Representative of an unaccompanied child asylum seeker
When a child under 18 years of age arrives in Finland without a parent or guardian and applies for international protection or temporary protection, a district court appoints a representative for the child once the child’s reception centre has submitted an application to the district court regarding the appointment. In Finland, anyone under 18 is considered a child.
The representative’s task is to ensure that the child’s best interests are taken into account in different situations. The representative will use the right to be heard on behalf of the person who has custody of the child in matters affecting the child and in matters concerning the child’s assets. The representative protects the best interests of the child in official matters. The representative will attend the child’s asylum interview, for example, and will be present when the child visits a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service to manage the child’s matters.
The representative is not responsible for the daily maintenance, upbringing or other care of the child. These matters are the responsibility of the child’s reception centre or of the family with whom the child lives.
The representative’s fee is paid by the Finnish Immigration Service when the child lives in a reception centre, lives in private accommodation or is placed with a family. Once the child is granted a residence permit and moves to a municipality, the representative’s fee will be paid by the KEHA centre. For more information on representing a child, see the instructions for representatives of unaccompanied minors in Finland (kotoutuminen.fi)Link to an external website.
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Other instructions for representatives are available only in Finnish and Swedish
Instructions for minors
