Getting a passport

You can apply for a standard passport online or by visiting the police station of your choice. It is easiest to do this online.

Have your passport photograph taken. The photography studio sends your passport photograph to the police electronically. You will receive a photograph retrieval code as a text message or e-mail message for attaching the photograph to the application.
Fill in the application using our online service. Attach the photograph retrieval code you have received to the application. Select the delivery time and collection point. The system will tell you if you need to visit a police station. Pay the application fee online. You can also monitor the progress of your application process online.
Book an appointment using our online service if your application requires a visit to the police station. Remember to take your current passport or identity card with you if you have one.
Pick up your new passport from the collection point you chose when you receive the collection note.

If you cannot or do not want to submit an application online, you can also do so at a police station. Please note that submitting the application online is cheaper and quicker.

You can apply for a standard passport and a seaman's passport online. You cannot apply for a temporary passport online.

Please note that filling a paper form has not been needed in passport applications since 2006. When you visit the police station, the passport officer asks you questions and types your application information directly into the system.

Näin haet passia - haitarit en

Your application is probably waiting for you to visit a police station to identify yourself and provide new fingerprints. An application submitted online is not always enough.
You have been prompted several times in the online service if a visit to the police station is needed. Being in a hurry, you may not have noticed this.

You can check the status of your application by logging in to the online service of the police. You can view your application there and check whether you need to visit a police station.

When you use online services, you can prove your identity using the Suomi.fi e-Identification service.

You can use online banking identification, a mobile ID or your identity card’s Citizen Certificate in Suomi.fi. Always use your own personal identification.

As a guardian, you may also identify yourself and submit an application on behalf of your minor child.

Passports for Finnish citizens residing abroad are issued by Finnish missions abroad instead of the police. You can get more information on the network of missions and applying for a passport abroad from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Using the police's online services from abroad is not prohibited, but the same service level as found within Finland cannot be guaranteed.

You can submit a passport application online from abroad if you can sign in to the police’s online service using the Suomi.fi e-Identification service. You can use online banking identification, a mobile ID or your identity card’s Citizen Certificate in Suomi.fi.

The digital application must be accompanied by a passport photo, uploaded in advance to the Police photo server. Photo studios abroad cannot send the photos directly to the server but you can yourself upload the photo you have obtained from the photo studio using the link lupakuvienvastaanotto.fi. To log into the service, you need to prove your identity through strong electronic identification.

When using the police's online services from abroad, it is particularly important to take into account that an online application may require you to visit a police station for identification. Finnish missions abroad do not have the necessary equipment for receiving or complementing online applications, so if you are asked to prove your identity by visiting a police station, you must do so in Finland.

It is also important to keep in mind that you can only select a collection point located in Finland in the police’s online service. If you will not pick up your passport yourself, you must make a power of attorney for example for a relative living in Finland so that they can pick up your passport and post it abroad. Never post a passport as unregistered mail.

Link to the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

For a passport application, you will need one passport photograph which has been taken no longer than 6 months before submitting your application. If your previous passport or identity card was issued recently, and the photograph in that document is less than six months old, the same photograph can be automatically attached to the new application of either document type.

A visit to a police station is not always required

The police’s online service or a permit adviser will tell you if you need to visit a police station for identification. Below are some examples of situations in which a visit to a police station is not required.

When you apply for a passport online, you won’t need to visit a police station if

you have seen a passport officer for identification and fingerprints for a passport or ID card application within the past 6 years.
your name has not changed since your last passport was issued.
a passport official can see that the person in your new and previous passport photographs is the same.

If all three statements above apply to you, you won’t need to visit a police station. In other words, it is not enough to have fingerprints taken at some point in the past – they must have been scanned in the past six years.

In most situations, this means that you can renew every second passport without visiting a police station. Your earlier passport does not need to be valid when you apply for a new passport. The police may issue you several passports in a row without a visit to a police station if you fulfil the criteria listed above and if you have an appropriate reason for applying for a passport more frequently than normal. You might need to do this for example if you run out of empty pages in your passports due to stamps.

If you do not fulfil the criteria: If you do not fulfil the criteria listed above, you can still submit your application electronically but it will only be processed after you have visited a police station for identification. At the same time, your fingerprints will be scanned again. You will only be charged for the fee for submitting an online passport application even if you need to visit a police station.

The application system is there to help you: The online service will tell you if you need to visit a police station for identification.

At the police station

Place for service: You can visit any police station you want regardless of where you live. The only exception is the police service point at the Helsinki Airport, which only accepts emergency passport applications from air passengers transiting through the airport. Police services are also available through mobile permit service units and at some joint service points.

