Police helpline

In almost all parts of Finland, all appointment times are currently booked and they are either available only quite far in the future, or not available at all. However, it is worthwhile going to check the appointments the next day as the system is constantly updated and there may be new appointment times due to cancellations. Police Departments also add new appointment times if their resources allow.

As a main rule, all Police Stations provide services in urgent issues through queuing arrangements, but you should check this at the Police website under the Police Station in question. Please be prepared for long queues.

The essential question here is whether you need to go to the Police Station for identification, or do not. If the visit to the Police Station is required, the time of delivery depends on the availability of the booked appointments as well as on the possibility to go to the Police Station and queue. If the passport application can be made completely online, you will have your passport in about 8 working days from the decision made by the Police on the application.

It is impossible to anticipate the queuing times because they vary from Police Station to the other. Currently, the Police Stations are extremely busy and the queues persist all day long; however, sometimes the queues may be shorter in the afternoons.

As a main rule, we take care of one case per each appointment.  Unfortunately, we cannot promise that there would be time to deal with to more cases within one appointment.

It is not necessary to attach the application to the booking of an appointment. The Police officer will see your application in the case processing system. 

No, you cannot. The photo must be taken within the past 6 months. 

The fingerprints and the signature can be used for six years. Therefore, you have to go and identify yourself at the Police Station even if all personal data remains unchanged if the previous identification visit took place over six years ago.

The application for a new passport is the same for one whole year after the expiry of the previous passport. However, if the previous passport expired over one year ago, you need an appointment with the Police Station. In that case, you can go and pick up the new passport from the Police Station or authorise someone else to pick it up. In that case, the other person must have a power of attorney, the dispatch code and a valid passport or personal ID card issued by a Finnish authority. 

Apply for a new rapid or express passport with an expedited delivery time. For more information about these passports, see section Passport delivery.

If a passport cannot be delivered to you in time even with an expedited delivery time, a passport officer may grant you a temporary passport at their discretion. To apply for a temporary passport, you must visit a police station as the passport will be printed out while you wait. Please note that only the largest police stations have the necessary equipment for printing temporary passports. At the police station, you must prove that you are travelling soon for example by showing your travel ticket.

Temporary passports only cover the necessary time period, and a maximum of 12 months. Before applying for a temporary passport, contact the authorities of your country of destination to find out if a temporary passport will grant you entry to the country. Some countries do not accept a temporary passport as a travel document due to its considerably lower security level.

Before travelling abroad, contact the authorities of your country of destination to find out what travel document you will need, if you need to obtain a visa and if your passport needs to be valid for a certain period of time after you have left the country.

You can travel to the EU countries and certain other European countries with an identity card. As a rule, travel documents are not checked at the border in Schengen countries, though you must show it if requested. A travel document is usually not needed when travelling in the Nordic countries, but you must be able to prove your identity if requested.

On all current passports, the first two characters of the passport number are letters and the remaining seven characters are numbers. This information is useful when you are filling in an ESTA form or applying for a visa.

If you notice that your passport has become damaged, visit a police station or contact a Finnish mission if you are abroad. If your passport is broken or damaged, border control may deny you entry into the country.

Store your passport in a secure location and do not make any markings on it. Do not let your passport get wet.

Protect your passport against significant temperature, radiation or humidity changes and continuous sunlight. A strong impact or bending may damage the chip inside your passport or the binding.

Please note that some protective PVC covers may stick to the passport covers and damage them.

Finland is bound by an EU Regulation that stipulates that a facial photograph and fingerprints must be stored on all passport chips. The chip complies with the international standard developed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialised agency of the United Nations.

The chip in your passport contains the same information that can be seen on the identity page: your facial photograph, your personal details and the details of the passport. The chip also contains your fingerprints, which are not shown on the identity page.

New Finnish passports comply with all ICAO and EU safety requirements. Finnish passports also include all voluntary security features enabled by the standard. The data contained on the chip is reliably protected against abuse using the Finnish Government's electronic signature, which ensures that only data stored by the authority that issued the passport is contained on the chip.

