Stricter identification requirements for residence permit applicants

As of 1 September 2024, amendments to the Aliens Act will introduce stricter identification requirements for residence permit applicants.

When you apply for a residence permit, you must have a valid passport issued by your country of nationality.

• As of 1 September 2024, we usually cannot grant you a residence permit if you do not have a passport issued by your country of nationality. If you, for instance, have a refugee travel document or an alien’s passport issued by Finland or some other country, you will not necessarily be able to get a residence permit in Finland.

When making a decision on your application, the protection of family life and the best interest of the child are taken into account.

Obtain a passport from your country of nationality if you do not have one already

The stricter requirement is also applied to applications that are already being processed. If you have submitted your application before 1 September 2024 and you do not have a passport, get a passport from your country of nationality. The stricter identification requirement applies to you as well. If you do not obtain a passport from your country of nationality, the decision on your residence permit application can be negative because you do not have a passport. 

If you have been issued with an alien’s passport for the purpose of obtaining a passport from your country of nationality, make sure you obtain it as soon as possible. If you do not get a passport, your next residence permit application can be rejected because you do not have a passport.

Exceptions to the passport requirement when you apply for a first residence permit or an extended permit 

We will not reject a residence permit application because the applicant does not have a passport in the following cases:

• The applicant is a child born in Finland.  
  • We will issue the child with an alien’s passport so that the child can obtain a passport issued by his or her country of nationality. 
  • If the child’s country of nationality has an embassy or a consulate in Finland, the child must primarily obtain a passport issued by his or her country of nationality.
• The applicant needs a residence permit on a discretionary basis on humanitarian grounds.
• The applicant is a victim of human trafficking.
• The applicant is applying for asylum or temporary protection
• The applicant has applied for international protection and is applying for an extended permit or a permanent residence permit on the basis of international protection, or
• The applicant is applying for a residence permit as a family member of a person who has received international protection and the applicant is granted international protection.

Exceptions to the passport requirement when you apply for a permanent residence permit

If you apply for a permanent residence permit, you are not required to hold a passport issued by your country of nationality if you previously have been granted

• international protection or temporary protection or
• a residence permit when exclusion clauses have been applied. 

You are not required to have a passport issued by your country of nationality if you can prove that you have tried to obtain such a passport, you have presented reliable proof of your identity and you have previously received a residence permit despite not having a passport

• due to obstacles to leaving the country 
• on a discretionary basis on humanitarian grounds 
• as a victim of human trafficking
• as a third-country national who has resided and worked in the country illegally
• as a foreign national in a witness protection programme.

Additionally, you still need to meet the requirements for the permit.

A permanent residence permit can also be granted when the applicant does not have a passport if there are exceptionally serious grounds for it or if it is in the best interest of the child.

Updated on 4 September 2024: International protection has been added to the list of exceptions to the passport requirement.

Updated on 3 October 2024: The wording regarding passports issued by country of nationality has been revised in the Finnish version and in the translations.