Aliens Act amended on 12 June 2026, affects removal from country and entry ban

The Finnish Parliament has approved amendments to the Aliens Act concerning removal from the country and entry bans. The amendments enter into force on 12 June 2026.

The legislative amendments will also affect beneficiaries of temporary protection. Read more in the press release: Aliens Act amended on 12 June 2026, affects beneficiaries of temporary protection.

Enforcement of deportation decisions speeded up

A person may receive a deportation decision, for example when he or she is not granted an extended permit or when his or her valid residence permit is withdrawn.

In future, appealing a deportation decision will not automatically prevent the enforcement of the decision. This means that the process of removal from the country may begin before the appeal is processed. A deportation decision may be enforced after the appeal period has expired, that is, 30 days after the person has been served with the decision.

Effects on the right to work

If a person is not granted an extended permit or his or her valid residence permit is withdrawn, in future he or she may work until the deportation decision is enforceable. This means that the right to work ends 30 days after the person has been served with the deportation decision. If the person appeals against the deportation decision and an administrative court approves a prohibition of enforcement, the right to work will continue until the administrative court has issued a decision on the appeal.

Entry ban in advance becomes possible

When the amendments enter into force, an entry ban may be imposed in advance on a foreign national who does not reside in Finland even if the person does not have a previous permit history in Finland. This type of entry ban is imposed by the police, either on the proposal of other security authorities or on its own initiative. The entry ban applies to the entire Schengen and EU area.

Expiry of residence permits specified

The legislative reform specifies the time when a residence permit expires.  The reform means that a residence permit expires immediately after the Finnish Immigration Service has decided on the deportation of a foreign national from the country. On the other hand, if a person's residence permit is withdrawn, it will expire once the Finnish Immigration Service has made a decision on withdrawal.

Further information

• Denial of admittance or stay, deportation and entry ban
• Press release by the Ministry of the Interior: Legislative amendments on removal from the country and entry bans to enter into force (intermin.fi)