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![]() Finnish passport from 2023 | |
Type | Passport |
Issued by | ![]() |
First issued | 1862 (first passport regulations, as Grand Duchy of Finland ) [1] 1996 (first machine-readable EU design) 21 August 2006 (first biometric version) 1 January 2017 (second biometric version) [2] 13 March 2023 (current version) |
Purpose | Identification |
Eligibility | Finnish citizenship |
Expiration | 5 years after issuance |
Cost | €50 (regular application), €44 (electronic application), €25 (when the applicant is a veteran of Finnish wars), €22 (veterans of Finnish wars, electronic application), [3] €235 (at embassies) [4] |
Finnish passport (Finnish : Suomen passi; Swedish : finskt pass) are issued to nationals of Finland for the purpose of international travel. Aside from serving as proof of Finnish nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Finnish consular officials abroad (or other EU consulates or Nordic missions [5] in case a Finnish consular official is absent).
Finnish passports share the standardised layout and burgundy-red cover with other EU countries. Passports are issued by the local police or by an authorised Finnish diplomatic mission abroad.
Men who are less than 30 years of age and consequently eligible for military service, but have not completed it, may only be issued a passport with an expiration date up to the last legal start date for completion of the obligation, which is at the age of 28. Men older than 30 can receive a passport with normal expiry dates regardless of the status of completion of the military duty.
Every Finnish citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland. For travel within the Nordic countries no identity documentation is legally required for Nordic citizens due to the Nordic Passport Union.
The passport cards are currently printed and customised by Thales Group. [6]
From 1996, Finnish passports have had burgundy-coloured covers and use the standard European Union passport layout, with the Finnish Coat of arms emblazoned in the centre of the front cover. The words "Euroopan unioni" (Finnish) and "Europeiska unionen" (Swedish) meaning "European Union" are inscribed above the coat of arms, and the words "Suomi – Finland", the country's name in Finnish and Swedish, and "Passi – Pass", meaning "Passport" in Finnish and Swedish, below. In older non-biometric EU passports issued prior to August 2006, the words were entirely in capital letters, but current versions use mixed case. Biometric passports, first issued on 21 August 2006, also have the standard biometric symbol at the top. In 2012, the coat of arms was enlarged and the European Union title was shifted below it and separated by a double line from the country's name which is now in all capitals. The biometric symbol has been moved to the bottom. The inside pages on the older version contain drawings of a moose that when flipped rapidly show the moose in motion, while the new version has a swan that is shown flying. The cover is embossed with a snowflake motif.
In 2022, Finnish citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 189 countries and territories, ranking the Finnish passport third in the world (tied with Italian and Luxembourgish passports) according to the Henley Passport Index. [7] Additionally, Arton Capital's Passport Index ranked the Finnish passport second in the world, with a visa-free score of 172 (tied with Austrian, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Luxembourgish, Spanish, Swedish, Swiss, and United States passports), as of 19 September 2022. [8]
As a member state of the European Union, Finnish citizens enjoy freedom of movement within the European Economic Area (EEA). The Citizens’ Rights Directive [9] defines the right of free movement for citizens of the EEA. Through bilateral agreements freedom of movement is extended to Switzerland, [10] and all EU and EFTA nationals are not only visa-exempt but are legally entitled to enter and reside in each other's countries.
Names containing special letters (ä, ö, å) are spelled the correct way in the non-machine-readable zone, but are mapped in the machine-readable zone, ä becoming AE, ö becoming OE, å becoming AA.
For example, Hämäläinen → HAEMAELAEINEN.
Finnish passports issued from the 1930s until the 1970s had a white paper cover with the bearer's photograph and the seal of the province where the bearer applied for his or her passport affixed on the back cover. [11] Those issued from the 1970s until the adoption of the EU design in 1996 had a dark blue leather cover and did not contain the "European Union" texts, but were otherwise broadly similar in appearance. Previously, children could be included in the parents' passport, but this is no longer allowed and children must be issued their own passport, regardless of age.
Åland, being an autonomous region with its own government, has a separate passport. The Åland Islands passport does not however indicate a different nationality, with all holders being Finnish citizens. Unlike the Danish autonomous countries (none of which belong to the European Union) the Åland Islands autonomous region is a full part of the Finnish state, and an Åland Islands passport therefore brings all the rights and benefits of European Union membership for the holder. The passport follows the standard European Union format, and is marked on the front cover with both Finland and Åland. [12] [13]
A French passport is an identity document issued to French citizens. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of French nationality, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from French consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a French consular is absent, if needed.
