Guidelines for application of law

The Finnish Immigration Service’s guidelines for application of law are published on this page.

The guidelines are used in the decision-making process in situations where the decision-makers cannot find a direct answer in the legislation. The guidelines have a significant impact on the consistency and quality of the decisions made by the Finnish Immigration Service.

Country guidelines are country-specific instructions that provide advice and assessments regarding, among other things, the level of armed violence in the different regions of countries of origin and the risk of being subjected to serious harm due to an armed conflict in certain areas as a civilian. The country guidelines also include instructions about, for example, when the internal protection alternative can be applied. The guidelines are based on legislation as well as on up-to-date country of origin information and legal practice.

For further information about the conditions in asylum seekers’ countries of origin, see the reports and overviews on different countries and topics by the Country Information Service. The reports are not judicial assessments and do not take a stand on whether persons coming from a certain country can be granted international protection in Finland based on their home region.

The guidelines for application of law are published only in Finnish, because they are drawn up for the internal use of the Finnish Immigration Service.