Identification
Identification means proving your identity. When you submit your application via the online service Enter Finland, you must prove your identity at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service or at a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) if you are abroad. During the same visit, you must present the originals of the documents that you have attached to your application, and possibly give your fingerprints for a residence permit card.
When you apply for an extended permit you will not necessarily need to prove your identity at a service point if you log in to Enter Finland using strong electronic identification, such as your Finnish online banking credentials.
Extended permit without visiting a service point to prove your identity
When you apply for an extended permit in Enter Finland, you can save time and avoid visiting a service point. Log in to Enter Finland with your Finnish online banking credentials and fill in the application. When you submit your application, Enter Finland will let you know if you have to go and prove your identity at a service point or not.
This is what you should do:
- These three options for logging in to the service are referred as strong electronic identification.
- If you only use strong identification after you have submitted your application for an extended permit, you must visit a service point.
- If you already have an Enter Finland account, go to the bottom of this page to read about changing it into an account which uses strong identification.
- If you do not attach a photo retrieval code to your application, you must visit a service point to prove your identity.
- More information on how to attach your passport photo.
- If you do not pay the fee for your application on Enter Finland, you must visit a service point to prove your identity.
Remember to apply for an extended permit before your current residence permit expires. Sometimes you will have to visit a service point even if you used strong identification.
Also a child under 18 years of age can avoid visiting a service point if he or she applies for an extended permit at the same time with his or her parent
- Use strong identification when you log in to the e-service Enter Finland, and fill in your application.
- Remember to attach the retrieval code for your digital passport photo to your application, and to pay the processing fee in Enter Finland.
- Send the application.
- After sending your application you must receive a notification in Enter Finland stating that you do not need to visit a service point.
- Use strong identification when you log in to the e-service Enter Finland and fill in the application.
- Remember to attach the retrieval code for the digital passport photo to the application, and to pay the processing fee in Enter Finland.
- When you have sent the application, the e-service will tell you whether you child needs to visit a service point or not.
Enter Finland will tell you whether you need to visit a service point or not
"You do not need to visit a service point
Congratulations, your application is now pending! You do not need to visit a Finnish Immigration Service service point, because we already have all necessary information. If we need more information from you while the application is being processed, we will contact you. The service point you chose is stated below. If you have already booked an appointment at a Finnish Immigration Service service point, cancel it in the appointment system. Instructions on how to cancel an appointment can be found at migri.fi/ajanvaraus.
(your selected service point)"
"Visit your service point
You need to visit a Finnish Immigration Service service point within three months to verify your identity. At the same visit, you will show the official the original versions of the attachments to your application. You can find more detailed information on what you need to bring with you on the page Visiting a service point.
Book an appointment in our online service. You can book an appointment at any service point. You can find instructions on the page How to book an appointment.
Due to the coronavirus situation, the identification period of three months has been temporarily extended. We will tell you when the temporary arrangement ends. Follow the Finnish Immigration Service’s bulletins at migri.fi/coronavirus.
Here are the most common reasons for having to visit a service point even if you used strong identification.
The service point you selected in the application is:
x"
The following are the most common reasons for having to visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service to prove your identity even when you have used strong electronic identification:
- You did not attach the retrieval code of a digital passport photo to your application.
- You did not pay the fee for your application on Enter Finland before you submitted it.
- You have not used the same Enter Finland account earlier when applying for a permit.
- You have created a new user account in Enter Finland when applying for an extended permit.
- Do not create a new user account in Enter Finland. Instead, you should update your earlier account.
- You are under 18.
- More than 5 years have passed since the last time you were fingerprinted.
- You do not have a valid residence permit.
- You have not shown a passport issued by your home country to the Finnish Immigration Service or the police.
- The entry ban imposed on you by Finland is still in force.