Finland to extend validity of passport, ID card to 10 years

The government has taken an initiative to extend the validity of passport and identity cards to ten years from the existing five years.

The government on Thursday submitted a draft proposal to Parliament for amending the Passport Act and the Identity Card Act in this regard, said the Ministry of the Interior in a press release.

The is estimated enter into force by early 2028 at the latest.

“Extending the validity of passports to 10 years is in line with general European practice. This change is also a concrete example of how we can make people's everyday lives easier and reduce the administrative burden,” said Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen in the press release.

However, for minors, the validity of the documents would remain at five years. The facial features of children and young people change rapidly, which makes identification more difficult.

Passports issued to minors would contain data on their custodians. This would ensure that custodian data can be easily verified, for example when travelling abroad from Finland with children.

In future, a facial image to be entered in a passport could only be submitted by a party with a business ID or an equivalent EU/EEA identifier.

In practice, this would mean photographers, photo shops and other businesses. Applicants could no longer submit their photo themselves.

In future, each applicant would visit the police station in person, and the current so-called simplified application procedure would be abolished to ensure document security.

The prices of the documents are based on the actual costs of their preparation and delivery.

The prices will be confirmed separately by decree of the Ministry of the Interior on fees for services.

Current passports and identity cards remain valid in accordance with the decision to issue them.

The 10-year passport can be applied for after the entry into force of the legislative amendment. Before that, passports and identity cards will be issued as at present.