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30.7.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior is requesting views on a draft government proposal that would supplement the legislative proposal on the Finnish Border Guard’s criminal intelligence activities. Responses may be submitted until 10 September 2026.

23.10.2023 | The Ministry has set up three projects aimed at tightening the rules on international protection in line with the Government Programme. The planned changes will make international protection temporary in nature and introduce the option to withdraw protection if the applicant commits a serious offence. Finland will also introduce a new border procedure and make the asylum process more efficient.

20.2.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a proposal for a legislative amendment that would shorten the length of international protection permits to the minimum allowed by the Qualification Directive. The deadline for submitting comments is 12 March 2024.

Illegal entry and stay are prevented through cooperation between authorities Illegal entry and stay remain low in Finland when compared with all migration to Finland. Most people move legally to Finland on the basis of work, family ties or studies...

30.1.2025 | The Finnish Government submitted to Parliament a Union communication on a cooperation agreement between the European Union and the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol). The negotiations for the agreement are expected to conclude by the end of this year.

Increased use of guards and security stewards The private security sector covers guarding services, security steward services, security system installation services and security check services. Locksmiths and installers of burglar alarms are examp...

15.3.2022 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a project to examine and prepare legislative amendments to enable the introduction of the border procedure in Finland. The border procedure would allow the processing of potentially unfounded asylum applications immediately at the border or in its vicinity. This would prevent asylum applicants from travelling within Finland or from Finland to other EU countries.

23.1.2025 | The Government proposes that the procedure for compensating the building of permanent barriers, such as the fence on the eastern border, will be made more effective. The Government submitted a proposal for amending the Board Guard Act to Parliament on 23 January.

Accident prevention is a joint effort

Coat of arms of Finland Little is known about the origins of the Finnish coat of arms. The oldest known display of the emblem is on the burial monument of Gustav Vasa in Uppsala Cathedral, which was completed in the 1580s. The same design was adop...

Migration The Ministry of the Interior is responsible for drafting legislation on migration. It also guides and develops the immigration administration, and is responsible for the performance management of the Finnish Immigration Service. The aim ...

Order of precedence International flag etiquette should be observed when flags of more than one nation are flown. On international occasions, the flag of the host nation should have pride of place. This rule has also been incorporated in the decre...

Online targeting and shaming Online targeting and shaming is a phenomenon in which one or more persons or groups urge and incite a large number of people to attack one person in different ways, for example by sending hate messages by email or post...

Finlands mål Finlands deltagande i den civila krishanteringen styrs av den nationella strategin för civil krishantering från 2014 samt av lagen om civilpersonals deltagande i krishantering, som uppdaterades vid ingången av 2019. Finlands mål är at...

Describing the Finnish flag The Act on the Flag of Finland does not specify the materials that should be used for the emblem, so any piece (such as a sticker) with a pattern that has the prescribed colours and dimensions is considered the Finnish ...

17.2.2022 | On 14 December, the European Commission issued a proposal for a Regulation addressing situations of instrumentalisation in the field of migration and asylum. The Regulation would allow all EU Member States to derogate from certain provisions on the EU asylum procedure, reception of asylum seekers and return in situations of instrumentalisation. The Government expressed its position on the proposal in its communication submitted to Parliament on 17 February.

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...

Incident notifications Under the CER Act, entities identified as critical must notify the authorities of incidents affecting an essential service. Incident notifications enable the authorities to respond swiftly and appropriately where necessary. ...

Oversight of legality at agencies within the Ministry’s branch of government The agencies within the Ministry of the Interior’s branch of government bear the main responsibility for practical oversight activities and the handling of matters relate...

Requests for information Under the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (621/1999), everyone has the right of access to the public documents of the Ministry. Please make your request as detailed as possible, as this will help us find the d...

19.5.2022 | Border security will be strengthened by improving the ability of the Finnish Border Guard to prepare for and respond to incidents under normal conditions. The Ministry of the Interior has sent a draft government proposal on amending the Border Guard Act out for comments. The aim is to make the necessary amendments to the Border Guard Act to help prepare for hybrid influence activities that exploit migration, for example.