Making appointments: To book an appointment, go to our online service or call the police helpline at +358 (0)295 419 800 (at standard call rates) from Monday to Friday between 8:00 and 16:15. You may also go to a police station without an appointment, but keep in mind that the waiting times may be long especially in the summer.

Verifying your identity: At the police station, you will be asked to verify your identity using either your valid passport or identity card. If you don’t have either, the police can still verify your identity, but this will take some time. Bring your expired passport, identity card or driving licence, if you have one, and any other documents that you think could be used to verify your identity with you.

Verifying the identity of a minor: Minor's passport.

If you have submitted a passport application online and the system tells you that you need to visit a police station, please bring the following with you:

a previous passport or identity card. For more information, see section Verifying your identity.
any appendices the online system has instructed you to bring with you.

If you apply for a passport at a police station without using the online service at all, please bring the following with you:

one photograph retrieval code or a printed passport photograph. For more information, see section Passport photograph.
a previous passport or identity card. For more information, see section Verifying your identity.
a bank card or cash. For more information, please see Payments.
the consent of all guardians if you are applying for a passport for a minor under the age of 18. If a guardian is not present at the police station, they can provide their consent in writing. For more information, see section Minor's passport.
proof of conscript’s clearance, if you are a conscript between the ages of 23 and 30. For more information, see section Issuing passports to conscripts.
the necessary proof if you don’t want your existing passport to be cancelled when the new one is issued to you. For more information, see section Applying for a new passport without cancelling your existing one.

Prices - haitari

Licences and permits issued by the police incur fees. The prices of the licences and permits are based on the Fees Regulation of the Ministry of the Interior.

When you apply for a passport online, you can pay by credit card or online banking. If you visit a police station or other service point, you can pay by cash. If you apply for a passport and an identity card at the same time, you will be charged a lower fee for the identity card.

Below are the prices of different passports.

Passport with standard delivery: EUR 50
Passport with standard delivery when the application has been submitted online: EUR 44
Passport with standard delivery to those who have served in Finnish wars: EUR 25
Passport with standard delivery to those who have served in Finnish wars when the application has been submitted online: EUR 22
Passport with rapid delivery: EUR 69
Passport with rapid delivery when the application has been submitted online: EUR 63
Passport with express delivery: EUR 89
Passport with express delivery when the application has been submitted online: EUR 83
Temporary passport: EUR 85
Seaman's passport: EUR 65
Seaman’s passport when the application has been submitted online: EUR 59

Applying for a passport for a minor

Even young children need their own travel document. An electronic application for a minor can be submitted online the same as for adults, but almost all minors require a visit to a police station for identification.

For more information, see section Minor's passport.

Changes in personal data

You cannot use your passport if your name or personal identity code has changed and your current passport has your old details. However, you can still use an expired identity document to verify your identity when you pick up your new identity document, but only if the old document expired no more than a year ago.

We recommend that you apply for a new passport as soon as your new name or personal identity code has been confirmed.

A visit to a police station is not always required - haitarit

You cannot apply for a passport on behalf of someone else using a power of attorney. The person whose passport application you are handling must always be with you when you visit a police station. This includes situations when an online application cannot be completed without a visit to a police station for identification. Having someone assist you is allowed.

As a guardian you can apply for a passport for the minor whose guardian you are, but the minor must come with you when you visit a police station.

For online applications, the person applying for a passport must always use their own electronic identification credentials. If you are a guardian, you can submit a passport application on behalf of your dependant also in this case.

For more information about applying for a passport for a minor, see Minor's passport.

Two fingerprints of the passport applicant will be taken, using the fingerprint reader. They will mainly the prints of the index fingers but can also be other fingers, except for the little finger, if the applicant has no index fingers or their prints are not of sufficient quality. The passport can also be issued without fingerprints if they cannot be taken due to a trauma or disease. If the fingerprints cannot be taken for a temporary reason, the passport is issued for the anticipated period and for the maximum of one year. Fingerprints are not taken from children under 12.

The fingerprints of the passport applicant are stored in the Police passport register and on the chip, if the passport has one.

The use of the fingerprint data stored on the chip and in the passport register is covered with detailed provisions of law. The data in the register may only be used for the identification of the person applying for the passport or ID card, for securing the new passport or ID card as well as identification of a victim of an accident or crime if the identity of the victim cannot be verified in any other way.

The fingerprints stored on the passport chip can only be used to identify the passport holder and to verify the authenticity of the document. Fingerprints taken at a scene of crime must not be compared with those in the passport register for purposes of identifying a suspect. The Police, other authority issuing passports and border control authorities are the only parties that may process fingerprint data.

A second passport may be issued to you without cancelling your existing one in special circumstances, such as when the existing one is being held by a foreign authority or where entries made to the existing passport by foreign authorities prevent you from travelling to another country.