Croatian passport is issued to citizens of the Republic of Croatia for the purpose of international travel. The passport has the purpose of serving as proof of Croatian citizenship and identity. Responsibility for their issuance lies with the Ministry of the Interior; and for citizens abroad, passports are issued by the local embassy or consulate. Croatian passports are valid for ten or five years, and are not renewable. Every Croatian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
A Norwegian passport is the passport issued to nationals of Norway for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Norwegian citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Norwegian consular officials abroad.
A German passport is an identity document issued to nationals of Germany for the purpose of international travel. A German passport is, besides the German ID card and the German Emergency Travel Document, the only other officially recognised document that German authorities will routinely accept as proof of identity from German citizens. Besides serving as proof of identity and presumption of German nationality, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from German consular officials abroad. German passports are valid for ten years or six years and share the standardised layout and burgundy red design with other EU passports. Every German citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area and Switzerland.
Liechtenstein passports are issued to nationals of Liechtenstein for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Liechtenstein citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Liechtenstein consular officials abroad.
An Estonian passport is an international travel document issued to citizens of Estonia, and may also serve as proof of Estonian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Estonian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Estonian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case an Estonian consular is absent, if needed. If an Estonian citizen wishes to receive an identity document, especially an Estonian passport, somewhere other than the foreign representation of the Republic of Estonia, then the bearer of the Estonian citizenship staying abroad could receive the travel documents in embassies of any EU country worldwide by paying 50 Euro. Many countries require passport validity of no less than 6 months and one or two blank pages.
A Bulgarian passport is an international travel document issued to nationals of Bulgaria, and may also serve as proof of Bulgarian citizenship. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of Bulgarian citizenship, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from Bulgarian consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a Bulgarian consular is absent, if needed.
Swedish passports are issued to nationals of Sweden for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as proof of Swedish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swedish consular officials abroad.
A Belgian passport is a travel document issued by Belgium to Belgian citizens to facilitate international travel. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with visa requirements and serves as proof of citizenship.
A Danish passport is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark to facilitate international travel. Besides serving as proof of Danish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Danish consular officials abroad.
A Swiss passport is the passport issued to citizens of Switzerland to facilitate international travel. Beside serving as proof of Swiss citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Swiss consular officials abroad.
An Austrian passport is an identity document issued to citizens of Austria to facilitate international travel. Every Austrian citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Economic Area and Switzerland.
The European Union itself does not issue ordinary passports, but ordinary passport booklets issued by its 27 member states share a common format. This common format features a colored cover emblazoned—in the official language(s) of the issuing country —with the title "European Union", followed by the name(s) of the member state, the heraldic "Arms" of the State concerned, the word "PASSPORT", together with the biometric passport symbol at the bottom center of the front cover.
Icelandic passports are issued to citizens of Iceland for the purpose of international travel. Beside serving as proof of Icelandic citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Icelandic consular officials abroad.
The Albanian passport is a travel document issued by the Ministry of Interior to Albanian citizens to enable them to travel abroad. They are also used as proof of identity within the country, along with the Albanian ID card.
The Swiss identity card in its current form dates back to July 1994. It is in the form of a plastic photocard. It can be used as a travel document when travelling within European Free Trade Association or to the European Union, the European microstates, Georgia, Turkey, and on organized tours to Tunisia.
The Liechtenstein identity card is issued to Liechtenstein citizens by the Immigration and Passport Office in Vaduz. The card costs CHF65 for adults aged 18 or over and is valid for 10 years. For children, the card costs CHF30 and has a validity of 3 years.
National identity cards are identity documents issued to citizens of most European Union and European Economic Area (EEA) member states, with the exception of Denmark and Ireland. As a new common identity card model replaced the various formats in use from 2 August 2021, recently issued ID cards are harmonized across the EEA, while older ID cards are currently being phased out according to Regulation (EU) 2019/1157.
Passports of the EFTA member states are passports issued by the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) member states Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. EFTA is in this article used as a common name for these countries.
Passports in Europe are issued by each state individually, e.g. the Netherlands or United Kingdom. In general, passports issued in Europe either grant the holder the right of freedom of movement within the European Economic Area, to those that don't. The majority of European states are members of the European Union, and therefore issue EU passports.