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26.11.2021 | Finland has received EU funding to build a rescue team for fighting forest fires. The European Commission granted co-financing for a joint project of the rescue departments of South Karelia, North Karelia, South Savo, North Savo and Kymenlaakso for the procurement of special equipment required for a rescue team fighting forest fires.

28.5.2026 | The Government proposes extending the validity of Finnish passports and identity cards to 10 years. On 28 May, the Government submitted to Parliament a draft proposal for amending the Passport Act and the Identity Card Act. The Ministry of the Interior estimates that the acts could enter into force by early 2028 at the latest.

Key changes in firearms legislation in recent years

Civilian material assistance to Ukraine A highly exceptional aid operation is underway in Europe. Extensive amounts of assistance have been sent to Ukraine and neighbouring countries through the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism. The Depar...

Archive: Press releases and news Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Organization: Ministry of the Interior Type: Press release Categories: Publication date: 27.8.2026 Amendments pro...

24.6.2024 | Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen and Norwegian Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl met in Finland on Monday 24 June. Together, the ministers paid a visit to the Southeast Finland Border Guard District at Finland’s eastern border and received a briefing on the progress of the border fence and other projects. 

23.9.2021 | A new act will be enacted for the management of the European Union’s Home Affairs Funds. The act on the programming period 2021–2027 lays down provisions on managing the programmes under the Funds and on implementing the aid system. On 23 September, the Government submitted to Parliament its proposal for an act on Home Affairs Funds.

7.10.2021 | National implementation of the EU Directive on access to financial information moves a step closer. On 7 October, the Government submitted to Parliament a proposal to amend the Act on the Bank and Payment Accounts Control System and the Act on the Financial Intelligence Unit.

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

13.2.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior has launched a project to develop a new feature for the Emergency Response Centre Agency’s 112 Suomi app to warn of airborne threats. The project will be carried out with EU funding, and other EU Member States can also benefit from the results of Finland’s development work.

25.6.2026 | Baltic Sea Security Meeting 18 June 2026; Final Statement 18 JUNE 2026 We, the Ministers and representatives responsible for the internal security, law enforcement and border management of the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Estonia, the Repub...

24.11.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to assess the possible needs for legislative amendments to prepare for hybrid influencing that exploits migration. The project will assess the means of the current legislation that can be used to prepare for and respond to such hybrid influencing, as well as possible needs to amend the legislation in the administrative branch of the Ministry of the Interior. 

6.5.2024 | The European Union will begin providing secure satellite connections to its Member States at the end of this year. The plan is to offer Members States high-speed broadband connectivity in areas where no terrestrial connections are available. In April, the Ministry of the Interior launched a preliminary study on the adoption of secure satellite connections.

Interoperability

The aim is to extend the validity of Finnish passports to 10 years.

14.10.2021 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a government proposal for supplementary legislation on the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). The purpose of the proposal is to make amendments to the national legislation as required by the relevant European Parliament and Council regulations. 

8.9.2022 | New provisions to be added to the Aliens Act and the act on migration authorities’ processing of personal data will enable Finland to make use of the support from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) as smoothly as possible in the event of a mass influx of migrants. The Government submitted the bills for approval on Thursday 8 September. The President of the Republic is to approve the bills for the acts on Friday. The acts will enter into force on 15 September.

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing war extended until 4 March 2028 Type: Press release Publication date: 31.7.2026 13.13 Proposal to supplement legislation on Finnish Border Guard’s criminal ...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing war extended until 4 March 2028 Type: Press release Publication date: 31.7.2026 13.13 Proposal to supplement legislation on Finnish Border Guard’s criminal ...

13.1.2020 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to implement the EU directive on access to financial information at national level. The directive contains rules to facilitate the use of information held in bank account registries by the authorities for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting certain offences.

19.11.2021 | On 19 November 2021, the Ministry of the Interior set up a project to prepare a proposal for legislation to address the dissemination of terrorist content online. The aim of the project is to make the national legislation comply with the EU Regulation.

30.5.2023 | On 30 May 2023, Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen will attend an informal meeting of EU civil preparedness ministers in Brussels on CBRN threats (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear). The coordination meeting was convened by Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič and the Swedish Minister of Civil Defence Carl-Oskar Bohlin.

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Temporary protection for Ukrainians fleeing war extended until 4 March 2028 Type: Press release Publication date: 31.7.2026 13.13 Proposal to supplement legislation on Finnish Border Guard’s criminal ...

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

13.8.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal on amending the Aliens Act. The aim of the proposal is to ensure that people who receive international protection can exercise their right to family life as fully as possible. A further aim is to make sure that the best interests of the child are upheld in family reunification cases involving minor children who receive international protection.

23.12.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has submitted a draft amendment to the Passport Act and the Identity Card Act for comments. These amendments would extend passport and personal identity card validity to 10 years. The consultation process will last until 16 February 2026.

8.12.2025 | The Finnish Ministry of the Interior and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU) have agreed to deepen cooperation across different sectors. The cooperation emphasises support for Ukraine's international civil defence coalition. 

