Changes in the government branch of the Ministry of the Interior at the turn of the year

The start of 2026 will see the entry into force of new acts and decrees. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes in the Ministry of the Interior’s government branch.

Tighter conditions for permanent residence permits 

The conditions for obtaining a permanent residence permit will be tightened. For example, the continuous period of residence required for the permit will be extended. In addition, the applicant is required to have a stricter standard of integrity, proficiency in Finnish or Swedish and a work history. The amendments will enter into force on 8 January 2026.

The continuous period of residence required for a permanent residence permit will be extended from four to six years. When you have resided in Finland for six years, as a rule, you may be granted a permanent residence permit on condition that your proficiency in either Finnish or Swedish is satisfactory and you have been working in Finland for two years. If an alien has been sentenced to unconditional imprisonment, the uninterrupted period of permitted residence is interrupted and the calculation of the period begins from the beginning once the sentence has been served in full.

The tasks of the National Security Unit to be reorganised

The Ministry of the Interior is reforming its organisation. The National Security Unit will discontinue its operations at the beginning of 2026 and its tasks will be redistributed within the Ministry.

The deterioration of Finland’s security environment has increased the need to strengthen the Ministry of the Interior’s investments in national security as well as in tasks related to preparedness and precautionary measures. In particular, the aim of the change is to ensure that the steering of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and civilian intelligence will continue to be carried out in a high-quality manner.

Steering of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and civilian intelligence as well as the other duties related to them will be directly under the responsibility of the Permanent Secretary from next year. Other current duties of the National Security Unit will be assigned to other departments of the Ministry.

Changes to fees charged by the Finnish Immigration Service

The processing fees for residence permit applications will be increased in order to better reflect the costs incurred by the Finnish Immigration Service. The increases range from EUR 50 to EUR 250.

The fees will be increased, as the processing costs of almost all applications have increased compared to the previous year. The most significant reason for the increase in costs is the decrease in the number of residence permit applications, which is due to the general economic situation in Finland. In addition, legislative amendments have increased the workload in the processing of applications.

According to the legislation, fees charged for public services must, in principle, correspond to the costs arising from them.

Reception allowance to remain at reduced level next year

The Government will keep the reception allowance and the spending allowance granted to people who are entitled to reception services at the current reduced level in line with the Government Programme. The validity of the temporary act on the matter will be extended until 11 June 2026.

Permanent amendments to the legislation concerning the reception allowance and the spending allowance will be made as part of a more extensive reform of the Reception Act. The aim is for the new Reception Act to enter into force no later than 12 June 2026.

The reception allowance is intended as a short-term benefit. It is granted if a person is in need of support and cannot earn a living through gainful employment or other income or assets. 

New decree on assistance for voluntary return

The Ministry of the Interior has issued a decree on assistance for voluntary return for 2026–2027. The decree will enter into force on 1 January 2026. 

The new decree mainly corresponds to the previous one. The assistance for voluntary return is higher if the asylum seeker applies for the assistance within 30 days of the notification of the first negative asylum decision or the withdrawal of the application.

The staggered assistance in accordance with the Government Programme was introduced for the first time in the decree for 2024-2025. The staggered approach encourages people to leave the country as quickly as possible and to refrain from requesting for review of the asylum decision.

Changes to fees charged by the police and the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service

The Ministry of the Interior has issued decrees on fees charged by the police and the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service. The decrees will enter into force on 1 January 2026 and be effective until 31 December 2026.

Depending on the application method, the prices of passports will decrease by EUR 7–9, and the prices of identity cards by EUR 6–8. In 2026, the price of a passport applied for in person will be EUR 48, and the price of a passport applied for electronically will be EUR 42. In 2026, the price of an identity card applied for in person will be EUR 59, and the price of an identity card applied for electronically will be EUR 53. 

A decision has been made to charge a fee lower than the cost price for some firearms permits. These fees will therefore not be raised despite the price increase pressure, but they will remain at the 2025 level. For example, the firearms permit and parallel permit fees will not increase. The fees charged to firearms collectors or related to shooting ranges will also not increase. 

According to the decree effective as of 1 January 2026, the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service will also charge a fee for the security clearance of a person being recruited to police administration or a student admitted to the Police University College. This change will harmonise the procedure for security clearance applicants. 

Changes to fees charged by the Emergency Services Academy Finland

The decree on the chargeable services of the Emergency Services Academy Finland is valid from 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2027. Fire-fighting techniques instructor training has been added to the decree. The price of the Contract Fire Brigade Fire Chief course, the part-time Industrial Fire Chief basic course and the water rescue course will no longer include accommodation. There are also changes in the prices of other education.

Responsibility for smoke alarms to transfer to building owners 

The obligation to purchase and maintain smoke alarms will be transferred from the resident to the owner of the building on 1 January 2026. From the beginning of 2026, it is the responsibility of the owner of the building to ensure that all dwellings have a sufficient number of functioning smoke alarms. The occupant is obliged to immediately notify the building owner, for example the housing association, of any smoke detector issues, such as an expired smoke detector battery or the failure of a smoke detector.

Updates to the Ministry of the Interior’s decree on external rescue plans

The list of railway yards used for the transport of dangerous goods (TDG) appended to the Ministry of the Interior’s decree on external rescue plans has been updated. The areas of the railway network of Niirala and Turku railway stations have been removed from the list of railway yards used for the transport of dangerous goods. In Turku, TDG traffic will be transferred to the Turku freight yard.

TDG traffic at the Niirala border station ended in spring 2022 due to Russia’s war of aggression, when the EU sanctions suspended traffic. Temporary storage of dangerous goods is still possible in Niirala. If transports and their volumes were to be restored, the situation in Niirala would be reassessed.

Clarifications for the approval of the rescue services' sub-plans in the wellbeing services counties’ investment plans

The Act on Organising Rescue Services specifies the assessment of the sub-plans of rescue services. This amendment will enter into force on 1 January 2026.

The part of the investment plans concerning rescue services may be rejected if it is obviously in conflict with the national objectives of the wellbeing services counties. The aim of the amendment is to improve the conditions for state steering of the wellbeing services counties. 

Inquiries:
Pekka Lindroos, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 327, [email protected] (permanent residence permits)
Matti Sarasmaa, Permanent Secretary, tel. +358 295 418 804, [email protected] (National Security Unit’s tasks)
Katja Kaukonen, Chief Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 675, [email protected] (Finnish Immigration Service's fees) 
Sanna Sutter, Migration Director, tel. +358 295 488 200, [email protected] (Reception Act)
Lydia Laine, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 209, [email protected] (voluntary return assistance) from 29 December onwards 
Johanna Kari, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 488 662, [email protected] (fees charged by the police)
Seppo Sivula, Chief Superintendent, tel. +358 295 488 591, [email protected] (fees related to firearms)
Annina Ceder, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488262, [email protected] (fees charged by the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service)
Tiina Snellman, Director of the Strategy and Steering unit, tel. +358 295 488 638, [email protected] (Emergency Services Academy fees) from 29 December onwards 
Jaana Rajakko, Senior Engineer, tel. +358 295 488 435, [email protected] (smoke alarms) from 7 January onwards
Sari Rapinoja, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 488 404, [email protected] (external rescue plans)
Laura Honkonen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 295 488 208, [email protected] (rescue services' sub-plans) from 7 January onwards