In many places in Finland, passport and personal ID card applications have been piling up during the past few days.
A large number of documents expired during the Covid-19 pandemic, and to renew them, exceptionally many holders need to visit the Police station for identification. Moreover, the Russian attack against Ukraine may have increased the number of travel document applications compared to a normal spring.
The Police services requiring a personal visit are particularly busy. However, the processing of passport and ID card applications, as well as the issue, production and delivery of documents work as usual. The Police digital service and appointment booking service shows some congestion, and queueing at Police stations may take several hours.
Among the various permit issues, the Police prioritises the processing of travel documents so that the Police station visits required for applicant identification would be as smooth as possible, without any undue delays.
– The Police transfers staff temporarily from other tasks to serve the customers at the Police stations. The service practices and opening hours of various Police stations are available at the Police website, Head of Permit Service Administration Hanna Piipponen of the National Police Board comments on the situation.
The Police recommends online applications for passport and personal IDs at https://asiointi.poliisi.fi. A digital application will speed up the processing even if you need to go to the Police station for identification.
If you do not find a free appointment time through the digital booking services, it is worth retrying the next day. The Police stations add new appointment times, even to the immediately following days, as their staff situation is updated. Cancelled bookings also become available.
According to Hanna Piipponen, the Police is able to process the passport and ID card applications in normal order but the temporary increase in the number of applications and the larger than normal need for identification visit has created congestion in live visits.
– A digital application whenever possible, patiently repeated attempts to book an appointment or, in case of urgency, personal visit to the station with a queue ticket, are key when you need to renew your passport or ID card. The services are now busy, and you may need patience, she adds.
