Check-in & boarding

The deadlines at a glance

On the Stockholm - Helsinki route, the deadline depends on which ferry company you sail with and whether you have a vehicle. Viking Line sails from Stadsgården in Stockholm and from the Katajanokka terminal in Helsinki. Tallink Silja uses the Värtan terminal and the Olympia terminal. There is one departure per direction a day with each ferry company.

All times are local. Finland is one hour ahead of Sweden, and that applies to check-in in Helsinki too.

Viking Line

Check-in starts about 1.5 hours before departure. In Stockholm the terminal opens at least two hours before. On foot, be at the port at least 30 minutes before departure. With a vehicle, be ready for loading 30 minutes before, or 45 minutes before with a vehicle over 2.40 metres high. Check-in and boarding close 20 minutes before departure.

At check-in you get your boarding card and the vouchers included in your booking. To get them, show your booking number or e-ticket and ID for every traveller.

Kiosk, online or desk

If you are travelling without a vehicle, check in at the self-service kiosk. The kiosks open two hours before departure. On some departures Viking Line sends a link by text message for online check-in; you can use the same link to call up your boarding card again later.

You need to go to the desk if

• your booking has not been paid yet,
• you have redeemed a voucher,
• you have a vehicle with you,
• passenger details are missing, or
• your group has 20 or more people.

By car, you check in in Stockholm at the Fotografiska museum, 700 metres from the terminal. In Helsinki, cars check in at Gate C. The way there is described on the Stockholm ferry port and Helsinki ferry port pages.

If you don't check in

If you don't check in, Viking Line cancels the trip, including the return, and refunds nothing. So allow plenty of time to get there, especially in Stockholm, where you approach the vehicle check-in from the east.

Tallink Silja

Tallink Silja recommends being at the terminal one hour before departure. With a vehicle, be there 1.5 hours before. Registration closes 30 minutes before departure, and access to the ship 20 minutes before. At the Olympia terminal in Helsinki, check-in runs from 14:45 to 16:15, for vehicles from 15:00. Boarding runs from 15:30 to 16:25 in Helsinki and from 15:15 to 16:10 in Stockholm; guests in Commodore cabins and suites board from 15:00.

Bookings with a cabin need to check in at the terminal. Your boarding card is also your cabin key, so keep it safe until the morning.

Documents

Every traveller needs a valid passport or national ID card, and children need their own document too. Which documents are accepted depends on your nationality. Expired documents are not accepted.

• Viking Line: digital documents are not accepted. On crossings from Finland or Åland to Sweden, everyone over 18 shows a valid travel document at check-in, and possibly again on arrival.
• Tallink Silja: a driving licence does not count as ID. If you are travelling alone with your child, bring the other parent's consent.
• Sweden: since 2015, Sweden has carried out temporary checks at its ports on intra-European traffic. Checks are possible but don't always take place. Details are available from the Swedish Police.
• Finland: the ferry company may check your identity, even though the state usually carries out no checks within the Schengen area.

On Viking Line, young people can travel alone from the age of 16; younger travellers only with their parents' written permission. On Tallink Silja you can travel alone from 18, and at 15 to 17 with a travel consent form.

If you have a pet with you, keep the EU pet passport in your hand luggage. What Finland and Sweden require is on the Dogs & pets page.

Boarding in Mariehamn

Both ferry companies call at Mariehamn on Åland during the night. If you board there, Viking Line docks at Västerhamn, Hamngatan 8. Check-in there opens one hour before and closes 20 minutes before departure. On Tallink Silja, check-in in Mariehamn closes 15 minutes before departure.

Before you board

Take everything you need for the night out of the car: on Viking Line, the car deck is closed during the crossing. Motorhomes and caravans have their own rules, which are on the Motorhomes & vehicles page.