The microchip and antenna are embedded inside the laminated identity page. The microchip and antenna enable passports to be scanned wirelessly using a special chip reader. The chip has no independent power source. Instead, it obtains its energy from the reader via the antenna. This is why passport chips can only be read from a very short distance.

You can check your personal data on your passport’s chip at any time. You can check the data at any police station in Finland.

It has been suggested from time to time that the old 10-year passport validity period should be reintroduced. This would not be reasonable, as a longer validity period would make it more difficult to identify individuals from their passport photographs and jeopardise the information security of chips and passport security features.

The facial photograph shown on the identity page of passports is used for the visual identification of passport holders. The same photograph is also stored on the passport's chip to enable computerised facial recognition. The older the photograph is, the more unreliable both visual and computerised facial recognition becomes.

The biometric data and other personal information contained on the passport chip must be encrypted reliably to prevent abuse. The information security of passport chips will remain at a very high level as updates are introduced every few years. If passports were valid for ten or seven years at a time, the information security of the chip could be compromised before the passport expires. The longer the validity period is, the longer it takes for passports featuring more advanced information security to replace older, valid models. This also applies to physical security features that prevent the falsification of passports.

A passport is machine-readable, which means that its data can be read mechanically from the identity page, which contains the key data on the passport in letters, numbers and characters. Apart from emergency passports, all current Finnish passports are machine-readable. Some passports also have a chip containing the data on the passport.

A standard passport is machine-readable and has a chip.
An Åland Islands passport is machine-readable and has a chip.
A temporary passport is machine-readable but it does not have a chip.
A seaman’s passport is machine-readable but it does not have a chip.
An emergency passport is not machine-readable and it does not have a chip.
An alien’s passport is machine-readable and has a chip.
A temporary alien's passport is machine-readable but it does not have a chip.
A refugee’s travel document is machine-readable and has a chip.
A service passport is machine-readable and has a chip.
A diplomatic passport is machine-readable and has a chip.

A QR code is printed on page 3 of passports issued from 13.3.2023. This code contains the most important information on the passport, such as the passport number, expiry date and personal information of the bearer. The main purpose of the code is to facilitate the machine reading of the passport. The QR code is not present on seaman's passports and temporary passports.

• the passport holder loses or renounces their Finnish citizenship.
• the passport holder asks for their passport to be cancelled.
• the passport holder reports that their passport has been lost or stolen.
• the guardian of a minor (or social services) withdraws their consent for the minor in question to obtain a passport.
• social services ask that the passport of a minor who has been taken into care be cancelled.
• the passport must be destroyed under the Lost Property Act.

• the passport contains a clear error.
• the passport has been damaged or altered or contains any unauthorised markings.
• circumstances that would probably have led to the application being rejected come to light after the passport was issued.
• the passport is used by someone other than the passport holder.
• the Population Register Centre has revoked the associated certificate.
• the passport holder is believed to have died in a natural disaster, other major accident or as a victim of a crime.

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.

You also pay for your online application online. Besides bank cards, you can also pay with the most common credit cards. An unpaid application will not become pending and the licence official will be unable to process it.

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.

You must attach a passport photograph to your online application, and the photograph must have been transferred to the photograph server of the police before this. Photography studios outside of Finland cannot submit photographs to the server directly, but you can submit your photograph to the server using the Suomi.fi e-Identification service.

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.

Yes, you can. If your 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.

Yes, you can. However, if you want to use a paper photograph, you cannot submit your application online. The staff at a police station will need to scan your paper photograph so that it is available in an electronic format, and this takes some time and decreases image quality. Because of this, we don’t recommend using paper photographs.

If your photograph does not fulfil the requirements for a passport photograph, the licence official will ask you to complement your application with a photograph that fulfils the requirements. If this happens, you won’t need to pay the application fee again.

The quality of the photograph is assessed when the related identity card application is processed. The photographs are not inspected in advance. 

Passport photograph quality requirements: see the passport photograph instructions.

