Instructions for UK citizens about registering for the right of residence

The effects of the United Kingdom (UK) possible withdrawal from the European Union (EU) are still unclear. It is estimated that in case of a no-deal Brexit, some 5,000 British citizens would need to apply for a residence permit in Finland.

The Ministry of Interior has declared recently on a press release that “work and study rights of UK citizens in Finland will be protected”. However, in order to turn this process as “quick and flexible” as possible, the Ministry of the Interior and the Finnish Immigration Service have recently recommended all British citizens residing in Finland to register their right of residence as soon as they can.

This general call to register caused last week many doubts among the British community, especially among those UK citizens who have lived in Finland for years.

The main question that is asked in their forums is if all of them should re-register and pay the 54 euro fee that the Immigration authorities charge for the procedure or if those who have already done so years ago can avoid the expense.

In order to clarify all the situations, the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri) published today a new release on its bulletin that says the following:

Those who already registered in the past:

They do not need to contact the Finnish Immigration Service.

Their registration is still valid and will be in the future. They do not need to renew it.

Those who are not sure about whether they have registered or not:

These people have two choices to find out if they still have to register:

1. Call the Finnish Immigration Service's customer service number at 0295 419 600 (Mon–Fri 9–16).
2. Send an email to migri@migri.fi. Include name, date of birth and citizenship in the message. Please, state also your the customer number, if you have one.

Those who have lost the old registration certificate

The Finnish Immigration Service does not require you to have your old registration certificate at hand. However, some other authorities may need a certificate stating that you have registered your right of residence in Finland.

If you need a certificate of your right of residence, this is what you should do:

• The Finnish Immigration Service has been responsible for the registrations since 1 January 2017. If the Finnish Immigration Service has registered your right of residence, you can request a new certificate by sending an email to migri@migri.fi.
• Before 1 January 2017, the police have been responsible for the registration of right of residence. If the police have registered your right of residence, you can either contact the police or submit a certificate request, which is subject to a fee, to the Finnish Immigration Service.

Uncertainty

Negotiations about the United Kingdom’s possible withdrawal from the EU and its consequences are still ongoing.

As the results of the negotiations are not yet known, the Finnish Immigration Service is currently unable to give more concrete instructions to British citizens as to what they should do after Brexit to keep their right of residence in Finland. Migri says that will publish more information and instructions as soon as are available.