Ensure the seamless processing of your application and help us prevent queues

The Finnish Immigration Service has been receiving a large number of messages from customers, leading to a delay in our responses. At the moment, more than 6,000 emails or messages are waiting for a reply. There are also other backlogs, such as in the processing of residence permit applications submitted on the basis of family ties.

There are many ways for you to ensure that we can process your application and matters as efficiently as possible. It is especially important that you make your application form as complete as possible before you submit it, ensure that you add all the attachments that are required before you submit the application, avoid making unnecessary requests to expedite, and avoid asking about the processing time if not necessary. The time we spend replying to these requests slows down the processing of applications.

Read this customer bulletin to see what you can do to make the processing of your application as seamless as possible and prevent queues.

Repeated messages with the same content will be replied to only once

The Finnish Immigration Service will reply to repeated emails containing the same information only once, unless there have been changes in your situation. Please refrain from sending a new message or a new request for a processing time estimate if you have already been given a processing time estimate that is still valid.

If you have not received a decision on your application yet, there is no need to worry. We aim to make a decision on your application as soon as possible. We will send you automated messages by email when the processing status of your application changes. We will contact you if we need additional information from you.

You cannot speed up the processing of your application by calling or sending a message to the Finnish Immigration Service. Unfortunately, our telephone service is not able to give you exact information on when you will receive the decision. You can follow the progress of your application on your Enter Finland account or check the expected processing times on the page Processing times for applications.

Fill in the application carefully

Make sure that your application contains up-to-date information and attachments. When you complete the application form thoroughly and attach all the necessary documents, we will be able to process it faster. 

If you have submitted an application in the Enter Finland online service, submit any supplementary documents and information only via the Enter Finland online service. If you have submitted additional information to us through Enter Finland, you do not need to send the same information to us by email or post.

If you have submitted a paper application, post any additional documents in a letter or send them as encrypted email using the Securemail service of the Finnish Immigration Service. Always include your name and customer number in your message. Mention also the diary number of the matter if you know it.

Send original documents to the Finnish Immigration Service only if we have separately requested them. Processing of original documents takes time and may contribute to queues when officials who process applications also have to process original documents.

For more information, see the page Changes and supplementary documents.

Avoid repeated requests to expedite

We understand that long waiting times cause frustration. Despite this, please consider carefully before making a request to expedite your application if you do not have serious grounds for expediting.

The Finnish Immigration Service receives thousands of requests to expedite per week. Repeated requests to expedite slow down the processing of applications because the same officials are responsible for replying to the requests and for processing the applications.

Examples of reasons that are not sufficient as such for expediting an application:

• emotionally difficult life situation, such as missing a relative
• expiry of travel document or residence permit
• security situation of home country
• pregnancy
• moving
• travelling abroad
• studies.

We cannot process a family member’s application that is based on family ties before we have processed and decided the sponsor’s application.

Find information on our website

You may find an answer to your question on our website. On the page Frequently Asked Questions we have published answers to frequently asked questions about many topics, such as current issues, the processing of applications, the Enter Finland online service and visiting a service point.

Unfortunately, you cannot check your application’s position in the processing queue by contacting our telephone service. You cannot speed up the processing of your application by calling or sending a message to the Finnish Immigration Service. You can follow the progress of your application on your Enter Finland account or check the expected processing time on the page Processing times for applications.

More information

• Finnish Immigration Service’s customer service
• Customer bulletin 23 January 2026: Savings affect Finnish Immigration Service’s customer service – speed up the application process