Backlog in our appointment system: these instructions will make it easier for you to handle matters at one of our service points

The appointment system of the Finnish Immigration Service is backed up. At the beginning of the year, the queues for waiting numbers have also gotten longer at the service points.

These instructions will make it easier for you and others to handle matters at the service points of the Finnish Immigration Service.

1. Book an appointment in advance

Despite the backlog in the appointment system, appointments become available almost every day. Follow the appointment system patiently. Most of the time you can find an appointment that suits you.

2. Do not book an appointment just in case

Only book an appointment when you are sure you are able to come to the service point. If you cannot make it to your appointment, please be sure to cancel it. This way someone else is able to book the appointment that you have made available.

When you have booked an appointment, save or write down your booking number and the time of the appointment.

3. We recommend using the e-service

If you are applying for a first or an extended permit or an EU registration, please use the e-service for this. This means you can submit your matter at a time that suits you. If you are applying for an extended permit, submitting your application via the e-service before your old permit expires is enough. Then your application will be pending and, for example, your right to work will remain in accordance with your old permit. As long as you have submitted your application via Enter Finland in time, you do not have to visit a service point to prove your identity before your permit expires.

4. Come and wait with a queue number only in exceptional cases

Come and wait with a queue number only if your residence permit or travel document is about to expire within the following three months and you are not able to book an appointment.

If your permit will not expire until autumn you do not yet need to visit a service point. At the beginning of the year, the Finnish Immigration Service has been working to clear the backlog of applications that were transferred from the police. At the same time, decisions on new applications that have been submitted this year have been made. The processing time for new applications is not as long as for the applications that were transferred from the police.

At the agency’s service points, queue numbers are distributed to people standing in line. One person at the time can handle his or her matter at each appointment. For example, a family cannot be given a joint appointment.

5. Please bring with you all the necessary attachments and the processing fee

When you come to one of our service points, please bring with you all the attachments noted on the application form. If you are applying for a residence permit, a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen or a travel document, please remember to bring a passport photo with you. The passport photo can only be up to six months old.

Make sure you have money for the processing fee with you. The processing of your application will not start before you have paid the processing fee. If you submit you application in Enter Finland, you can also pay the processing fee when submitting your application.

6. Please send the requested documents by post

You do not have to bring documents personally to the service point, unless you have been asked to do so. Please send the requested documents to the address given on the request. It is the fastest way to submit the documents.