County and municipal elections are approaching – are your ID documents valid?
County and municipal elections will both be held on Sunday 13 April 2025. Advance voting starts on 2 April 2025. To be able to exercise your right to vote, you will need to show proof of identity when you vote. Since you can do this by showing a valid passport, personal ID card or driving licence, it’s now high time to check the validity of these documents.
“There’s still time to renew your passport or ID card before the elections if you act promptly,” says Assistant Police Commissioner Juhani Ruutu at the National Police Board.
It’s always advisable to apply electronically since the police e-services platform will tell you whether or not you will need to go a police station. If you do, you can use e-services to book an appointment. Or if no suitable time is available, you can just show up at the police station without an appointment. The normal delivery time for a passport or ID card is eight (8) working days. Express delivery is available for an additional charge. You can find more details about how to apply for a passport and ID card at poliisi.fi
If a person eligible to vote does not have the requisite document to prove identity, the police will issue a temporary personal ID card for voting free of charge. The applicant must apply in person at a police station and have a photograph retrieval code or actual passport photo that is less than six (6) months old. In addition, the person must
- have the right to vote in county and/or municipal elections
- have attained the age of 18 by the election day at the latest
- not have a valid passport, ID card or driving licence from which he or she can be identified.
Free temporary identity cards will be issued about a week before the start of advance voting, but for justified reasons such as difficult transport connections or reduced mobility, they may be issued earlier. Temporary ID cards are issued until needed for voting, but not later than the day of the actual election, 13 April 2025.
