Permit services still overloaded

Publication date 14.4.2022 14.08 | Published in English on 23.4.2022 at 20.36
News item

In March, the Helsinki Police Department delivered a record number of 27,540 passports. A total of 12,855 passports were granted in February and 8,851 in January.

‘In March, we delivered 27,540 passports. We also manage other licences and permits, but naturally, handling the overloaded passport service is our first priority,’ says Superintendent Pekka Kallio, department licence manager.

We serve customers by appointment during the weekends as well. New appointments become available every day, but they are immediately booked and demand cannot be fully met.

The queueing times at the Pasila service point for licences have ranged from 0 to 4 hours in April. For example, on Tuesday 5 April, customers did not have to wait at all, whereas in the afternoon on Thursday 7 April the waiting time was four hours. The average waiting time has been around one hour and around two hours during peak times. 

Current passport delivery times

  • Passport, regular delivery: previously 5–8 days, from 14 March 2022 onwards 7–10 days, and 8–12 days from now on-
  • Passport, expedited delivery: previously max. 3 days, from 14 March 2022 onwards max. 5 days, and max. 3 days from now on.

Helsinki Police Department’s customer instructions for smoother services

  • Do you need a new passport now or later? If you do not need a new passport within the next few months, apply later.
  • Have your photo taken if you do not have a passport photo that is less than six months old.
    Always start the application process online. Your passport will be delivered in a couple of weeks if identification is not required.
  • If you need to visit a police station for identification, the passport will be delivered in a couple of weeks after identification.
  • Book an appointment for identification at any police station in advance. If you cannot book an appointment in advance and you need the passport urgently, you can visit licence services in Pasila with a queue number. Licence services are open Mon–Fri from 8 am to 4:15 pm.

The Helsinki Police Department licence services are not open during Easter from 15 to 18 April 2022. Up to date information on licence services is posted to the Twitter account of the Helsinki Police Department at www.twitter.com/HelsinkiPoliisi. You do not need to login to browse the posts. 

More information:

Helsinki Helsinki Police Department Licence services News