Finnish passport

Finnish passport
The front cover of a first Finnish biometric passport
Date first issued	21 August 2006 (first biometric version) 1 January 2017 (current version)
Issued by	Finland
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	Finnish citizenship
Expiration	5 years after issuance
Cost	€48

Finnish passports 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 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 and European Economic Area.

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 EU passports, 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 contain drawings of an elk that when flipped rapidly show the elk in motion. The cover is embossed with a snowflake motif.