Passports and other travel documents

A passport is a travel document and an official identity document issued by the authorities of your country of nationality. As a rule, you must have a valid passport when you arrive in Finland and during your stay in Finland. When you apply for a residence permit or for Finnish citizenship, we will verify your identity based on a valid passport issued by your country of nationality. 
Finnish passports are granted to Finnish citizens by the police.

An alien’s passport and a refugee travel document are travel documents issued by the Finnish Immigration Service. They can be used instead of the passport of your country of nationality in some situations. 

Alien's passports and refugee travel documents are not official identity documents. They cannot be used to prove your identity. They cannot be used as identity documents even if the document does not include a remark about the document holder’s identity not being verified. If you need an official identity document, you can apply for an identity card from the police (poliisi.fi). 

Passport issued by country of nationality

When you apply for a residence permit, you must have a valid passport issued by your country of nationality (the country where you have citizenship). Usually, you cannot be granted a residence permit in Finland if you hold a refugee travel document or an alien’s passport issued by Finland or some other country.

• If you have been granted international protection status, you are not required to contact the authorities of your home country, and you do not need a valid passport issued by your country of nationality when you apply for a residence permit.

If you have been granted an alien’s passport for the purpose of obtaining a passport, please obtain the passport of your country of nationality as soon as possible. If you do not obtain the passport of your country of nationality, the decision on your residence permit application can be negative because you do not have a passport.

A valid passport is required

You must have a valid passport, issued by your country of nationality, during the entire time your application is being processed. 

If you get a new passport while you are still waiting for a decision on your residence permit application, you must present your new passport at a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service in Finland or at Finnish mission (embassy or consulate) abroad. Please renew your passport in time. 

• At the service point of the Finnish Immigration Service, you can either take a waiting number or book an appointment in advance for presenting your new passport. See the locations and opening hours of service points.
• See the contact information of Finnish missions abroad on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (finlandabroad.fi). 

Exceptions to the passport requirement if you apply for a first residence permit or an extended permit 

Granting an exemption from the passport requirement is rare, but it is possible in the following cases:

• You apply for a first residence permit for a child born in Finland and cannot obtain a passport for him or her without leaving Finland.
  • We will issue an alien’s passport for the child so that you can obtain a passport issued by the child's country of nationality for the child. 
  • If the child’s country of nationality has an embassy or a consulate in Finland, the child must primarily obtain a passport issued by his or her country of nationality.  
• You are granted a residence permit on a discretionary basis on humanitarian grounds.
• You are granted a residence permit as a victim of trafficking in human beings.
• You apply for asylum or temporary protection.
• You apply for an extended permit on the basis of international protection.
• You apply for a residence permit as a family member of a person who has received international protection and you are granted international protection.

In addition to the situations listed above, granting an exemption from the passport requirement is possible if you are issued with one of the following permits:

• Residence permit issued in cases of obstacles to leaving the country.
• Residence permit for a third-country national who has resided and worked in the country illegally.
• Residence permit for a foreign national in a witness protection programme.
• Residence permit when exclusion clauses are applied.

When you apply for a residence permit on the basis of family ties, we will also take into account the requirements for protection of family life and the best interest of the child.

Exceptions to the passport requirement if you apply for a permanent residence permit

1. Granting an exemption from the passport requirement is possible if you have been granted one of the following residence permits and your permanent permit is granted on one of the following grounds:
   • asylum 
   • subsidiary protection
   • residence permit when exclusion clauses are applied
   • temporary protection
   • residence permit for a family member of a beneficiary of international protection when you have protection status. 
2. Granting an exemption from the passport requirement is possible if you have been admitted to Finland under the refugee quota and have been granted a residence permit on the basis of refugee status.
3. Granting an exemption from the passport requirement is possible if you can prove that you have tried to obtain the passport of your country of nationality but have not been issued with a passport, and you have presented reliable proof of your identity. You must have been granted a previous residence permit despite the lack of passport on one of the following grounds, and the permanent permit must be granted on one of the following grounds:
   • due to obstacles to leaving the country 
   • on a discretionary basis on humanitarian grounds 
   • as a victim of trafficking in human beings
   • as a third-country national who has resided and worked in the country illegally
   • as a foreign national in a witness protection programme.

A permanent residence permit can be granted without a valid passport issued by your country of nationality on the basis of protection of family life, or if there are exceptionally serious grounds, or if it is in the best interest of a child.

You can only use one travel document

You can only have one travel document in use: either the passport of your country of nationality or a travel document issued by the Finnish Immigration Service (that is, a refugee travel document or an alien’s passport). 

When you have refugee status or subsidiary protection status in Finland, you must choose which travel document you wish to use:

• If you have refugee status in Finland, you need to choose between the valid passport of your country of nationality and a refugee travel document. 
• If you have subsidiary protection status in Finland, you need to choose between the passport of your country of nationality and an alien's passport.

You must hand over the passport of your country of nationality to the Finnish Immigration Service if you decide to use a refugee travel document or an alien’s passport. We will store the passport in our archive.

If you get a new passport issued by your country of nationality and wish to start using it, visit a service point of the Finnish Immigration Service to present your new passport there. Your valid refugee travel document or alien’s passport will then be withdrawn.

Please note:

• You may lose your refugee status or subsidiary protection status if the authorities of your country of nationality extend your passport or if you obtain a new passport issued by your country of nationality. 

Travelling

When you depart from or return to Finland, you must have a valid travel document and a valid residence permit card.

Check with the authorities of your country of destination to find out if an alien’s passport or a refugee travel document allows you to travel to that country. Finnish authorities, such as the Finnish Immigration Service, do not decide to which countries you may or may not travel with an alien’s passport or a refugee travel document. 

Checking your residence permit

•  If your residence permit has been issued on 1 January 2012 or later, you have received a separate residence permit card. 
• If your residence permit has been issued on 31 December 2011 or before that, your travel document contains a residence permit sticker.

Biometric travel documents

Alien's passports and refugee travel documents issued on or after 21 August 2016 contain a microchip. Travel documents that contain a microchip are called biometric travel documents.

The chip stores the information contained in the travel document: a facial photo, personal data, information on the passport, and fingerprints of persons over 12 years of age.

A biometric alien’s passport or refugee travel document is valid for 5 years at maximum. The validity period of the passport cannot be extended. Instead, when the passport expires, a new travel document is issued for a maximum of 5 years.