- 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
Legal advice
You have a right to a legal counsel. If you want a legal counsel, contact the closest legal aid office.
The legal counsel does not usually participate in asylum interviews. He or she is allowed to be present but he or she will only be paid if there are special, weighty reasons why he or she needs to be there. The legal aid office decides whether it will compensate the legal counsel’s costs. If the legal aid office decides not to cover the costs, you may pay for your legal counsel yourself or go to your interview alone.
If you are an asylum seeker who is under 18 years of age and if you arrived in Finland alone, your representative will find a legal counsel for you. The legal aid offices always compensate the costs of the legal counsels of asylum seekers who are under 18 years of age and who arrived alone.
Ask your reception centre for more information about the places where you can get legal aid.
Watch a video about legal advice during the asylum process.
Further information about legal aid is also available on the website of the Finnish juridicial administration.
More information about Enter Finland for counsels and representatives can be found here.