- Residence permit
- EU citizen
- Finnish citizenship
- Asylum in Finland
- What are the grounds for asylum?
- Applying for asylum
- Living in a reception centre
- Living in private accommodation
- Accommodation of an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker
- Legal advice
- Representative of an unaccompanied minor asylum seeker
- Daily life in a reception centre
- Asylum seeker’s right to work
- Processing of asylum applications
- Cancelling an application
- Positive decision
- Negative decision
- Subsequent applications
- Family members seeking asylum in Europe
- Quota refugees
- Detention
- Assistance system for victims of human trafficking
- Transfer of refugee status to Finland
- Withdrawal of refugee status and subsidiary protection
- Cancellation of refugee status and subsidiary protection
- Voluntary return
- Effect of crime on the asylum process
- Travel documents
- Income requirement
- Processing of applications
- Notify us of changes
- Requests and certificates
- Legislation
- Informing of the decision
- Appealing a decision
- Cancellation of a permit
- Refusal of entry and deportation
- Right to work
- For employers
- Travelling
- Visiting Finland
Detention
Finland has two detention units. One is in Metsälä, Helsinki. The other is connected to the reception centre in Konnunsuo, Joutseno.
An asylum seeker can only be detained in situations that are specified in the law. You may be detained for example if your identity is unclear or there are reasonable grounds to suspect that you would try to stop the police from removing you from Finland. A person may also be detained if there is a reason to suspect that he or she will commit a crime in Finland. The detention units are closed areas which the detained persons cannot leave.
The decision to detain someone is made by a police or a border guard. The detained person must be immediately informed of the grounds of the detention. He or she must also be given information about the processing of the matter that concerns the detention, and about his or her possibility to receive legal aid.
The Finnish Immigration Service is responsible for the steering, planning and supervision of practical detention unit operations.