Clever Belarusian changed name and surname to bypass Finland's entry ban. But it didn't work

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A citizen of Belarus, who had previously received a two-year ban from Finland on entering the Schengen zone, returned home, changed his name and surname there, obtained a new passport and a Polish visa — and re-entered the European Union via Latvia with the new documents. In March 2024, he was detained in Tallinn. The Tallinn Administrative Court granted the request of the Estonian police and allowed the man to be held in custody until his deportation.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Tallinn Administrative Court (Tallinna Halduskohus) from March 14, 2024, in case No. 3-24-765. The court ordered the name and surname of the individual to be hidden in the published version of the decision.

How the entry ban came about

Initially, the person bore a different name and surname. On January 19, 2023, Finland issued him an expulsion order, imposing a two-year entry ban into the Schengen zone — from February 8, 2023, to February 8, 2025.

He left the Schengen zone on the last permitted day, February 8, 2023.

Later, in court, it was revealed that the detainee had worked illegally in Finland and left the country for Turkey.

New name, new passport, and Polish visa

Upon returning to Belarus, the man changed his name and surname and obtained a new Belarusian passport with his new name (it is possible that this refers to using a different transliteration, rather than a complete name and surname change) — the document was issued on February 17, 2023, valid until February 17, 2033. He then obtained a Polish D-category visa, valid from March 22, 2023, to March 20, 2024.

On January 22, 2024, the Belarusian re-entered the territory of the Schengen Agreement countries — via Latvia, using his new Belarusian passport. Formally, he had a valid Polish long-term visa, however, the entry ban imposed by Finland remained in effect until February 2025.

Detention in Tallinn

On March 12, 2024, at 11:25 AM, the Belarusian was detained by a border guard of the Northern Prefecture of the Police and Border Guard Board (Politsei— ja Piirivalveamet, PPA) at the Tallinn border crossing point on Logi Street — in the area of the passenger port. The detention was formalized for 48 hours, and the person himself was transported to the PPA detention center in Soodevahe village, Rae municipality (Harjumaa).

According to the case materials, the Belarusian used Estonia as a transit country to reach Finland, where he planned to work. He had no economic or family ties with Estonia or other Schengen countries.

On the same day, March 12, the police issued him a new expulsion order and additionally imposed an entry ban for a period of five years.

What the detainee said during interrogation and in court

During the interview on March 12, the person admitted that he knew about Finland's ban and that it was because of this that he changed his name — to re-enter Schengen. He admitted that he violated the Estonian Aliens Act by being in the Schengen zone without a legal basis.

At the court hearing on March 13, his position changed. The man stated that he agreed with the police's request but did not understand why the deportation was delayed. He claimed that he had never had other names, and that in the new passport, the name was simply written differently because the Cyrillic spelling is rendered differently in Latin script. He allegedly obtained a new passport because he lost the previous one.

The court found these explanations unconvincing: they contradicted earlier testimonies, where the person explicitly stated that he changed his name for re-entry. The detainee added that he wanted to return home to Belarus, had enough money to arrange the move independently, and was willing to live in some accommodation until the end of the procedure if the police allowed.

As a result, the Belarusian was kept in custody to organize the deportation. The process was expected to take no more than a month.

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