Temporary protection

Temporary protection may be granted to  

• Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war 
• Ukrainian citizens’ family members, persons who have received international protection in Ukraine and stateless persons as well as their family members, and those who were living in Ukraine with a permanent residence permit and whose permanent and safe return to their home country is not possible.  
• citizens of the European Union and non-Schengen countries as well as stateless persons who were residing in Ukraine legally and whose safe and permanent return to their country of origin is not possible.

Applications for temporary protection are submitted to the police or border authorities. The police or the border authorities register the application and record the applicant’s personal data and place of residence information as well as the details of their family members. In addition, the client is photographed and fingerprinted, and they provide their signature. The client has the right to work as soon as they have been registered. 

After registration, the Finnish Immigration Service makes a decision on their application. The estimated processing time of the application is around one week if no further information is needed.  

If the client is granted temporary protection, the Finnish Immigration Service will order a residence permit card for them. It takes around 2 weeks to get a residence permit card.  

The Finnish Immigration Service will send the decision to the applicant by post. The decision is posted to the reception centre where the applicant is staying. If the client lives in private accommodation, the decision will be sent to the address the applicant has given as their address in Finland. 

The Finnish Immigration Service has not turned down applications for temporary protection very often. For example, an application for temporary protection may be turned down if the client has no grounds for getting a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection, the client is believed to put public order or safety at risk, or there are grounds to suspect that the client has committed an offence.

Residence permits granted on the basis of temporary protection will be valid until 4 March 2026. The client does not need to apply for an extension of the residence permit themselves, as the Finnish Immigration Service will automatically extend it. The Council of the European Union has made a decision to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing the war until 4 March 2026.

You can also see the number of applications for temporary protection in the Finnish Immigration Service’s statistical service. 

Yes. A client who has been granted temporary protection may start working or studying immediately after registering their temporary protection application with the police or the border authorities.

A person applying for or receiving temporary protection may stay at a reception centre. When a person is staying at a reception centre, arrangements are made for them to live together with their close family members. Unaccompanied minors live at a reception centre for minors. Reception centres of different sizes are found in different parts of Finland. Applicants are directed to a centre that has space.  

Recipients of temporary protection may also find their own accommodation outside the reception centre if they wish. For example, they can stay with a friend or relative. If the person does not live at a reception centre, they must be able to pay for the accommodation themselves. The reception centre does not give financial support for living in private accommodation. If the situation changes and the person needs accommodation, a place is arranged for them at a reception centre that has space. 

If a person has been granted a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection for at least one year and they have lived in Finland for a year, they can apply to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency for a municipality of residence. When a person has a municipality of residence, they will no longer be a client of the reception services. They will be a client of the services provided by the municipality and wellbeing services county and a resident in the municipality in question. Those who have been granted a municipality of residence have the same rights and obligations as people who live in Finland permanently, and they can use the same services. The aim is that all those who can apply for a municipality of residence and move to it will do so.