Family members of Finnish citizens or foreign nationals eligible for family reunification Family reunification refers to a residence permit granted to a foreign national on the basis of family ties. Family members of Finnish citizens or foreign na...

Accident prevention is a joint effort

13.11.2023 | To prevent labor exploitation and human trafficking, foreign workers need to have access to information in their native language about working in Finland.

Government Programme measures to reform rescue services and emergency response centre operations The Government aims to ensure high-quality rescue services throughout the country. Rescue services must be of high quality and carried out in a unifor...

23.5.2024 | Sofia, Prague, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Athens, Rome, Nicosia, Riga, Vilnius, Valletta, The Hague, Vienna, Warsaw, Bucharest, Helsinki To the attention of: Ms Ylva Johansson, Commisisoner for Home Affairs Ms Ilze Juhansone, Secretary-General of the Co...

8.6.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a draft government proposal for legislation on combating organised crime. The proposed act would lay down provisions on a new centre for the analysis of organised crime and on the centre’s tasks and powers. The deadline for submitting comments is 3 August 2026.

Government Programme measures to reform rescue services and emergency response centre operations The Government aims to ensure high-quality rescue services throughout the country. Rescue services must be of high quality and carried out in a unifor...

9.7.2026 | On 9 July, the President of the Republic approved amendments proposed by the Government to legislation governing information exchange between authorities. The amendments will simplify the exchange of information between the police and other authorities. The legislative amendments will enter into force on 1 October 2026.

Helping Ukrainians People in Finland want to help Ukrainians in their time of need, and many have been asking the Finnish authorities how they can help Ukrainians. People are also asking how they can help Ukraine’s neighbouring countries who are u...

25.6.2026 | Today, the Government submitted its legislative proposal to amend the Firearms Act. The amendment aims to improve the applicability of firearms legislation and to address the deficiencies found in the implementation of the Firearms Directive.

21.3.2024 | According to a survey commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior, Ukrainians who arrived in Finland as refugees after February 2022 are satisfied with their life in Finland and more interested than before in staying in the country. The online survey was completed by 1,300 Ukrainians in November 2023.

20.12.2022 | When a family member of a minor who has been granted international protection applies for family reunification, the family member may be granted a residence permit without the requirement for sufficient financial resources of sponsors who are minors. This will promote the protection of family life and the realisation of the best interests of the child. The President of the Republic approved the amendment to the Aliens Act on 20 December.

24.3.2023 | Superintendent Pekka Kokkonen, Head of the Police Dog Training Centre of the Police University College, has been appointed to serve as Senior Police Coordinator in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

Government Programme measures to reform border security The Government Programme aims to ensure Finland's border security in all situations. Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and other changes in the security environment require that border secu...

25.6.2026 | The Government has submitted a government proposal for legislation on police criminal intelligence to Parliament. The proposal includes an amendment to the Police Act that would introduce provisions on criminal intelligence methods and their use in threat‑informed criminal intelligence. It would also strengthen the police’s secret intelligence collection powers used to prevent and detect individual offences.

18.6.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior is requesting views on a draft proposal concerning the use of intelligence collection methods in premises used for permanent residence. The aim is to improve the ability of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service to safeguard national security.

23.5.2023 | A study commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior examined the reflection periods granted to victims of human trafficking during which the victims can decide whether to cooperate with the authorities in apprehending those suspected of human trafficking. The study also examined how suspicion of trading in sexual services was applied as grounds for denial of admittance or stay.

8.7.2022 | On 27 April, the European Commission issued a package on reforming legal migration. The package included a Communication on attracting skills and talent to the EU, and proposals for the revision of the Single Permit Directive and the Long-Term Residents Directive. The Finnish Government expressed its views on the proposed Directives in statements issued to the Parliament on 8 July.

Government Programme measures to reform migration policy The Government Programme’s objective is to reform Finland’s migration policy so that it offers assistance to the most vulnerable people and prevents abuse of the system. Finland’s asylum pol...