Updates about Syria
The change of regime in Syria in December 2024 has led to changes in the country’s security situation. This page contains current information about how the situation in Syria affects customers of the Finnish Immigration Service. The page will be soon available in Arabic and Kurmanji.
This page was last updated on 11 December 2024.
Decisions on international protection
The Finnish Immigration Service has paused its decision-making on asylum applications from Syrians and on applications for an extended permit on the basis of refugee status or subsidiary protection status.
Decisions on asylum applications always require up-to-date country of origin information. Our country of origin information is actively being updated and collected from several different sources by the Finnish Immigration Service’s Country Information Unit. Because of the change of regime in Syria, the country of origin information that we have is not yet up to date. As soon as we have reviewed the information we have about the situation, we can start issuing decisions on asylum applications from Syrians and on applications for extended permits from Syrians.
Applications for international protection
You can still apply for asylum in Finland by telling the border control authorities or the police in Finland that you want to apply for asylum. Asylum applications can still be submitted even though the decision-making has been paused.
If you are applying for an extended permit on the basis of refugee status or subsidiary protection status, remember to submit your residence permit application before your current residence permit expires. Your right to work will remain valid if you submit your application for an extended permit on time.
Asylum interviews
Asylum interviews that have already been booked will be conducted as planned. However, no new asylum interviews are being scheduled for Syrian citizens at the moment.
Requests for expedited processing
Requests for expedited processing of asylum applications or applications for an extended permit from Syrian citizens are not being processed at the moment because the decision-making has been paused.
If you need someone to talk to
The MIELI Crisis Helpline in Finnish (mieli.fi) offers crisis assistance and support in Finnish 24/7 at +358 9 2525 0111. The MIELI Crisis Helpline in English (mieli.fi) offers crisis assistance and support in English. You can read more on the website of MIELI ry (mieli.fi).
The MIELI Crisis Centre Helsinki offers short-term crisis counselling and guidance in crisis situations. For more information, see MIELI Crisis Centre Helsinki – MIELI ry (mieli.fi).
If you are a client of a reception centre, you can contact an employee of your reception centre or the reception centre nurse for advice and help. If you have been granted a municipality of residence, contact your local health centre. If you go to school or are studying, you can contact the school psychologist, the school social worker or the school nurse.
In urgent situations, call 112 (the emergency number in Finland).
Voluntary return
Assistance for voluntary return is currently not being granted for returning to Syria.
If you wish to return to Syria, you need to cancel your asylum application first. For instructions, see the page Cancelling an application.
If you have international protection status and you move permanently to your country of origin, you can ask the Finnish Immigration Service to cancel your residence permit. If you do so, your protection status will end, too.
For instructions on how to ask for cancellation of your residence permit, see the page Withdrawal of residence permits. See the page Ending of refugee status and subsidiary protection for more information about ending your protection status.