Withdrawing an asylum application

An application for international protection may be withdrawn in one of the following ways:

• The application may be explicitly withdrawn, meaning that you submit a written notification stating that you wish to cancel your application. 
• The application may be implicitly withdrawn, meaning that the authorities cancel your application because you have not complied with your obligations. The processing of your application will then be discontinued, and a decision on removing you from the country will be made.

Explicit withdrawal of application

You may cancel your application at any time during the asylum process.

How to cancel your application:

• You may cancel your application by personally submitting a written notification. You can write it in your native language.
• You must personally give the notification to an official of the Finnish Immigration Service, the police, the border authorities, or the director or the deputy director of a reception centre.
• Your notification must clearly and explicitly state that you are cancelling your asylum application. Date and sign the notification.
• This is what happens when you hand over your notification:
  • The public officials will ask two competent witnesses to be present. The witnesses may be officials of the Finnish Immigration Service, reception centre officials, border control authorities or police authorities.
  • The public officials will ask you to state your opinion on your possible removal from Finland and on a possible entry ban.

When you cancel your application, we will stop processing it and the Finnish Immigration Service issues a decision on the explicit withdrawal of your application. Once you have explicitly withdrawn your application, you cannot appeal against the decision to an administrative court.

The Finnish Immigration Service may at the same time decide on your removal from the country and impose an entry ban on you. A decision on removal from the country and on an entry ban will be issued only if there are legal grounds to do so. 

After you have received a decision on the explicit withdrawal of your application, you can apply for assisted voluntary return for travelling to your home country.

Implicit withdrawal of application

If you do not comply with your obligations, the Finnish Immigration Service may declare your application implicitly withdrawn. Your application may be declared implicitly withdrawn for one of the following reasons:

1. You have not lodged your application with the Finnish Immigration Service without a good reason despite the following: 
   • You have received an invitation to a meeting concerning the lodging of your application. 
   • The invitation stated that you have one week to inform the Finnish Immigration Service of an acceptable reason why you cannot attend the meeting. The invitation also explained what happens if you do not present a good reason for not attending.
2. You have refused to cooperate by not providing the information requested in connection with the registration of the application or by not providing your biometric data.
3. You refuse to provide your address, if you have one.
4. You do not attend your asylum interview without a justified reason, or you have, without justified cause, refused to respond to questions during the interview to the extent that the outcome of the interview was not sufficient to take a decision on the merits of the application.
5. You have repeatedly not complied with your reporting duties or do not remain available to the competent administrative or judicial authorities.
6. You have lodged the application in a Member State other than the Member State that is responsible for your application and do not remain present in that Member State pending the determination of the Member State responsible or the implementation of the transfer procedure, where applicable.

In the above-mentioned cases, the Finnish Immigration Service will usually issue a decision declaring your application implicitly withdrawn. You will also receive a decision on removal from the country together with it, unless:

• you have already received a decision on removal from the country
• you hold another residence permit or 
• it is certain that you have already left Finland.

In situations where there is already enough information to process your application, the Finnish Immigration Service may issue a negative decision, and possibly a decision on your removal from the country, and an entry ban.

Follow these instructions:

• You may cancel your application by giving us a written notification. You can write it in your native language.
• You must personally give the notification to an official of the Finnish Immigration Service, the police, the border authorities, or the director or the deputy director of a reception centre.
• Your notification must clearly and explicitly state that you are cancelling your asylum application. Date and sign the notification.
• This is what happens when you hand over your notification:
  • The public officials will ask two competent witnesses to be present. The witnesses may be officials of the Finnish Immigration Service, border control authorities or police authorities.
  • The public officials will ask you to state your opinion on your potential removal from Finland and prohibition of entry.