Travel documents

An alien’s passport and a refugee travel document are travel documents that may be issued to you by the Finnish Immigration Service to be used instead of the passport of your country of nationality. However, they are not official identity documents. They cannot be used as identity documents even if your document does not include the remark ‘Identity not verified’. If you need an official identity document, you can apply for an identity card from the police (poliisi.fi).

You can only use one travel document

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

If you have refugee status or subsidiary protection status in Finland, you need to choose which travel document you want to use:

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

If you decide to use a refugee travel document or an alien’s passport, you need to hand over the passport of your country of nationality to the Finnish Immigration Service. We will keep the passport in our archive.

If you obtain a new passport that is issued by your country of nationality, 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 Your valid refugee travel document or alien’s passport will then be withdrawn.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 the validity period of your passport or if you obtain a new passport that is issued by your country of nationality.

Travelling

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. 

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

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

If your alien's passport or refugee travel document has been issued on 21 August 2016 or later, it contains 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 five 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 five years.