Finland: Fees charged by the Finnish Immigration Service to change in 2021

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior has issued its annual decree on fees charged by the Finnish Immigration Service. The decree will enter into force on 1 January 2021. Some of the prices will be increased to better reflect the costs incurred to the agency in processing applications.

The processing fee for paper applications for residence permits submitted by employees and entrepreneurs will be EUR 690 or 610 this year, depending on whether the labour market test is applied. The previous fees were EUR 640 and 560, respectively. The processing fees for residence permit applications submitted online will remain unchanged.

The processing fees for citizenship applications will also increase. Starting at the beginning of 2021, the processing fee for citizenship applications submitted in paper form will be EUR 590 (previously 520), while the fee for online citizenship applications will be EUR 460 (previously 420).The processing fees for first residence permits and first residence permits for students will remain unchanged. The processing fees for first residence permits in the coming year will be EUR 520 for applications submitted in paper form and EUR 470 for online applications. The processing fees for first residence permits for students will be EUR 450 for applications submitted in paper form and EUR 350 for online applications. The processing fees are determined based on the costs incurred to the Finnish Immigration Service in processing the applications. The processing fee is still lower than the costs incurred in the case of first residence permit applications (excluding employee and entrepreneur permits) and in the case of residence permit applications for minors and students. Applying for international protection is free of charge.

Applicants encouraged to apply online
The Finnish Immigration Service is able to determine how processing costs are divided between online and paper applications. This is reflected in the processing fees: the fees for online applications are lower because they can be processed more efficiently and generate fewer costs for the Immigration Service. Applying online is also easier for customers, as they can submit their own applications and monitor the progress of their cases in the online service. The processing fees aim to promote the use of online services.

The processing fees also play a role in ensuring adequate resources for the Finnish Immigration Service, which helps the agency in meeting the deadlines set for processing applications. Measures are currently being taken to develop the agency’s permit processes and the electronic case management system for immigration matters.

The processing fees for all applications submitted to the Finnish Immigration Service are determined annually by Decree of the Ministry of the Interior on Chargeable Services of the Finnish Immigration Service.