Effects of coronavirus on Finnlines passenger traffic
Finnlines freight-passenger ships operate normally on all routes. However, the guidelines and instructions set by national and international authorities may affect the passenger traffic.
Please read more below about travel restrictions, rebooking options, and measures on board.
Travel restrictions
At present, the travel information from different countries and the EU is being constantly updated with the rules that apply to borders and entry. It is passenger’s responsibility to find out and assess if travelling is allowed. Please make sure that you are able to enter the country you are travelling to before setting off. More information on the web pages of the respective country’s authorities.
Upon boarding the ship, you do not need to present a covid-19 certificate. Requirements on covid certificates upon entry in Finland, Sweden and Germany is found below:
Travelling to
There are no restrictions on entry for passengers travelling from an EU or Schengen Area country to Finland. However, passengers should be prepared for a health examination at the port of arrival. Please read PDF icon Instructions for Passengers Arriving in Finland >
When arriving in Finland, all passengers born 2006 or earlier should have one of the following corona certificates:
– a negative covid-19 test certificate (max. 72 hours old upon arrival), or
– a certificate of covid-19 vaccination (at least 14 days from the first dose of vaccination), or
– a certificate of recovery from covid-19 disease (max. 6 months old upon arrival).
Certificates can be checked by the health-care personnel at the port of arrival and if a person (born 2006 or earlier) does not have a valid certificate, a covid-19 test is mandatory. In addition, passengers should take a covid-19 test 3–5 days after the arrival, if they have not received a full series of covid-19 vaccinations at least 14 days before arrival or have not had a covid-19 disease in last 6 months.
Shortly before your departure, please register for the FINENTRY service and make – if necessary – an appointment for a coronavirus test in Finland free of charge.If you are travelling from Sweden to the Åland Islands, please, read in addition Instructions for Passenger Arriving on Åland
Coronavirus Testing
Near the port of Travemünde e.g. cbaMed in Lübeck or Testzentrum Ostsee. cbaMed’s rapid antigen test costs 30 EUR.
Near the port of Kapellskär see service providers at the bottom of the page eHälsomyndigheten
Information letter of the Federal Ministry of Health for travellers entering Germany >
All at least 12-year-old passengers must have one of the following covid-19 certificates when travelling from Sweden or Finland to Germany and be prepared to show it to the authorities at the arrival in Germany:
– a negative COVID-19 test certificate (antigen max. 48 hours old upon entry, PCR test max. 48 hours old at the time of the ship’s departure), or
– a proof of recovery from COVID-19 (28–90 days old upon entry), or
– a proof of a complete vaccination against COVID-19 (given at least 14 days before entry, 2-dose vaccines: 2nd dose required). As from 1 October 2022, the proof of a complete vaccination (2-dose vaccines: 2nd dose required) must not be older 270 days if the passenger has not got a booster vaccination. Read more >
Passengers who are only travelling through Germany do not need to have a covid-19 certificate. Please note that even if you were vaccinated against covid-19 or you had recovered from the disease (2G), you may need a negative covid-19 test result (2G Plus) in order to enter e.g. a hotel or restaurant.
Coronavirus Testing
– Near the port of Norra Hamnen, Malmö see service providers at the bottom of the page eHälsomyndigheten
– Near the port of Vuosaari, Helsinki e.g. 9lives , Aava and Mehiläinen
– Rapid coronavirus tests online e.g. Laive Test or covidtestONLINE (in German). If you decide to make an online test, we recommend that you make the test before your ferry trip.
More information at the website of the Federal Ministry of Health >
At present, there are no restrictions on entry in Germany for persons coming from the EU and Schengen Area countries, but all passengers travelling to Germany, need to have a covid-19 certificate. Some restrictions on public life affect travel in Germany.
There are no restrictions on entry for passengers travelling from an EU or EEA country to Sweden and no COVID-19 certificates are required upon arrival in Sweden.
More information at the website of the Swedish Police
FAQs at the website of the Swedish Police
More information at the website of the Swedish Ministry of Justice
If new travel bans are set by national or international authorities and they affect passenger traffic on Finnlines’ vessels, we will directly contact all passenger effected by these specific bans.
Modification and Cancellation of Terms
The terms for modifying or canceling bookings depend on the category of the ticket. Due to the extent of the coronavirus outbreak, we have made amendments to the modification terms of our Special category ticket. Please mention always your booking number when contacting our Call Center.
Do you already have a booking for 2022?
If you are a Star Club Member and have made a Special category booking through the Finnlines online booking system 1 December 2021 or later (or a booking with the offer code BLACKS during the Black Friday week), the departure date of the booking can be changed once. The new departure date must be at the latest on 31 December 2022. If you change to a date / sailing time with a higher fare, you will have to pay the difference between your original and new ticket. On the route Helsinki–Travemünde the change fee is always at least 30 EUR / change and on the other routes 15 EUR / change. If you want to change your departure date, please, contact our call center at least seven full business days before the departure date. Please note that Special category tickets are non-refundable.
Other bookings are subject to regular terms and conditions of carriage at the moment.
Planning to book for the future?
Star Club Members will be automatically granted amended modification terms to all new special category bookings until 31 December 2022. The journey must be booked directly through the Finnlines online booking system by 30 April 2022.
Read more >
Other bookings are subject to regular terms and conditions of carriage.
Measures on board
Finnlines closely monitors the development of the coronavirus outbreak and acts in accordance to the guidelines and instructions set by national and international health authorities. On board our ships, passengers are instructed on how they can help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, we at Finnlines have intensified our on-board cleaning routines and pay careful attention to keeping all surface areas regularly cleaned.
Healthcare Authorities’ Instructions for Travellers
Germany
Finland
Sweden
More Basic Information on the Coronavirus
World Health Organization
Basic Protective Measures
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control