Skip to Content

Refund of a payment

Getting a refund for a processing fee that you have paid for an application is possible for the following reasons only (see the decree issued by the Ministry of the Interior on charges payable to the Finnish Immigration Service):

  • You were charged too much (at a service point or due to a system error).
  • You were charged unnecessarily for a reason related to the authorities.
  • You mistakenly selected the wrong application and paid the wrong processing fee. 
  • Your application type was changed by an official while your application was already pending.
  • The fee has accidentally been paid twice.

Processing fees for online applications will be refunded if you cancel the application before the visit to prove your identity.

To ask for a refund, please email esupport@migri.fi or visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service.

You can ask for a refund of the processing fee from the Finnish Immigration Service in the following case:

  • you have applied for a first residence permit in Finland on the basis of studies, work or pursuing a trade before 1 September 2024;
  • the Finnish Immigration Service has not made a decision on your application by 31 August 2024; and
  • you are in Finland and have a pending asylum application.

In such a case, you will get instructions on how to request a refund when you receive the decision of the Finnish Immigration Service.

Request for refund by email

  1. Fill in the form Request for refund of payment (pdf).
  2. Send your request for refund to esupport@migri.fi.

Alternatively, you can send an email including the following information:

  • Name of the person whose application your request concerns.
  • Customer number of the person concerned, if such number exists.
  • Full name of the customer whom the refund concerns.
  • Which application your request for a refund concerns.
  • Diary number of the relevant application, if such number exists.
  • Receipt of the payment that you are requesting to be refunded, or the payment details from your online bank statement. 
  • If the fee has been paid twice, attach receipts of both payments.
  • Sum that you are requesting to be refunded.
  • Date when the payment was made.
  • Name of payer and identifying information, such as order number or reference number. 
  • Please note that processing fees paid in Enter Finland will primarily be refunded using the original payment method. 
  • Processing fees paid elsewhere than in Enter Finland will be refunded to a bank account. When requesting a refund, please state a bank account number, the name of the account holder and the account number (in IBAN format). If the account is in a bank outside Finland, please state the home address of the account holder and the bank’s BIC (SWIFT) code as well.

Normally, it takes approximately 2 to 3 months to issue a refund. To ensure an easy process, please make sure that you have provided all the information requested. There may be delays if we need to ask you for additional information. We will inform you when the refund has been paid.

Refund at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service 

We can refund a processing fee at our service points only in the following cases:

  • You or the person you wish to receive the refund has a debit or credit card to which the payment can be refunded. The card must be the same that was used when making the original payment. 
  • Your application type has been changed during processing. The difference between the fees will be refunded.

The refund can only be issued to a debit or credit card.