Finnish government raises fees for issuing identity cards

Finland's Ministry of the Interior has issued a decree amending the cost of an identity card. The cost will rise by 5 euros from 2 August 2021.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of the Interior, the cost of an identity card applied for in person will rise from 55 to 60 euros. The cost of an identity card applied for online will also rise by 5 euros to 54 euros.

However, the cost of an identity card will continue to be 8 euros 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 1 euro.

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.

New biometric certificate

As a result of the amendments, 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, says the Ministry of the Interior.

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.