Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
Press release 60/2026
25 September 2026
Their Majesties King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain will pay a state visit to Finland on 6–7 October 2026 at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Finland Alexander Stubb.
The visit will focus on deepening bilateral relations between Finland and Spain as fellow members of both the European Union and NATO, as well as on further enhancing the close cooperation between the two countries in the fields of politics, trade and the economy, defence, culture and science.
The programme will also emphasise the strengthening of Europe’s comprehensive security and defence, Arctic and polar issues, Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, and multilateral cooperation.
The presidential couple will receive the King and Queen at an official welcoming ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on Tuesday 6 October. Members of the public are invited to view the ceremony, as well as the greeting of the presidential couple and the royal couple from the balcony of the Presidential Palace, from Market Square starting at 10.00.
Following the ceremonial welcome, official talks between the two countries’ delegations will be held at the Presidential Palace. Among those taking part in the discussions are Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen and Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares.
The visit will then continue with a luncheon hosted by Mayor Daniel Sazonov at Helsinki City Hall. Next, King Felipe will meet Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Jussi Halla-aho and Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo.
In the afternoon, a business event in Helsinki’s Finlandia Hall will bring together Finnish and Spanish companies engaged in artificial intelligence development, particularly in the semiconductor and quantum technology sector. President Stubb and King Felipe will address the gathering.
In addition to the joint programme, Mrs Innes-Stubb and Queen Letizia will pay a visit at Käpylä Comprehensive School.
The first day of the state visit will conclude with a gala dinner hosted by the presidential couple at the Presidential Palace.
On the morning of Wednesday 7 October, the King and Queen will lay wreaths at the Heroes’ Cross and Marshall Mannerheim’s grave in Hietaniemi Cemetery.
Following this, the presidential couple and the royal couple will visit Finlandia Hall, where they will tour the Visions of Alvar Aalto – Finlandia Exhibition. In connection with the visit, the King and the Queen will inaugurate an exhibition of contemporary Spanish architecture and host a reception in honour of their Finnish hosts.
In the afternoon, the programme will continue with a visit to Rovaniemi, where President Stubb and King Felipe VI will learn about the Lapland Air Wing and the Jaeger Brigade and meet with conscripts undergoing their military service.
The presidential couple and the royal couple will then visit the Arktikum Arctic Science Centre and Museum, where they will meet representatives of the City of Rovaniemi, the province of Lapland and the Sámi people, and explore the exhibitions at Arktikum.
The state visit will conclude at the University of Lapland, where President Stubb and King Felipe will deliver speeches on European security, global engagement and cooperation, and meet with students.
The King and Queen will be accompanied by Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares and Secretary of State for Trade at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business of Spain, Amparo López Senovilla, who will lead the business delegation participating in the visit.
The previous state visit to Spain was paid by President Martti Ahtisaari and his spouse Eeva Ahtisaari in 1999. The previous state visit to Finland from Spain was paid by King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía in 1989.
