NordenBladet — The EU Digital COVID Certificate, which is available in the My Kanta Pages, will also include a test certificate and a certificate of recovery as of 14 July. The EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate has been available in the My Kanta Pages since 22 June.

Save certificate on your mobile device or print it out
How to get your certificate from the My Kanta Pages:
Log on to your My Kanta Pages at kanta.fi using the identification token of your choice, such as online banking codes or mobile certificate.

Select ‘Koronatodistus’ (COVID-19 certificate) from the left-hand menu. There is also a direct link to the certificate section on the front page of the My Kanta Pages.Click on the pdf link to open the COVID-19 certificate. If you have a certificate, it will open in a new tab.

Save the pdf file on your mobile phone or other device. You can also print it out on paper.

All three types of the EU Digital COVID Certificate can be used when crossing borders within the EU. The aim is to facilitate safe and free movement. Each EU Member State can decide for itself on other uses of the certificate.

The information in the EU Digital COVID Certificates issued by Finland is in three languages, Finnish, Swedish and English. The certificate contains a QR code which can be used to verify the content and authenticity of the certificate. All EU certificates are free of charge.

Paper certificates also available from healthcare providers if necessary
Travellers must download the certificate from the My Kanta Pages before travelling. Efforts continue to be made to avoid a burden on the healthcare system. For this reason, people are advised to use primarily the My Kanta Pages. The My Kanta Pages customer service provides general advice on the COVID-19 certificates and helps with technical problems, but they cannot correct the information included in the certificate.

If a person is unable to get the certificate from the My Kanta Pages, they must contact their healthcare provider and request a certificate in printed form. Persons who do not have access to their My Kanta Pages or cannot for some reason authorise another person to use it on their behalf may obtain a paper version of the certificate from their healthcare provider.

A paper version of the EU Digital COVID Certificate will be available from some healthcare providers from 15 July onwards. The aim is for all public healthcare providers to be able to issue a paper version of the EU Digital COVID Certificate by mid-August. If a person is not yet able to get a paper version of the EU Digital COVID Certificate from their healthcare provider, they will be issued with a similar certificate that contains the corresponding information.

At the end of August, people who have been either vaccinated against or tested for COVID-19 in Finland but who do not have a Finnish personal identity code can get a certificate from their healthcare providers that meets the EU requirements. Until then, healthcare providers can issue people with a similar certificate that contains the corresponding information.

Travellers must check requirements of their destination country
Before travelling, it is important to find out which EU Digital COVID Certificate is needed to cross the border of your destination country. An EU COVID-19 vaccination certificate may be sufficient. Before travelling, you should also check the COVID-19 situation in your destination and, before returning home, you should check the situation in Finland and take care to follow the latest recommendations. The Re-open EU website (reopen.europa.eu) compiles information on travel instructions and restrictions in place in the EU Member States.COVID-19 tests carried out for the purpose of travelling abroad are administered by private healthcare providers. These COVID-19 tests are subject to a fee. The EU COVID-19 test certificate will appear in the My Kanta Pages regardless of whether your test was carried out by a private or public healthcare provider. Tests undergone upon return to Finland are administered by public healthcare services and are therefore free of charge. Please book your return test in advance using the FINENTRY service, for example.Exercise special caution when travelling in general. The COVID-19 situation in different countries and regions may change abruptly.

Vaccines administered and tests conducted abroad
The EU Digital COVID Certificate is issued by the country where the vaccine was administered. EU Member States must also issue the certificate retrospectively. In Finland, a certificate of COVID-19 vaccination can be issued only if the vaccine products were administered in Finland and they are in use in Finland.

Negative test results are valid for a short period of time. Because of this, it is not worth asking for these results from abroad but to take a new test in Finland if necessary. If a person had the COVID-19 disease abroad, a certificate of recovery from COVID-19 must be requested from the country where the test indicating a positive result was taken.

NordenBladet — This autumn and winter, Finnish ministers will tour the country to listen to Finns’ ideas and hopes for the future of Europe. The citizens’ messages will be passed on as part of an EU-level reflection on what kind of Europe we want to build.

