Skip to Content

Data protection

Contact information 

Finnish Immigration Service 
Visiting address: Opastinsilta 12 A, 00520 Helsinki
Postal address: P.O. Box 10, 00086 Helsinki 
migri@migri.fi 
0295 430 431 (switchboard)

Data Protection Officer

Katariina Lehtola is the Data Protection Officer of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Contact information:
Street address:  Opastinsilta 12 A, 00520 Helsinki
Postal address: P.O. Box 10, 00086 Finnish Immigration Service
tel. +358 (0)295 430 431 (switchboard)
e-mail: tietosuojavastaava@migri.fi

Processing of personal data and data protection at the Finnish Immigration Service

Personal data are data related to an identified or identifiable person. This data include, for example, a person’s

  • name
  • address
  • telephone number 
  • case number
  • customer number. 

Data protection governs the processing of personal data and safeguards the privacy of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data. Processing of personal data covers everything from the planning of the processing of personal data to the erasure of personal data, including viewing.

The Finnish Immigration Service will only process personal data for legitimate reasons. For example, the data are needed for legal processing of matters concerning residence, citizenship, international protection and reception of applicants for international protection, as explained in more detail below. The use of some services is optional. Personal data are also processed, for example, when dealing with personnel or financial matters.

Sections 3 and 5 of the Act on the Processing of Personal Data in the Immigration Administration (615/2020) contain information on the other controllers of the case management system for immigration affairs (UMA). For information on the processing of personal data and data protection of these other controllers, please contact the relevant controller.

User rights and verification of personal data

You have the right to know what data we hold about you and who processes your data. You can also check the data we collect about you and update it if necessary. Read more on the page Rights relating to the processing of personal data.

If you need more information about the processing of your personal data by the Finnish Immigration Service, please contact the Data Protection Officer.

In Finland, compliance with data protection legislation is supervised by the Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman. You can find more information about your data protection rights on the Data Protection Ombudsman's website: tietosuoja.fi.

More information: 

Personal data processed

The Finnish Immigration Service and its reception centres and detention units process personal data in accordance with section 1, subsection 1, paragraphs 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Act on the Processing of Personal Data in the Immigration Administration (615/2020). Data processing

  • for the purposes of decision-making and monitoring.
  • for the purposes of reception of applicants for international protection and temporary protection, assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings and representation of unaccompanied children as part of reception activities, and for the purposes of their guidance, planning and supervision.  
  • the placement of an alien in a detention facility, the treatment of an alien in a detention facility and the maintenance of order and security in the detention facility.
  • for the purpose of allocating an immigrant to a municipality.

The processing is based on compliance with a legal obligation pursuant to Article 6(1)(c) of the GDPR.

Reception and detention 

An asylum seeker-client will receive the brochure on the processing of personal data in reception activities at the initial information session at the reception centre. The brochure provides clear and transparent general information on the processing of personal data in reception activities and gives the data subject the necessary information on his or her rights as a data subject and guidance on how to request further information.

Personal data are also used for operational development and advisory purposes

Other service channels

Personal data are processed in accordance with the Act on the Processing of Personal Data in the Immigration Administration (615/2020).

Communications

Matters related to job search

The Act on the Processing of Personal Data in the Immigration Administration (615/2020) governs matters related to job search.

Sources of data 

The data processed for the purposes mentioned in section 1 of the Act on the Processing of Personal Data in the Immigration Administration are obtained and maintained on the basis of the data provided by the data subject and or his or her legal representative. In addition, personal data are obtained from public authorities and other parties on the basis of the law. The law sets limits on which authorities may receive which data and for what purpose they may be used.

In addition to these, data can be obtained from the following sources: 

  • Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, 
  • Finnish Centre for Pensions,
  • Social Insurance Institution of Finland,
  • municipal social welfare authorities, 
  • Finnish Transport and Communications Agency, 
  • Legal Register Centre, 
  • Finnish National Agency for Education, 
  • educational institutions,
  • Finnish Patent and Registration Office,
  • National Police Board of Finland and Finnish Security and Intelligence Service,
  • Defence Command Finland,
  • Finnish Border Guard, 
  • Prison and Probation Service of Finland, 
  • National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health, 
  • Detention Centres, 
  • National Prosecution Authority,
  • Finnish Workers’ Compensation Center,
  • Finnish Customs,
  • Courts, 
  • Employment and Economic Development Offices,
  • Employment Fund,
  • Foreign Service, 
  • National Enforcement Authority Finland, 
  • Reception and registration centres, 
  • Tax Administration, and
  • Digital and Population Data Services Agency. 

The Finnish Immigration Service can also obtain information from public sources, such as open websites and open registers.

Recipients of personal data 

The personal data of the data subject collected for the purposes mentioned in section 1 of the Act on the Processing of Personal Data in the Immigration Administration is also disclosed to other authorities for the performance of the statutory task of the authority to the specified extent, if the recipient has a statutory right to receive such data from the Finnish Immigration Service.

The Finnish Immigration Service may disclose personal data to be processed to, among others: 

  • Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment, 
  • Emergency Response Centre Agency, 
  • Social Insurance Institution of Finland and municipal social services, 
  • Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, 
  • National Police Board of Finland and Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, 
  • The Finnish Defence Forces, 
  • educational institutions, 
  • legal aid offices, 
  • Finnish Border Guard, 
  • detention centres, 
  • the relevant ministry responsible for organising the reception of asylum seekers and victims of trafficking in human beings, 
  • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland,
  • Employment and Economic Development Offices, 
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Finland, 
  • reception and registration centres, and 
  • Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

Fingerprints collected for the purpose of applying for an alien's passport or refugee travel document may be used by the Finnish Immigration Service, the police, the Border Guard and Customs when they are acting as border control authorities, and by the Foreign Service.

Fingerprints taken for residence permit applications, residence card applications and residence card applications for family members of EU citizens may be used by the Finnish Immigration Service, the police, the border control authority and the Finnish diplomatic mission.

The Finnish Immigration Service's contractual partners with whom the Finnish Immigration Service has agreed to process personal data in accordance with the requirements of the GDPR process personal data on behalf of the Finnish Immigration Service only for the specified processing purposes.