When do we start counting the expected processing time? When do we stop counting?

The counting of the expected processing time begins when you have submitted your application and its attachments at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service or a Finnish mission (embassy or consulate), or after you have applied for a travel document at a service point.

If you have submitted your application in the e-service Enter Finland, the counting of the processing time begins after you have visited a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service or a Finnish mission to verify your identity, give your fingerprints and present the original copies of any attachments required for the application.

If you have applied for asylum, the processing time is calculated from when you notify the police or the border control authorities in Finland that you want to apply for asylum.

If it has been necessary to determine the state responsible for processing your asylum application in Finland, the processing time is calculated from when the substantive examination of your asylum application has begun in Finland. 

If you have been transferred to Finland in the Dublin procedure, the processing time for your asylum application is calculated from when you have arrived in Finland and your asylum application has been registered in Finland.

More information about substantive examinations and the Dublin procedure: migri.fi/en/when-is-an-application-not-processed-in-finland-
 

If we need to ask you for further information or invite you to an interview, the calculation of the processing time of your application is put on hold. Sometimes it takes a long time before an interview takes place. The counting of the processing time continues after we have received the necessary information from you.

The counting of the processing time is also put on hold if you have not paid the processing fee. The counting continues when you have paid the fee.

The expected processing time ends when we make a decision on your application. The time we need to serve you the decision and deliver a residence permit card to you are not included in the expected processing time. It takes around two weeks to manufacture and post a residence permit card.