Assisted voluntary return
Would you like to return voluntarily to your country of origin or to a country where you have a residence permit? On these pages you will find information on assisted voluntary return and how to apply for assistance for voluntary return. You can find the information in the following languages: Arabic, Dari, English, Farsi, Sorani Kurdish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Somali, Spanish, and Russian.
Assisted voluntary return can be arranged for you if you are a third-country national and
- you have applied for international protection and received a negative decision on your application
- you have applied for international protection and cancelled your application
- your international protection status previously granted to you has been ended
- you have been issued a residence permit under section 51 of the Aliens Act
- you have been granted temporary protection and you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland.
You are not eligible for voluntary return assistance if you are returning to another EU Member State, Schengen country or third country whose nationals are not required to have a visa for Finland. A return journey can, however, be arranged for you.
For a victim of human trafficking who does not have a municipality of residence in Finland can be arranged a return journey and they can be granted assistance for voluntary return to any state, including a Member State of the European Union, a Schengen state or a third country whose citizens are not required to have a visa for Finland.
The Finnish Immigration Service cannot grant you a residence permit to Finland if you have been granted assistance for voluntary return and apply for a residence permit to Finland within 5 years of the return. However, you still have the right to apply for asylum.
Assisted voluntary return cannot be arranged to all countries due to the security situation in some countries or for other reasons. You can check the situation of your country of return by asking at your reception centre, by emailing to return@migri.fi or by calling the number 050 413 8625 of the advice line for voluntary return.
Assistance for voluntary return
Assistance for voluntary return includes
- arranging of the return journey
- help with return arrangements
- assistance for reintegration.
The assistance is primarily granted as in-kind assistance in the country of return. In-kind assistance means services or supplies that help you, for example, with
- starting your own business
- education or training
- housing costs
- healthcare costs.
The reintegration service provider will plan the use of the in-kind assistance with you to meet your personal needs.
Assisted voluntary return
If you have applied for international protection in Finland and are returning to a country whose citizens are required to have a visa to enter Finland, the amount of assistance will depend on your situation.
- If you apply for assisted voluntary return within 30 days of being served with your first negative asylum decision or of cancelling your first asylum application, the assistance is EUR 5,300.
- If you apply for assisted voluntary return over 30 days after being served with your first negative asylum decision or of cancelling your first asylum application, the assistance is EUR 2,450.
- If you have applied for asylum more than once, the assistance is EUR 2,450.
You may be granted EUR 3,000 of assistance for voluntary return if:
- you have been granted temporary protection and you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland
- you are a victim of human trafficking and you do not have a municipality of residence in Finland
- you have been issued a residence permit under section 51 of the Aliens Act.
Additional assistance granted on the basis of personal circumstances
If your personal situation requires additional assistance, you may be eligible for an additional amount of EUR 1,000 in addition to your basic assistance. The need for an additional assistance affected by, for example, your age, disability, illness, family situation or other similar reason.
Additional assistance can also be granted to a country whose citizens are required to have a visa to enter Finland.
Applying for assisted voluntary return
To be eligible for assisted voluntary return, you must leave Finland voluntarily. You must cancel all pending applications and appeals concerning asylum, residence permits and alien’s passports.
Are you a client at a reception centre?
Contact the staff at the reception centre.
Have you remained in Finland without a residence permit after your reception services ended?
The Finnish Immigration Service will advise and help you apply for voluntary return.
- The telephone number of the advice line for voluntary return is 050 413 8625 (also WhatsApp).
- Emails can be sent using the Finnish Immigration Service's Securemail service (securemail.migri.fi) to return@migri.fi to ensure that the message safely reaches the right recipient.
Processing your application
The reception centre or the Finnish Immigration Service will fill in the application forms together with you, process your application and give a decision.
The reception centre or the Finnish Immigration Service will check with the police or the border authorities whether you can return to your country of origin voluntarily. If the police have not started your removal from the country and there are no other factors preventing your voluntary return, the decision will be sent to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which will start the return arrangements.
Return arrangements
IOM provides information and advice about your return in several languages. If you do not have a passport, you will get help with acquiring a travel document from the embassy of your home country. IOM will then book your travel to your country of return. If you have health issues, they will be taken into account in the return arrangements. When you leave Finland, IOM will give you the details of the contact who provides you with your return assistance. When you leave, you will also receive from IOM the documents held by the Finnish authorities.