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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.

Usually, you must prove your identity at a service point or at a mission within three months of submitting your application. Due to the coronavirus situation, the time limit for proving your identity has been extended until 31 December 2021. For more information, see: migri.fi/en/handling-matters-during-the-coronavirus-epidemic.

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.

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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:

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.

More information on 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

Enter Finland will tell you whether you need to visit a service point or not

The following are the most common reasons for having to visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service to prove your identify 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 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.

 

This is how you update your Enter Finland account to an account with strong identification

If you have only logged in to Enter Finland using your e-mail address and password, you must visit a service point.

Update your account into one that uses strong electronic identification.

This is what you should do:

Remember to update your account to an account with strong identification before applying for an extended permit.

If you submitted your application before updating your account, you will unfortunately have to visit a service point.