No, we do not. The only exception to this is the airport police service point at the Helsinki Airport. The staff of the service point can take a photograph of you for an additional fee, but they only accept emergency applications from air passengers transiting through the airport.

No, you cannot. The police’s photography server is not intended for general photograph storage, and for this reason, you cannot download photographs from the server for personal use. All photographs stored on the server are always accessed using the photography retrieval code. If you want to have a copy of your passport photograph for personal use, talk to the photographer.

Apply for a new rapid or express identity card with an expedited delivery time. For more information about these identity cards, see section Identity card delivery - Police (poliisi.fi).

If an identity card cannot be delivered to you in time even with an expedited delivery time, a passport officer may grant you a temporary identity card or temporary passport at their discretion. Note that temporary identity card is not a travel document but it can be used to prove your identity within Finland. Temporary passport is a travel document but some countries do not accept it as a travel document due to its considerably lower security level. 

Always check from the authorities of your destination the type of travel document that you need in order to travel to the country.

You can travel to EU countries with an identity card. As a rule, a travel document is not checked at the border in Schengen countries though you must show it if requested. 

A travel document is usually not needed when travelling in the Nordic countries, but you must be able to prove your identity if requested.

If you notice that your identity card has become damaged, visit a police station or contact a Finnish mission if you are abroad. If your identity card is broken or damaged, border control may deny you entry into the country.

Store your personal card in a secure location and do not make any personal markings on it. Do not let your identity card get wet.

Protect your identity card against significant temperature, radiation or humidity changes and continuous sunlight. A hard impact or twist may damage the identity card’s chip.

Please note that some protective PVC covers can stick to the identity card and damage it.

Along with the traffic penalty fee, you were sent instructions on how to request an administrative review. If the traffic offence in question does not affect your right to drive, you do not have to request an administrative review but can assign the traffic penalty fee directly to the actual driver for payment.

You must submit the request for an administrative review within 30 days after you received the traffic penalty fee decision. You can submit the request through the police’s online services. You can also fill out the form on the reverse side of the traffic penalty fee decision and return it to the Police Traffic Safety Centre by post or e-mail.

Link to online services

No, you cannot, because traffic penalty fees and inquiry letters are always first sent to the vehicle owner or holder entered in the register. Contact the vehicle owner/holder and together fill out the reply letter or possible appeal when you receive the letter. If the question is of an offence that does not affect your right to drive, the appeal need not be made but you can pay the traffic penalty fee directly.

We process all new cases as quickly as possible. If you have taken Suomi.fi messages into use, you will receive information on possible sanction directly through online services. Otherwise you will receive the letter at home by post. According to law, the traffic penalty fee decision must be sent within 30 days from the date of the offence at the latest.

We do not give any prior information about the cases so just wait for mail to arrive. If some weeks have already passed from the camera flash and you think the letter may have been lost on its way, you can contact our customer service.

Information on Suomi.fi messages on the Suomi.fi website

The easiest way to report the driver’s information is through the police’s online services. If you wish, you can also enter the driver’s details on the response form and return the form to the Police Traffic Safety Centre by post or email. If you do not report the driver’s details, you may be asked to visit the police station for interrogation.

You are not required to comment on the violation. The police station of your choice can take care of any further proceedings, if necessary.

Link to online services 

Cases involving a day-fine are handled at police departments, as they need to be notified personally. Electronic notification is also possible through the Suomi.fi service. If you wish to have the fine electronically in Suomi.fi messages, please contact the Traffic Safety Centre, tel. +358 295 541 7917 (Mon–Fri 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.)

Yes, if you contact the inviter by telephone and agree on a new time.

Yes, we can. You can email us at automaattivalvonta.helsinki@poliisi.fi or call us on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., tel. +358 29 541 7917.

Yes, you can. If you wish to pay the traffic penalty fee in instalments, use the same reference number for all payments. After the due date, you have approximately 2 months to pay the traffic penalty fee before the Legal Register Centre sends you a payment reminder. If you have received a payment reminder and still need more payment time, please contact the Legal Register Centre by phone at +358 29 566 5662 (Mon-Fri at 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.) or by email oikeusrekisterikeskus@om.fi.