However, the second passport can only be issued on the grounds of special work-related or personal reasons. Such reasons must be proven for instance by means of a certificate issued by the applicant’s employer, or other documents. You can start the application process for a second passport online, but the application cannot be completed without visiting a police station.

Veterans who served on the front line during Finland’s wars and individuals who participated in mine clearance operations between 1945 and 1952 are entitled to a discount on a standard passport, which is equal to half the standard price.

The right to the discount can be demonstrated by presenting a front-line soldier’s certificate, a front-line service certificate, a front-line certificate, a foreigner’s front-line soldier’s certificate or a certificate of participation in a mine clearance operation when submitting the application.

Passin myöntäminen asevelvolliselle

Issuing passports to conscripts

Compulsory military service may prevent the issuance of passport or limit the validity period of a passport to be issued. Under the law, men of conscription age can be issued with a passport with an expiry date no later than the end of the year of their 28th birthday, unless they can prove that conscription is not an impediment to issuance of passport.

Conscript’s clearance: Conscript’s clearance means that you have performed military or civilian service or that you have been exempted from service. The process to check conscript’s clearance status is being gradually automated, which is why a separate certificate is not always needed.

You can use any of the following to demonstrate conscript’s clearance:

a military passport
a civilian service certificate
a clearance certificate issued by a military official
a conscription certificate which states that you are exempt from military service either absolutely or in peacetime.

Different types of passport

The police issue several different passport types. Different passport types are listed below.

Passports issued by the police: The police issue standard passports, temporary passports and seaman’s passports. The Police Authority of the Åland Islands also issues Åland Islands passports.

Passports issued by the Finnish Immigration Service: The Finnish Immigration Service issues alien’s passports, temporary alien’s passports and refugee’s travel documents.

Passports issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs: The Ministry for Foreign Affairs and its missions issue the same passports as the police and also diplomatic passports, service passports, alien’s passports and emergency passports.

Different types of passport -haitarit

If you are a resident of the Åland Islands, you will be issued an Åland Islands passport with the additional text ‘Åland’ on the cover. This passport is the same as the standard Finnish passport in every other aspect.

When applying for a passport online, you do not need to specify that you are applying for an Åland Islands passport as the application will automatically be directed to be processed in Åland if applicants are resident in Åland or they were last issued an Åland Islands passport. When visiting a police station in mainland Finland, you should mention that you are applying for an Åland Islands passport in order for the officer processing the application to mark your application accordingly.

A temporary passport may be issued to you on special grounds if even the rapid and express application procedures are not fast enough. The conditions for issuing a temporary passport are always considered carefully on a case-by-case basis.

Temporary passports only cover the necessary time period, and a maximum of 12 months. Not all countries accept temporary passports as travel documents.

Temporary passports are usually made while you wait, which is why you cannot apply for one online. A temporary passport is machine-readable, meaning that there are machine-readable rows of text at the bottom of the identity page containing the passport's basic details, but it does not have a chip.

A seaman’s passport is a national form of proof of identity for seamen. You can hold a normal passport and a seaman’s passport at the same time. Seaman’s passports are accepted as travel documents only in connection with travel relating to working on ships.

When applying for a seaman’s passport, you must be able to demonstrate that you work on a ship. Acceptable forms of proof include seaman’s certificates, letters from employers, letters from employment agencies and letters from educational institutions. You can submit your application for a seaman’s passport online, but the application can only be completed if you visit a police station in person. Seaman's passports do not include a chip.

For more information about travel documents for seafaring, visit the website of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency

Applications for alien’s passport and refugee’s travel document are mainly handled by the Finnish Immigration Service.

If you are a foreigner with a Finnish residence permit and you are outside of Finland, you can be issued an alien's passport to replace your lost or damaged alien's passport and refugee’s travel document so that you can return to Finland. A Finnish mission will issue you the alien’s passport.

For further information on the alien's passport and the refugee’s travel document, please visit the website of the Finnish Immigration Service

More information about the alien’s passport is also available on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs

Rejected passport application

Before a passport can be issued, the passport authorities must establish that you are eligible to hold a passport.

According to the Passport Act, a passport application may be rejected if

you are strongly suspected of having committed an offence punishable with at least one year of imprisonment and you are still the subject of a police investigation or indictment in the matter, or if you have been charged with the offence or wanted by the authorities
you have been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment which you have not yet served
you are a conscript and you have turned 28 and you haven’t demonstrated that compulsory military service is not an impediment to issuance of passport. In a situation like this, your passport may be revoked until the end of the year in which you turn 30.

A passport application will always be rejected if you have been given a travel ban under the Coercive Measures Act or a ban on leaving the country under the Bankruptcy Act.

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