Finland

No public sex offender registry was found. Employers must ask to see a special criminal-record extract from anyone first hired for work that permanently and essentially involves minors. Finland applies the Schengen Borders Code. Its Aliens Act also allows refusal of entry where a prison sentence, or another justified reason, gives grounds to suspect the traveller will commit an offence punishable by imprisonment in Finland.

Brief profile · Last verified: October 30, 2026 · All countries

Each statement is labelled Law (statute, regulation or court ruling), Policy (official guidance) or Reported practice (what officials report doing). Items marked Recheck could not be fully confirmed from a primary source.

The country's own registry

Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. No public sex offender registry was found.
Law An employer must ask to see an extract from the criminal record when a person is first hired or appointed to, or first given, work that permanently and essentially involves raising, teaching or caring for minors, or otherwise working in personal interaction with them, without a guardian present (Act 504/2002, ss. 2–3). Tasks lasting no more than three months in total in a year are outside the duty, although the employer may still ask for the extract (ss. 2, 5 b).
Source: Laki lasten kanssa työskentelevien rikostaustan selvittämisestä 504/2002 (Act on checking the criminal background of persons working with children), consolidated text, Finlex
Law The extract for work with children lists convictions for distributing sexually offensive images (Criminal Code ch. 17, s. 18), sexual offences under ch. 20, manslaughter, murder, killing, aggravated assault, female genital mutilation, trafficking in human beings, aggravated robbery and narcotics offences, together with fines imposed for the image, sexual and trafficking offences (Criminal Records Act, s. 6(2)).
Source: Rikosrekisterilaki 770/1993 (Criminal Records Act), consolidated text, Finlex
Law The extract may be no more than six months old. The employer may record only that it was shown and its date, may not copy it, must return it without delay, and may disclose what it shows only to those who need it for the hiring decision (Act 504/2002).
Source: Laki lasten kanssa työskentelevien rikostaustan selvittämisestä 504/2002 (Act on checking the criminal background of persons working with children), consolidated text, Finlex
Policy The extract is ordered by the person concerned from the Legal Register Centre. Its online service needs strong authentication with Finnish identification or eIDAS; a paper application form is also accepted.
Source: Legal Register Centre: Extracts from the criminal records for working with children
Law Convictions abroad are entered in the Finnish criminal record only for Finnish citizens and foreigners permanently resident in Finland (Criminal Records Act, s. 2(2)).
Source: Rikosrekisterilaki 770/1993 (Criminal Records Act), consolidated text, Finlex
Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. No rule entering a visitor's U.S. conviction in the Finnish record was found.

Entry and admissibility

Law A condition of entry is that the foreign national is not considered a danger to public order or security, national security, public health or Finland's international relations (Aliens Act, s. 11(1)).
Source: Ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004 (Aliens Act), consolidated text, Finlex
Law A foreign national may be refused entry (käännyttäminen) if, on the basis of a prison sentence imposed or otherwise for a justified reason, they may be suspected of committing an offence punishable by imprisonment in Finland, or of repeatedly committing offences (Aliens Act, s. 148(1)).
Source: Ulkomaalaislaki 301/2004 (Aliens Act), consolidated text, Finlex
Recheck: Read from the current Finnish consolidated text on Finlex, which shows list numbers apart from their wording; confirm the item number (believed to be 8) before citing it.
Law As a Schengen state, it applies the Schengen Borders Code. A traveller may be refused entry if considered a threat to public policy or internal security (art. 6(1)(e)).
Source: Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Schengen Borders Code
Recheck: EUR-Lex returned a bot challenge to the build network; confirm the article text.
Finding No published rule found as of October 30, 2026. No official report of Finland refusing a U.S. registrant was found.

Visa / travel authorisation

Policy The EU Entry/Exit System registers non-EU short-stay travellers at the external border. The ETIAS travel authorisation is announced but its start date could not be confirmed.
Source: European Union: Entry/Exit System (EES); European Union: ETIAS
Recheck: The EU travel pages render only with JavaScript; confirm EES and ETIAS status before travel.

What U.S. rules still apply

Law U.S. law still applies to the trip itself: registrants must report international travel at least 21 days in advance, and the U.S. may notify the destination country before arrival. See the U.S. travel guide for the notice rule, the passport identifier and how notifications work.
Source: ComplianceAtlas: Traveling Abroad as a U.S. Registrant

Read Traveling Abroad as a U.S. Registrant before booking.

Sources

Legal Disclaimer

International laws, immigration policies, and registry requirements change frequently and may vary depending on citizenship, visa type, offense history, and purpose of travel. Entry decisions are made solely by each country's immigration authorities. Always verify current requirements using official government sources before traveling. This page is not legal advice.