The photo is part of pre-trial investigation material and confidential until the pre-trial investigation has been concluded. After the end of the prescribed time, you can order the image by email from the address automaattivalvonta@poliisi.fi. When ordering the image, specify the case with a case number, for example.

You will see the driver’s facial photo connected with the traffic penalty fee in digital form by logging into the police’s online services. During pre-trial investigation of a traffic offence, the driver’s facial photograph can be sent in an encrypted email to the owner, holder or suspected driver of the vehicle.

Before the investigation is closed, you can view the whole photo at the police service desk of any police department in Finland. Once there, please ask the clerk to call the Police Traffic Safety Centre (tel. +358 29 541 7917) that will send the photo to the clerk’s email account.

A traffic penalty fee is issued in all speed limit areas for speeds 7-20 km/h over the speed limit.

In practice, the police reduce the measured speed based on a possible measurement error of 3 km/h, which means that the speed recorded on the traffic penalty fee decision or fine is lower than the measured speed. It the speed is over 100 km/h, the police reduce the measured speed by approximately 3%.

For example, if you drive at a speed of 70 km/h in an area where the speed limit is 60 km/h, you will be imposed a traffic penalty fee on which your speed will be recorded as 67 km/h. If you drive at 71 km/h in the area, your excess speed after the reduction by the margin of error would be 8 km/h.

Day fines are imposed if the excess speed is more than 20 km/h after the reduction. 

You have been photographed on the bus lane after driving across the crossing without turning. In a densely populated area, you can get on the correct lane one block before you turn, i.e. after the previous crossing. If the distance between the crossings is over 150 metres, you should take the correct lane no more than 150 metres before the crossing.

If the speed limit sign speed is not visible, the driver must deduce maximum permitted speed from the traffic environment. The general speed limit in built-up areas is 50 km/h and outside of them 80 km/h. You can clean a snow-covered speed limit sign if you can do it without endangering traffic safety. You can also take a picture of a snow-covered traffic sign as evidence in case you later get fined.

The road user’s duty to exercise care includes the obligation to find out the prohibitions, orders, provisions and restrictions set for the road using traffic control equipment. As a rule, this duty has been considered demanding. The scope of the duty to exercise care that can be required from a road user encountering a snow-covered traffic sign is always assessed case-by-case and taking the prevailing conditions into consideration.

If you receive a traffic penalty fee for not having noticed the change of speed limit owing to a snow-covered traffic sign, you can fill in the appeal that you receive together with the traffic penalty fee decision. The polices handle appeals case-by-case and submits unclear cases to court for final decision. Different types of decisions have been awarded by courts of higher instances in which it has been considered whether the driver should have been able to deduct the change of speed limit from the traffic environment.

If you get a traffic penalty fee or fine for traffic offences three times in one year or four times in two years and it affects your driving right, you can lose your driving licence for a fixed period. If you have held a driving licence less than two years, the limit for assessing your right to drive is two offences in one year or three offences in two years. The decision will be made by your local police department.

The highest speeding (causing a traffic hazard in a manner showing gross negligence or causing a serious traffic hazard) can also lead to a driving ban without previous offences. 

As traffic penalty fees are not counted as repeated traffic offences, they will not affect your right to drive or lead to any other consequences.

For more information on driving bans, see section Driving bans on the police website.

Companies that own one or more vehicles that have no natural person registered as the holder must appoint someone to be in charge of their vehicles. The person in charge of use should know who drives the company’s vehicles. The person in charge of use must live in Finland and have at least a category B right to drive. A person in charge of use may be registered on the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency’s (www.traficom.fi/en/) website.

Vehicle-specific traffic penalty fees are sent to the person in charge of use if there is no natural person registered as the holder of the vehicle. Unless the person in charge of use is the main driver of the company’s vehicles, it is worth introducing a driver’s log to keep track of the use of the vehicles.