A Finnish identity card (henkilökortti) is issued by the police to verify your identity. Finnish citizens and permanently resident foreign nationals can obtain one, provided specific legal conditions are met. While a citizen's card doubles as a travel document, a foreigner's identity card is not valid for travel.

Who can get a Finnish identity card, and the conditions for foreign nationals

The identity card is a photo document issued to prove the identity of a Finnish citizen or a foreigner who is permanently resident in Finland.

Under the Identity Card Act, a foreigner's identity card requires:

The police can issue an identity card to a foreign citizen who resides in Finland permanently, is entered in the Population Information System, and has a valid residence permit or residence card or a registered right of residence. In addition, the police require that it must be possible to verify the foreign national's identity reliably. Suomi.fi's e-identification instructions list, besides Finnish citizens, a foreigner permanently residing in Finland who is in the Population Information System and has a valid permit or card or a registered right of residence as someone an ID card may be issued to. The card shows your Finnish personal identity code.

The citizen's card and the foreigner's card are not the same document

An identity card issued to a Finnish citizen is also a limited travel document under provisions made pursuant to the Passport Act. By contrast, the police explicitly list the foreigner's identity card (ulkomaalaisen henkilökortti), the identity card for minors, and the temporary identity card as documents that are not valid for travel.

This distinction also affects biometrics. When an applicant applies for a standard card with travel validity, two fingerprints are taken using a fingerprint reader. However, no fingerprints are taken from people applying for cards not valid for travel. Fingerprints are also never taken from applicants under the age of 12.

Using the card online — the chip and the citizen certificate

The identity card features a chip that enables access to electronic services. Because a police-issued card is a certificate card, you can use it to verify your identity in e-services through the citizen certificate (kansalaisvarmenne) stored on the chip.

You can use the card for identification only after you have activated the citizen certificate. According to Suomi.fi instructions, you can identify yourself with the card in two ways:

A card reader can be bought from a well-stocked computer accessory store or online. The required card reader software is downloaded from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's website.

An identity card with a chip serves as one of the ways to verify your identity when submitting an electronic report of an offence to the police, alongside online banking codes and a mobile certificate.

The digital identity certificate, from 1 October 2026

Since 1 October 2026, an identity card—including a foreigner's identity card—includes the right to obtain the digital identity certificate under the Act on the Digital Identity Certificate (812/2026). This right applies equally to identity cards that were issued before that date.

With the digital identity certificate, you can prove your identity or verified personal details in the same way as with the passport or identity card on which it is based. It is obtained as an attestation inside your European Digital Identity Wallet. The digital identity certificate is not a travel document.

A Finnish citizen or a foreign national residing in Finland can obtain this digital certificate provided they hold a valid underlying passport or identity card and have a European Digital Identity Wallet in use. It can remain valid for as long as the underlying document remains valid. The act came into force on 1 October 2026, and authorities must bring their operations into line with it by 24 December 2026 at the latest.

How to apply — online or at a police service point

Applying is easiest through the police e-service, though you can also apply at a police station or a police service point. The e-services cover the entire country except the Åland Islands.

Follow these steps when submitting your application:

  1. Visit a photography studio that can send your passport photograph directly to the police electronically.
  2. Fill in the identity card application in the police e-service.
  3. Enter the photograph retrieval code received from your photographer.
  4. Pay the application fee online.

Submitting an application online requires a strong electronic identification method under the Act on Strong Electronic Identification. You cannot submit an online application without a digital photograph sent directly from the photographer to the police; however, that same digital photograph can also be used if you choose to apply entirely at a service point.

In some cases, completing the application online is sufficient. In others, you must also visit a police licence services point to be identified. The system tells you which, and if a visit is needed the application is processed only after it. You can avoid queuing by booking an appointment in the police e-service beforehand.

A temporary identity card cannot be applied for online. For advice on non-urgent licence matters, appointment bookings, and e-services, you can call the police helpline on +358 295419800 (local or mobile network fee).

Children, conscripts and name changes

Certain categories of applicants must meet additional requirements:

You can have only one valid identity card at a time. The old card expires as soon as you have applied for and been issued a new one, even if it still had time left.

Fee, validity and collecting the card

You can submit an application entirely at a police licence services point, but applying online is cheaper and quicker. The cheaper online fee applies even if your online application requires an in-person visit to be identified. If you apply for an identity card at the same time as a passport, a lower than normal fee is charged for the card, both online and at a service point.

The police fees for 2026 are set by a Ministry of the Interior decree whose fee table was replaced from 1 March 2026; the fees include the Digital and Population Data Services Agency's charges:

Under the Identity Card Act, an identity card is issued for a maximum of five years unless otherwise provided. A foreigner's identity card is issued for five years, but at most for the validity of the holder's residence permit or residence card.

The police issue identity cards; for a Finnish citizen living abroad, a Finnish mission issues the card.

Once produced, your finished card is delivered in a sealed envelope to the DSV (former Schenker) office or DSV subcontractor location that you selected. To collect the card, you show proof of identity along with the tracking number. The tracking number can be on your phone screen, on a printout, or on a handwritten note.

If your card is lost or stolen

Missing documents issued by the police, such as passports and identity cards, are reported to the police licence administration, online or on a form at police licence services. Reporting a missing document is free of charge.

You can also report a lost or stolen identity card by filing an electronic report of an offence. The police will then determine whether a report of an offence or another report is recorded. If you apply online for a new passport or identity card, the system asks you to file an electronic report of an offence for the missing document. If you make the report in person, you fill in a lost item report form; the official enters a Schengen report into the police crime reporting system and the document is cancelled.

A new document replacing a lost or stolen one is charged under the Ministry of the Interior fee decree.