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Time limit for proving your identity at missions and service points extended until 31 December 2021

Publication date 22.6.2021 13.38
Press release

The Finnish Immigration Service has decided to extend the time limit for visiting a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service or a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) to prove your identity.

Applicants for 

  • a residence permit 

  • registration of right of residence, or  

  • citizenship 

must normally visit a Finnish mission abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland within three months of submitting their application in the online service Enter Finland.  The time limit for proving your identity has now been extended until 31 December 2021. 
The extended time limit also applies to those requests for additional information that require visiting a Finnish mission. 

Extra time is given in order to ease the situation of those applicants who have submitted their application in the online service Enter Finland, but are unable to visit a Finnish mission abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland in time due to the coronavirus epidemic. 

The Finnish Immigration Service cannot start processing your application before you have proved your identity. In order to prove your identity, you must visit a Finnish mission abroad or a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland. If needed, your fingerprints are also taken and the necessary documents checked. 

If you are not in Finland

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Finnish missions abroad can only see a limited number of residence permit customers. The Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for the operation of the missions. According to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, restrictions put in place by different countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic affect the closure of missions and VFS Global centres. Read more about the customer service situation in Finnish missions on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The Finnish Immigration service cannot influence the operation of the foreign missions and VFS Global centres. If you cannot make an appointment with the mission, contact your Finnish mission or the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. You can find the contact details of the missions on a website maintained by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs at finlandabroad.fi

We recommend that you submit your application in Enter Finland for the following reasons:

  • Your stay in the country is legal when you apply for a residence permit.

    • If you are in Finland and submit an application for your first residence permit in Enter Finland, your stay in Finland is legal even if you are unable to get an appointment at a service point and prove your identity within three months of lodging the application.

  • If you are applying for an extended permit, you may not have to visit a service point to prove your identity.

    • When you start using strong electronic identification in the Enter Finland online service 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. Read more about strong electronic identification.