Government makes decision on registration centres – Finnish Immigration Service to organise the implementation

The Government has today decided on the deployment of registration centres. The decision of the implementation of the decision will be made by the Finnish Immigration Service.

The decision enabling the setting up of the registration centre will ensure that the authorities have sufficient powers and tools to register asylum seekers in an orderly and secure manner in all circumstances. The decision as to when and where a registration centre will be established will be made by the Finnish Immigration Service on the basis of the situation.

“The executive decision of a registration centre will be taken in close cooperation with the police and the Border Guard. If necessary, implementation can be launched very quickly and information will be given about it separately. The location of the registration centres will depend on the situation at hand”, says Ilkka Haahtela, Director General of the Finnish Immigration Service.

At a registration centre, the authorities check the conditions of entry of asylum seekers and record their personal details. In practice, registering an asylum seeker means collecting personal data, taking fingerprints and photographs, and carrying out checks on various registers. The registration will be carried out by the police or the border control officers.

The asylum seeker stays at the centre during the registration period, unless their health or other important personal reasons require otherwise. After registration, asylum seekers can move to reception centres.

“The situation has remained mostly calm during the registration phase, but having a registration centre gives the officials the authority to restrict the movement of asylum seekers until their registration is completed, which helps to ensure our internal security", says Haahtela.

Fact: What is a registration centre?

• A registration centre is a supervised centre under the Finnish Immigration Service where the police and other authorities register asylum applications and take biometric identifiers, such as fingerprints, from asylum seekers.
• The registration centre can operate in a reception centre or any facility where asylum seekers can be provided with proper shelter, food and adequate washing facilities. The Finnish Immigration Service decides on the location of each registration centre.
• The asylum seekers are obliged to stay at the registration centre during the registration period, unless their health or other important personal reasons require otherwise. According to the law, an asylum seeker’s stay in a registration centre may not exceed seven days.
• The centre is staffed mainly by personnel from the Finnish Immigration Service, the police and the Border Guard.
• Once an asylum seeker is registered, the Finnish Immigration Service will arrange accommodation for asylum seekers in reception centres around Finland. There are currently 103 reception centres in Finland. The Finnish Immigration Service operates its own reception centres in Helsinki, Joutseno and Oulu.

Further information for the media

Call-back requests: Finnish Immigration Service Communications, media@migri.fi, tel. +358 (0)295 433 037