Lack of available appointments at the Finnish Immigration Service – you can often wait patiently for an appointment to prove your identity

At the moment, there is a shortage of available appointment times at the service points of the Finnish Immigration Service in our online appointment system. Because of the coronavirus situation, it is not possible to queue with a waiting number at our service points this summer.

We apologise for the backlog. We are constantly trying to find solutions to ease the situation. We have added new available appointment times in the appointment system throughout the summer, and we will try to do so in August as well. Appointment times also become available all the time as customers cancel their appointments. We recommend that you follow the situation in our online appointment system. 

Our telephone service is receiving a large number of calls about the appointment situation. We understand your concern. However, you can only book an appointment in our online appointment system. If needed, our telephone service will give you advice on how to book an appointment. You will also find instructions on booking an appointment on our website at migri.fi/en/how-to-book-an-appointment. 

In most cases, you do not need to prove your identity at a service point right now

• If you submit your residence permit application in the online service Enter Finland, you are legally staying in the country.
  • If you are applying for a first residence permit, are in Finland, and submit your residence permit application in Enter Finland, you are legally residing in Finland even if you cannot book an appointment for proving your identity at a service point within three months of submitting your residence permit application. 
• If you are applying for an extended permit, you may not need to visit a service point to prove your identity.
  • If you are using strong electronic identification in the online service Enter Finland and submit an application for an extended permit, the service will tell you whether you need to visit a service point to prove your identity or not. You can read more about strong electronic identification on the page migri.fi/en/identification. 
• If you send your application for an extended permit in Enter Finland before your previous residence permit expires, your possible right to work will continue.
  • You right to work is continued even if you were not able to visit a service point to prove your identity before your previous permit expired. You can print out a certificate of your pending application for an extended permit in Enter Finland and present it to your employer if necessary.  
• If you are unable to use Enter Finland, you can send your residence permit or travel document application by post or email.
  • We have received residence permit and travel document applications by post and email during the coronavirus pandemic since 20 March 2020. You can still send a paper application by post or email if you are unable to use the online service Enter Finland. Instructions on how to send an application can be found on our website at migri.fi/en/you-are-in-finland. 
  • If you are applying for a first residence permit, are in Finland, and send your application by post or email, you are legally staying in Finland. You do not need to book an appointment yourself, but we will send you a separate invitation to an appointment for proving your identity at a service point. For more information about proving your identity at a service point, see our customer bulletin: Are you in Finland and have sent your application to the Finnish Immigration Service by post or email? You will receive an invitation to an appointment for identity verification at a service point. However, we recommend submitting your application in Enter Finland, because using the online service makes the process faster. If you apply for a residence permit in Enter Finland, you must book an appointment for proving your identity at a service point yourself.
• If you are a British citizen, you can apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement only as of 1 October 2020. 
  • For more information, see our customer bulletin: UK citizens – Remember to apply for a right of residence under the withdrawal agreement between 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021.
• If you have a valid residence permit and you are applying for a new residence permit card, you should notify the Finnish Immigration Service of this by email. 
  • Instructions on how to renew your residence permit card can be found on the page migri.fi/en/you-are-in-finland. If you have a valid residence permit, your right to work will not be interrupted even if you submit your application for a residence permit card late.  

Appointments are intended for proving your identity and submitting applications

If you need advice, you will find answers to many questions on our website at migri.fi:

• Pose your question to our chatbot Kamu! Kamu offers general advice on our website and in the online service Enter Finland.
• See our Frequently Asked Questions page.
• Use our Processing Time Checker to find out how long the processing of your application will take.
• You will find our service numbers on the page migri.fi/en/telephone-service.

If you wish to attach additional documents to your application, you should use Enter Finland. If you have not submitted your application in Enter Finland, you should send your additional documents to the Finnish Immigration Service by post or email. You will find our contact information on the page migri.fi/en/contact-information. Do not book an appointment at a service point only for submitting additional documents.