Identity card delivery

The standard delivery time of identity cards is about 8 working days, and your identity card will be delivered to a collection point you have selected. At the collection point, you must present the tracking number and verify your identity. You can also collect an identity card if you have a power of attorney.

Check your identity card to make sure it’s valid well before going on a trip. This is important especially in the summer when our service points tend to be busy and you might have to wait weeks for the next available appointment.

Delivery times: The standard delivery time of identity cards is about 8 working days. Expedited delivery is available for an additional fee.

Each document is posted in a separate envelope: Once the new identity card is ready, it will be delivered to a Schenker office or the office of a Schenker subcontractor of your choice in a sealed envelope. If you collect a passport or the identity card of a dependant at the same time, they will all be posted in their own envelopes.

Storage time: Your identity card will be kept at the collection point for 14 days. If you don’t pick up your delivery, it will be returned to a police station in about a week, after which you can pick it up from the police station.

Verifying your identity at the collection point: If you pick up your identity card yourself, you must show the tracking number found on the collection note and verify your identity using a passport or identity card issued by a Finnish authority. You can use an old passport or identity card if it expired no more than a year ago. However, it must be possible to identify you from the photograph on the identity document. A driving licence is not an accepted proof of identity for collecting an identity card.

Picking up an identity card issued to your dependant: You can pick up an identity card for your dependant as you would pick up your own.

Picking up an identity card with a power of attorney: You can authorise somebody else to collect your identity card on your behalf. The person collecting your identity card must have a power of attorney, the tracking number and a valid passport or identity card issued by a Finnish authority. A driving licence is not an accepted proof of identity for collecting an identity card.

Persons under the age of 18 cannot independently authorise another person to collect their own ID card. If a proxy is to be used to collect an ID card for a minor, the guardian must duly ensure that authorisation (power of attorney) is given. However, the guardian of a minor can pick up an ID card without a power of attorney.

Download a template of a power of attorney

Expedited delivery

When applying for an identity card, you can select expedited delivery for an additional fee if we have the capacity.

Daily quotas: The number of rapid and express identity card deliveries is based on nationwide daily quotas. The quotas are sometimes full especially during the busier summer season.

Things to consider when using the online service: If you submit your application online, the system may tell you that you need to visit a police station for identification. In this case, you cannot select expedited delivery in the online service. However, you may change the delivery method to expedited delivery when you visit a police station. If you do so, you will be charged for the difference between the prices of standard and expedited delivery.

Delivery times

The delivery time includes both the time it takes to process your application and make the identity card as well as time it takes to post the identity card.

• Standard delivery time is about 8 working days.
• Rapid delivery takes 2–4 working days.  The date on which the identity card was ordered is not included in this.
• Express delivery takes at most 0–2 working day if the order is placed on a day when the Express quota is not full.
• Temporary identity card is issued while you wait, but only for particularly compelling reasons.

Collection note

You will be notified when your identity card is ready for collection.

Collection note formats: The collection note can be sent by text message, email or letter. The collection note will include a tracking number and the address of the collection point. We recommend you request to receive the collection note both via text message and email. This way, you are more likely to receive the collection note even if one of the messages does not reach you.

Tracking number: Do not lose the tracking number! You cannot collect your identity card without it.

More information about the rapid identity card

A rapid identity card is a standard identity card with an expedited delivery time. There is a limited number of rapid deliveries allocated for each day.

Delivery time: If you submit a rapid identity card application online no later than 9:00 on a working day, the finished identity card can be collected no later than on the second working day after the application date, provided that there is room in the rapid identity card quota for the same day. If you submit the application at a police station or if your online application requires an identification visit, the deadline is 11:00. If you submit the application later, or there is room only in the next day's quota, the finished identity card can be collected no later than on the fourth working day after the application date. 

Please note that applications are only processed between Mondays and Fridays.

Submitting a rapid identity card application online: If you submit your application online and the system tells you that you need to visit a police station for identification, you can only select standard delivery in your online application. However, you will be able to opt for expedited delivery time at the police station. In this case, you will have to pay the difference between the prices of a standard and expedited delivery.

Note: Temporary identity card is not the same as a rapid Please identity card. A temporary identity card is an identity card filled in at a police station which can only be issued to you for particularly compelling reasons, and which is not a travel document. A rapid identity card, on the other hand, is identical with an identity card with a standard delivery time.

More information about the express identity card

An express identity card is a standard identity card delivered at express delivery time. There is a limited number of express deliveries allocated for each day.

