A Finnish passport (passi) is issued to Finnish citizens to confirm identity and provide proof of the right to travel abroad. You can apply for a passport through the police e-service or at a police service point, though starting online is cheaper and faster even if an in-person identification visit is required.

Who gets a Finnish passport, and what it is for

A Finnish citizen can receive a passport on application, to demonstrate the right to travel, unless otherwise provided by law. The passport is a travel document issued to Finnish citizens and also serves as a certificate of the holder's identity.

You can travel only with a valid personal passport, and even a small child needs their own. An expired, broken or damaged passport will not get you through border control.

Applying in Finland — online or at a police service point

You can apply for a passport online or by visiting a police service point in person. Applying for a standard passport is easiest through the police e-service, but the passport application can also be completed at a police station or police service point.

To apply online, you fill in the application form in the police e-service, attach your digital photograph retrieval code, and pay the fee online. Applying online requires a strong electronic identification method under the Act on Strong Electronic Identification.

In certain cases, the online application is enough on its own. In others, you must also visit a police licence services point to be identified. The system tells you whether you must visit, and your application is processed only after that visit takes place. Applying online is cheaper and quicker than submitting the whole application at a licence services point, and the cheaper fee applies even when the online application requires an identification visit.

Two fingerprints are recorded with a fingerprint scanner; fingerprints are not taken from children under 12. You can also explore applying for a Finnish identity card at the same time.

The passport photo and the retrieval code

The photograph for a passport application must be taken at a photography studio that can send it to the police electronically. The photographer gives you a photograph retrieval code, which you attach to your online application.

An online application cannot be submitted without a digital photograph delivered directly from the photographer to the police. However, the same digital photograph can also be used if you decide to complete the whole application in person at a licence services point.

Children under 18 and men of conscription age

Specific statutory rules apply to minors and conscripts:

Finns born and living abroad: see the guide to Finnish citizenship by descent and dual citizenship.

Fee, validity, delivery speed and collecting the passport

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

Under the Passport Act, a passport is valid for five years from the date of issue unless otherwise provided; it is issued for a shorter period if the applicant asks for one, or if a guardian has limited their consent. The police advise submitting the passport application well in advance.

If your online application requires an identification visit, only standard delivery can be selected online. When you attend the service point, you can switch to a faster delivery speed and pay the price difference. Besides the standard passport, there are minor's passports, rapid and express passports, temporary passports, and seaman's passports, with full details listed on the police website.

Once produced, the finished passport is delivered in a sealed envelope to a DSV (former Schenker) office, or an office of its subcontractor, that you choose during the application process. To collect the passport, you must prove your identity and present the tracking number. The tracking number can be presented on a phone screen, on a printout, or as a handwritten note.

Applying from abroad — Finnish embassies and consulates

For a Finnish citizen living abroad, the passport is issued by a Finnish embassy, a consulate headed by a career official, or another Finnish mission authorised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to issue passports.

When applying at a mission abroad, the applicant must be present in person. The application cannot be started online.

The digital identity certificate, from 1 October 2026

Since 1 October 2026, a Finnish passport includes the right to obtain the digital identity certificate under the Act on the Digital Identity Certificate (812/2026). This provision also applies to passports issued before that date.

With the digital identity certificate, you can prove your identity or verified details in the same way as with the passport or identity card it is based on. It is obtained as an attestation in your European Digital Identity Wallet, and it is not a travel document. A Finnish citizen or a foreign national residing in Finland can obtain it, provided they have a valid underlying passport or identity card and a European Digital Identity Wallet in use. The certificate can remain valid as long as the underlying document.

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.

When there is no time — temporary passports

A temporary passport may be issued for a special reason when a document cannot be issued even on the accelerated rapid or express schedules, and only for the period it is needed.

A temporary passport can be applied for only in person at a police station. There is no absolute right to receive one; the applicant must reliably show the special reason and explain how long the document is needed for, such as for a single journey. As a rule, a temporary passport is issued for at most 12 months for the specific reason provided. Not all countries accept a temporary passport, so the applicant must research the destination country's validity rules and inform the issuing authority.

A lost or stolen passport, and keeping two

A missing passport or identity card issued by the police can be reported to the police licence administration, either electronically or on a paper form at a police licence services point. A lost or stolen passport can also be reported with an electronic report of an offence; the police decide whether an offence report or another type of report is recorded.

Filing an electronic offence report requires prior strong identification using online banking codes, a citizen certificate on a chipped identity card, or a mobile certificate (mobiilivarmenne). When you apply online for a new passport or identity card, the system asks you to file an electronic offence report for the missing previous document. When a loss is reported in person, an official files a Schengen report directly in the police crime reporting system and the document is cancelled.

In exceptional cases, a new passport may be issued without revoking the previous one. Details concerning second passports and passports for individuals who took part in Finland's wars can be found on the police website.

Not a Finnish citizen? Migri's alien's passport

A Finnish passport is for Finnish citizens, but for those holding a residence permit in Finland, the Finnish Immigration Service (Maahanmuuttovirasto, or Migri) issues an alien's passport (muukalaispassi) in certain situations. Migri's guidelines state that you will be issued an alien's passport if you have been granted a residence permit in Finland on the basis of subsidiary protection, or if you hold a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection but lack a valid travel document. It can also be issued in other cases.

An alien's passport must be applied for in person at a Finnish Immigration Service service point after booking an appointment. Migri sends the decision on an alien's passport by post, and that decision can be appealed.