29.7.2020 | The European Commission has granted significant co-financing to the Oulu-Koillismaa Rescue Department for a high capacity pumping module. The high capacity pumping module is a joint project of four Rescue Departments in northern Finland (Oulu-Koillismaa, Jokilaaksot, Kainuu and Lappi).

24.5.2021 | On 24 May, the Ministry of the Interior set up a project to carry out a study on a legislative amendment that would enable the granting of a temporary residence permit and an alien’s passport for a limited period to asylum seekers who have received a negative decision but who have found work. The purpose of the amendment would be to allow a person to travel to obtain a travel document from the authorities of their own country.

Questions and answers on gambling system reform General information on the gambling system reform Why switch over to a licensing system and retain a partial monopoly system instead of, for example, strengthening the current system based on the Vei...

8.6.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent a draft government proposal for supplementary legislation on the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) out for comments. The purpose of the proposal is to make amendments to the national legislation as required by the relevant European Parliament and Council regulations. 

News RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities to be strengthened to combat organised crime Type: Press release Publication date: 27.8.2026 13.54 Amendments proposed to Act on Emergency Warni...

21.4.2022 | New provisions to be added to the Aliens Act would enable Finland to make use of the support from the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA) as smoothly as possible in the event of a mass influx of migrants. The Government submitted a proposal on the amendments to Parliament on 21 April.

5.8.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to update Finland's national risk assessment. The updated assessment is scheduled for publication in autumn 2026.

24.9.2015 | Perheenyhdistämisen kriteerejä tiukennetaan EU-direktiivin mukaisesti

3.11.2015 | Suomi tarkistaa maahanmuuttolainsäädäntöä EU:n säännösten mukaisesti

14.8.2025 | Public authorities in Finland will have to use the Bank and Payment Account Monitoring System each time they request information on account balances, transactions and securities. The Government submitted the legislative amendments for approval on 14 August. The President of the Republic is expected to approve the amendments on 15 August, and they will enter into force on 1 December 2025.

11.10.2018 | On 11 October, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament on amendments to the Firearms Act, the Act on Voluntary National Defence and the Conscription Act. The proposal will implement the changes required by the EU Firearms Directive in Finnish legislation.

27.8.2014 | Right to Choose project launched under the patronage of President Sauli Niinistö

12.2.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has prepared legislative amendments to implement the EU directive on access to financial information at national level. The directive contains rules to facilitate the use of information held in bank account registries by the authorities for the purpose of preventing, detecting, investigating or prosecuting certain offences.

11.4.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft bill which lays down provisions on the authorities competent to counter terrorist content online. The proposal is related to the EU Regulation which aims to improve detection and removal of online content that incites to terrorist acts. The deadline for submitting comments on the proposal is 25 May 2022.

12.12.2017 | The Ministry of the Interior has circulated for comment the Government’s draft proposal concerning the European Union Directive on conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research, studies, training and voluntary service. Residence permits for researchers and students would be extended and job-seeking and entrepreneurship would be encouraged through a residence permit granted for this.

22.3.2018 | Residence permits for researchers and students would be extended and job-seeking and entrepreneurship would be encouraged through a residence permit granted for this. The goal of this act implementing the EU Directive on students and researchers is that most students completing their degrees in EU countries stay and work in the Union.

26.5.2026 | The Finnish Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to extend the validity of the Act on Temporary Measures to Combat Instrumentalised Migration (‘Border Security Act’). The purpose of the act is to respond to efforts to put pressure on Finland through the instrumentalisation of migrants. 

28.12.2017 | The maximum amount for support granted as lump sums for projects financed from the EU Home Affairs Funds rises from EUR 10,000 to 100,000. The Government adopted the decree on the matter on 28 December.

4.5.2018 | The changes required by the EU Firearms Directive are being implemented in Member States. In Finland, the Directive causes changes particularly to the Firearms Act. The draft government proposal for implementing the Firearms Directive was circulated widely for comments on 4 May. The basis of the proposal is to prevent specially dangerous firearms and their components from falling into the wrong ha...

4.7.2018 | A project appointed by the Ministry of the Interior on 3 July will investigate and draft possible amendments to the Aliens Act concerning the processing of subsequent applications for international protection and the implementation of the Finnish Immigration Service’s decisions enabled by the EU Asylum Procedures Directive. In connection with this project, an amendment required by the Court of Justice of the European Union will also be made to the Aliens Act.

6.10.2022 | Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen met the Baltic interior ministers Lauri Läänemetsi (Estonia), Kristaps Eklons (Latvia) and Agnė Bilotaitė (Lithuania) and Undersecretary of State Bartosz Grodecki in Helsinki on 5–6 October. The meeting focused on civil and emergency preparedness, and on critical infrastructure and its protection.

21.12.2022 | The start of 2023 will see the entry into force of amendments to acts and decrees. This press release provides a summary of the most important changes. 

10.4.2025 | On 10 April 2025, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament on amending the Act on Bank and Payment Account Monitoring System.