Delivery time to a collection point located in Capital Region (Helsinki and Vantaa): If you submit an express identity card application online no later than 9:00 on a working day, the finished identity card can be collected at 16:00 on the same afternoon, provided that there is room in the express identity card quota for the same day. If you submit the application at a police station or if your online application requires an identification visit, the deadline is 11:00. If you submit the application later, or if there is room only in the next day's quota, you can collect the finished identity card at 16:00 on the next working day. 

Delivery time to a collection point outside Capital Region: If you submit an express identity card application online no later than 9:00 on a working day, the finished identity card can be collected by noon the next day, provided that there is room in the express identity card quota for the same day. If you submit the application at a police station or if your online application requires an identification visit, the deadline is 11:00. If you submit the application later, or if there is room only in the next day's quota, you can collect the finished identity card by noon on the second working day. 

Please note that applications are only processed between Mondays and Fridays.

Delivery locations: You can apply for an express identity card at any police station, but the finished identity card can only be delivered to certain collection points in these cities: Helsinki, Vantaa, Kouvola, Lahti, Tampere, Turku, Kuopio, Vaasa, Oulu ja Rovaniemi.

Things to bring with you when collecting an identity card

Tracking number: To collect your identity card, you need to present proof of identity and the tracking number. You can show the tracking number for example on your phone screen or a printout of the notification, or you can write it down on a piece of paper.

Verifying your identity: Your identity is verified by means of a valid passport or identity card issued by Finnish authorities. If you have neither, a Finnish passport or identity card expired no more than a year ago are also accepted, unless you are otherwise notified.

In any case, the passport or identity card you present must have a photo from which you can be recognised without difficulty.

A driving licence is not an accepted proof of identity for collecting an identity card.

Authorising someone else to collect your identity card

Power of attorney: You can also authorise another person to collect your identity card on your behalf. In this case, you need to give that person a power of attorney specifically addressed to them. Please note that anyone collecting an identity card using a power of attorney must be able to prove their identity with a valid passport or identity card issued by Finnish authorities.

• Download a template of a power of attorney

Persons under the age of 18 cannot independently authorise another person to collect their own ID card. If a proxy is to be used to collect an ID card for a minor, the guardian must duly ensure that authorisation (power of attorney) is given. However, the guardian of a minor can pick up an ID card without a power of attorney.

I don’t have a passport or an identity card, and I don’t want to give a power of attorney to anyone. What should I do?

If you don’t have a passport or identity card required to collect your new identity card, and you don’t want to give a power of attorney to someone else so that they can collect your identity card, you can collect your identity card from a police station. To do this, visit the police station and talk to a member of staff to arrange the collection.

Our online service will check our registers to see if you have a passport or identity card needed for collecting a new passport. If you don’t have either, you can select a police station as the collection point.

Check the condition of your identity card and your personal details on it.

Your new identity card will come with a letter explaining how to check the condition and content of your card. Read the instructions carefully.

Remember to check that

• the identity card is intact
• your personal details are correct and complete: your full name, nationality, date of birth, gender, the last four digits of your personal identity code and your place of birth. The nationality field of a foreigner’s identity card is marked with XXX.
• signature: the signature field must have a signature or a line instead of a signature if the identity card holder cannot write (this mostly applies to young children).
• the information on your identity card is complete: the identity card's type, country, number, issue date, expiry date and issuing authority are marked on the identity card.
• photograph: your photograph must have nothing unusual in it.

If you want to, you can also visit a police station to check that the chip works and that the information contained on the chip is correct.

If you spot any mistakes or defects in your identity card, take it to a police station. If the defect is found to have been caused by the identity card manufacturer or the authority that issued the identity card, you will not have to pay for the replacement.

Keep in mind that you can only use an intact identity card with correct information for travelling.

Invalidate and destroy your old identity card

Your new identity card will come with a letter explaining how to invalidate and destroy your old identity card. Read the instructions carefully.

When you receive your new identity card, your old identity card will expire automatically. You cannot use your expired identity card as a travel document once you have been issued a new one, even if your old identity card hadn’t expired yet.

To invalidate your old identity card:

• destroy the card by cutting off a card corner.
• destroy the chip by cutting through it: If you do not need the old identity card for handling encrypted files, also cut the chip in two.

Invalidating your old identity card is extremely important to protect your legal rights. If your old identity card ends up in wrong hands, your identity could be used for criminal purposes. In addition to taking the steps above, the safest option is to destroy all the pieces of your old identity card completely. 

If you wish, you can also return your old identity card to the police. Schenker and its subcontractors’ offices do not accept old identity cards.