According to international agreements, every person has the right to apply for asylum. Asylum seekers enter the country independently and inform the border control authority or the police that they are seeking asylum.

If a person's asylum process is already under way in another EU country, they must be returned to that country in accordance with the Dublin Regulation. However, according to the Finnish Constitution, a person may not be returned to a country where they are threatened with the death penalty, torture or other treatment that violates human dignity.

Due to protracted international conflicts and wars, the number of asylum seekers increased in Finland and elsewhere in Europe in 2015. A total of 32,476 asylum seekers arrived in Finland in 2015. Since then, the number of asylum seekers has fallen.

In 2023, a total of 5 372 asylum applications and 813 repeat applications were submitted in Finland.

More information:

• Applying om asylum
• Reception centres