Helsinki service point is very busy – be well-prepared when submitting your application

At the moment, the Helsinki service point of the Finnish Immigration Service is very busy. Appointments for Helsinki are not available in the appointment system until the end of April and beginning of May and all queue numbers that are handed out daily run out immediately at eight o'clock in the morning.

We are asking our customers to be patient. The situation will improve during spring when we put more service desks into operation and are able to serve more customers than now.

You have to act differently when handling matters at the Finnish Immigration Service than at the police. Be well-prepared when submitting your application and fill in the application form beforehand, either on a paper form or in the e-service. This will speed up both your own as well as others’ visits at the service point. You can find more instructions at the end of this customer bulletin.

If your residence permit expires in June or later:

If your permit does not expire during the next three months, please, be patient and wait for new appointments to become available. Apply for a new residence permit at the earliest three months before your current residence permit expires.

If you are applying for citizenship:

If you are applying for citizenship book an appointment beforehand in the appointment system. In this way you will avoid queueing and speed up the processing of your matter.

You can speed up your own and others’ visits at the service point by being well-prepared

You can apply for almost all permits in the e-service Enter Finland which speeds up the processing of your application. Your application will become pending from the moment you send in the application via Enter Finland. After that, you need to visit a service point to prove your identity within three months.

You can apply online for

• a first residence permit and an extended permit for studies, work and family ties,
• EU-registration and a residence card for a family member of an EU citizen and
• citizenship.

After you have completed your application online, book an appointment to prove your identity in our appointment system.

When you come to a service point for your appointment, please remember to fill in the application form beforehand, either on a paper form or in the e-service. Please also bring with you

• the attachments to your application,
• your passport,
• a photo and
• money or a debit card to pay for the processing fee.

If you have applied in Enter Finland, please, bring with you the originals of the attachments to your application, even if you have attached them to your application in the e-service.

See also:

If you are not able to book an appointment, please follow these instructions

Frequently asked questions about handling matters