More than a thousand Russians line up outside the Finnish consulate in St. Petersburg every day. Officials say the demand is at least as high as last year, when a record number of tourist visas were granted. They had expected demand to drop off this year due to the recession.
Only Moscow's consulate reports a slackening of applications.
"The number of visas could rise to record levels this year, up to 500,000," says St. Petersburg Consul General Pauli Kivinen.
Many of these visas may actually be squirreled away for later use. The number of actual visitors crossing the eastern border doesn't match the number of visas granted this year.
Data from the Border Guard shows that the number of Russian visitors decreased by 14 percent at the Vaalimaa border crossing in May. In addition, the tally of tax-free purchases by Russian visitors has declined.
Kivinen believes that two factors are at work here. First, many Russians may be getting visas and hanging on to them until they have enough time and money to make the trip. Secondly, those with multiple-entry visas appear to be making fewer trips across the border.
In addition, Kivinen says many Russians apply for visas into Finland as a point of entry into other Schengen countries, believing that they are more likely to be approved by a Finnish consulate.