Extension of temporary protection
Temporary protection continues until 4 March 2026 for the following groups:
- All Ukrainian citizens and their family members.
- Third-country nationals who hold a permanent residence permit in Ukraine.
- Third-country nationals who hold a residence permit on the basis of international protection in Ukraine. Their family members will continue to receive temporary protection, too.
EU Member States have agreed that temporary protection should be extended until 4 March 2027. The Council will formally adopt the decision to extend the temporary protection during the summer 2025. We will update our website when the official decision has been made. Read more: Press release by the Council of the European Union (consilium.europa.eu).
For third-country nationals who have been residing in Ukraine with a temporary residence permit and who are not family members of Ukrainian citizens, the residence permit for temporary protection will expire. For more information on the expiry of the permits, see Expiry of certain residence permits for temporary protection on this page.
Extension of residence permits issued on the basis of temporary protection
You received a letter from the Finnish Immigration Service after your permit granted on the basis of temporary protection was extended until 4 March 2026.
Please make sure that the Finnish Immigration Service has your correct address and telephone number.
You do not need to apply for a new residence permit card
If the Finnish Immigration Service has extended your temporary protection residence permit until 4 March 2026, your right to work and your old residence permit granted on the basis of temporary protection are still valid. You are residing in Finland legally even if your residence permit card granted on the basis of temporary protection has one of the following expiry dates: 4 March 2023, 4 March 2024 or 4 March 2025.
Expiry of certain residence permits for temporary protection
The instructions below apply to you if you are a third-country national who has resided in Ukraine with a temporary residence permit and who is not a family member of a Ukrainian citizen.
Whose residence permit issued on the basis of temporary protection has expired?
Due to an amendment to the Aliens Act, residence permits granted on the basis of temporary protection expired in March 2025 for those third-country nationals who
- have resided in Ukraine with a temporary residence permit and
- are not family members of a Ukrainian national.
A third-country national is a person who is not a citizen of the European Union or Schengen countries.
When your residence permit granted on the basis of temporary protection has expired, your right to work related to temporary protection and your right to receive reception services have also expired.
As your residence permit expired due to a legislative amendment, you are not entitled to appeal against the expiry of the residence permit.
You received a registered letter when your temporary residence permit in Finland expired.
Staying in Finland after the expiry of your residence permit requires legal grounds
An example of legal grounds for living in Finland is a residence permit issued in Finland. Use the Application Finder which will guide you to choose the application that suits your situation.
If you have some other valid residence permit in Finland in addition to your residence permit for temporary protection, the expiry of the permit for temporary protection will not affect your other residence permit. Your other permit, and your right to work on the basis of the other permit, will be valid until the last day of validity of the permit.
If there are no legal grounds for your stay in Finland after your residence permit issued on the basis of temporary protection expires, you must leave Finland and return to your home country or a country where you have a right of residence.
Illegal stay can be sanctioned
If you continue to stay in Finland without legal grounds after your residence permit has expired, you are staying in Finland illegally.
If you continue to stay in Finland without legal grounds after your residence permit has expired, you are staying in Finland illegally. You cannot use your residence permit card issued on the basis of temporary protection after your permit has expired. If you are staying in Finland illegally or if you use your residence permit card after your permit has expired, you may be sentenced to a fine for violation of the Aliens Act.