizens of countries outside the EEA need a worker's residence permit to work in Finland. For more information: www.formin.fi
EU based production companies are allowed to function in Finland as long as they have received the required entitlement to do so in the country of their headquarters. In Finland, the Finnish minimum working conditions shall apply to work, even for workers posted in Finland. If the worker is not a union member and not covered by a collective agreement, he is still protected by Finnish employment law. For more information: www.mol.fi
Film financing
International co-productions with a Finnish co-producer can apply for financial support from The Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK - The Promotion Centre for Audio-visual Culture and regional film funds. For more information: www.ses.fi, www.kopiosto.fi/avek, www.poem.fi