“The EU has to respond to the needs and expectations of its citizens. We want to encourage Finns to make their thoughts heard. As ministers, we are committed to passing on their messages,” says Minister for European Affairs Tytti Tuppurainen.

The details of the tour are still being finalised, but several ministers have already arranged at least one discussion with citizens. The events will take place in various parts of the country, and one of Finland’s goals is to organise the northernmost event in the EU.

“Our ministers’ tour is part of the Conference on the Future of Europe. The idea behind the conference is to engage in lively and open discussions about the EU with citizens in all Member States and to build a future for Europe based on the issues raised by citizens. Finland has a strong tradition of discussion. With this in mind, we should now be active in making our voices heard in the EU,” says Minister Tuppurainen, challenging Finns to get involved. The themes raised at citizens’ events throughout the EU will be presented to the conference plenaries for discussion. The Finnish Government will be represented at the plenaries by Minister for European Affairs Tuppurainen and the minister whose mandate covers the topic in question. Each country has also appointed a citizens’ representative. Finland’s representative is Ninni Norra, who was selected by the Finnish National Youth Council Allianssi.

Anyone can comment at any time
An important component of the Conference on the Future of Europe is its multilingual digital platform, which is open to all and where everyone is free to share their thoughts. Citizens are encouraged to discuss topics such as values, climate change, the economy, health and education. Event organisers can use the platform to announce their events beforehand and to report on the discussions afterwards. Anyone who wants to organise an event is free to do so.

The dates and venues of the “We are Europe” tour will be announced on the platform well in advance. The events will also be announced in advance in the ministries’ press releases and newspaper advertisements and on their social media channels. After each event, members of the public can go to the digital platform to read about the challenges and opportunities that emerged in the discussion. Summaries of the discussions will also be delivered to the ministers for use at the conference plenaries.

NordenBladet — The Ministry of the Interior has issued a decree amending the cost of an identity card. The cost will rise by EUR 5 from 2 August 2021. The fees for a minor’s identity card and temporary identity card will increase by EUR 1.

The cost of an identity card applied for in person will rise from EUR 55 to EUR 60. The cost of an identity card applied for online will also rise by EUR 5 to EUR 54. However, the cost of an identity card will continue to be EUR 8 less if it is purchased at the same time as the passport. The fees for a minor’s identity card and temporary identity card will increase by EUR 1.

EU Regulation on identity cards leads to changes
The fee increases for identity cards are the result of supplementary amendments made to the Identity Card Act to be in line with the EU Regulation on identity cards. In future, the applicant’s facial image and fingerprints will be stored on the chip of the identity card. As a result of the amendments to the Identity Card Act, the identity card will include, in addition to the current Citizen Certificate, a new biometric certificate issued by the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. Apart from the biometric certificate, additional costs will be incurred from renewing the design of the card and from the extra work needed for taking fingerprints.The applicant for an identity card pays the police for the identity card. The police will distribute the fees for the certificates to the Digital and Population Data Services Agency. The Decree of the Ministry of the Interior on Chargeable Services of the Police is reviewed annually. Under the law, the amount of the fee to be charged must correspond to the total costs incurred by the State in providing the service.

NordenBladet — Minister for Foreign Affairs Pekka Haavisto will attend the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday 12 July. The main topics of discussion will be Ethiopia, the Strategic Compass, and the geopolitics of new digital technologies. In addition, the meeting will approve conclusions on a Globally Connected Europe.

The foreign ministers will meet Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs at a working lunch and Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs at a working breakfast. Minister Haavisto will also attend a meeting of the Nordic and Baltic counties in NB6 format and a meeting of Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Germany in the N3+1 format.

The foreign ministers will have an exchange of views on the current situation in Ethiopia and on the alternative courses of actions available for the EU, which are based on three pillars: the humanitarian situation; human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law; and the political track. In his capacity as an Envoy of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell in the region, Minister Haavisto visited Ethiopia and its neighbouring region on 22 February and 19 April 2021.