The Finnish Immigration Service records every asylum interview – you can get your recording by submitting a request
The recording is kept for five years.
You can ask for your asylum interview free of charge. The recording will be delivered on a CD. For data security reasons the recording cannot be sent as an email attachment.
You can submit a request for your recording using the request for information form.
If you wish, you can listen to your recording at the Finnish Immigration Service office.
You may also record your interview yourself
The asylum interview is conducted in an area to which the general public has no access. Recording (i.e. photographing, voice recording or video recording) is permitted in this area for the purpose of observing the operations of the Finnish Immigration Service.
Taking individual photographs or video of an immigration service official or an interpreter as an individual person is not permitted, because the purpose of the photographs or video would not be to observe the events of the interview or the work of the interviewer or interpreter.
Recording is only permitted during the interview in the facilities reserved for the interview
You are only allowed to record your asylum interview during the actual interview in the facilities reserved for the interview. You are not permitted to photograph or record anything before or after the interview, during breaks or outside the interview room in other areas, such as the waiting hall, which is closed to the general public. Any type of recording in these areas is prohibited in order to protect the identity and privacy of asylum seekers present in the area.
Due to the nature of asylum-related matters, the authorities are obliged to protect the identity and privacy of asylum seekers. Thus, the prohibition on recording is emphasised in areas that are closed to the general public and where asylum seekers are present.
Recording is also generally permitted in the interview facilities of the detention unit. In certain cases, recording in detention unit facilities may be restricted based on legal provisions.
If you record your interview, remember:
- Recording must not disrupt the interview. If recording disrupts the work of an interviewer or an interpreter or hinders your concentration, the interview may be discontinued.
- You are responsible for any consequences of keeping your mobile phone switched on in order to record your interview and any related data security risks. The Finnish Immigration Service recommends that you completely switch off your mobile phone during the interview, if you do not intend to record the interview.
- You are not allowed to bring additional equipment, such as lights, or other people with you into the interview room to record the interview.
